Kitchen Knives Wives Tale?

I wonder how well a dishwasher does on pitch and gunk build-up on saw blades?.....Could be a great thread discussing which brand of dishwasher and which detergent comes out on top. Rod

Reply to
Rod & Betty Jo
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Dunno, but caustic d/w detergent isn't nice to ally motorcycle casings, much better to use simple soap on those....

Reply to
badger.badger

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-- Mark

Reply to
Mark Jerde

Reply to
Eddie

Reply to
Stan and Sue Deen

There are 3 concerns with putting sharp knives in a dishwasher. One is the handle material may be damaged or wear out faster. One is the sharp edge will likely get banged around (and maybe the soap is harder on the edge) which will dull it faster and maybe chip it. And lastly do you really want to chance slicing you hand open reaching in to unload the thing.

ron

Reply to
r payne

The slicing is a real concern, especially if you keep them as sharp as I try to. I was glad to see that our newest washer has a dedicated knife rack that keeps the blades enclosed in a guarded area that still allows the washing action to reach them.

RonB

Reply to
RonB

I keep my knives razor sharp, but I trust myself to be able to pick up a knife without slicing myself. A special rack to enclose the blade so the user does not cut themselves while unloading... sounds more like they're selling dishwashers to users that should not have any sharp objects around.

Reply to
Mike Marlow

I never wash my knives in the dishwasher for SAFETY reasons. When I empty the dishwasher silverware rack, I grab bunches of silverware. If someone has slipped in a paring knife or some other knife about the size of a serving spoon or dinner knife, it's easy to get cut. It has happened more than once in the past. I know, I know, why don't I look before I grab? Sometimes they get hidden and you just can't see them. If you have a policy of not putting them in there in the first place, then the chances of getting cut are much reduced.

I also don't dump sharp knives in the dishwater along with the other dishes in the sink for the same reason. If I need to wash a knife, I set it aside until I'm ready to clean it, then place it immediately in the knife rack after I dry it.

After all, do you just dump your chisels in your tool box along with all the other tools?

Reply to
bsa441

Salt? You mean, from the food? There doesn't seem to be enough to damage regular stainless steel flatware.

Reply to
Doug Miller

I would think that's not going to happen at dishwasher temperatures... which are necessarily less than 100C (212F).

Reply to
Doug Miller

Unless they're not.

Reply to
CW

Or maybe there are other people in their houses.

Reply to
RonB

Are they stainless steel? If so, no matter what you do to them you won't hurt them. You also may never get them very sharp. If you have high carbon steel, it is better to hand wash and wipe dry after every use. If the handles are real wood, you hand wash.

A dishwasher is not going to make the knives appreciably less sharp (unless the knives are banging around hitting stuff in the washer..

Reply to
George E. Cawthon

Good luck to you. (At least it wasn't for a birthday or god forbid aanniversary)

Seriously, many hihg-quality knives do have that admonition. What does the manufacturer say?

Reply to
lwasserm

Reply to
Eddie

Never heard that before...

Reply to
Doug Miller

Well, that's a case of much more active metal(s) than iron.

Seriously, no real reason why the nonionic dishwashing detergent should etch steel of any sort more than the anionic high-suds types. Reason for the non-ionic choice is that they behave better in hard or cold water, which is why they're used in the laundry soaps as well.

Agents added to the detergent to help it deal with hard water might affect the steel, but I think the warning against dishwashers has more to do with the opposite end of the knife.

We are using the dry cycle so we don't hothouse carbon steel in a high-humidity environment, right?

Reply to
George

As there are in mine...

Reply to
Mike Marlow

My wife tells me that it is more about the handles than the blades. I am informed that the heat of the dry cycle will shrink and deform the handle material of kitchen knives over time.

snipped-for-privacy@fellspt.charm.net wrote:

Reply to
Mapdude

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