Just like a painter without a brush or a sailor with no compass, a chef without a sharp knife is incomplete.
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Sharp knives are important in a chef’s (or anyone else who loves to cook) kitchen for many reasons. As an essential tool for cooking, many bad things can happen when you decide to whip up a meal with a dull knife.
Sharp Knives Reduce the Risk of Injuries
If you don’t wear cut-resistant gloves or any other protective tool when cooking, it’s super important never to work with a blunt knife. That’s because contrary to what you may think, dull knives predispose you to injuries.
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When you use a blunt knife, you’ll need to exert more force than usual to cut through ingredients. This increases the risk of slips.
Other Reasons to Avoid Dull Knives
Experienced cooks know how important precision is during cutting. Dull knives will simply not give you that clean cut and affect your food’s arrangement and texture.
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Plus, they reduce your efficiency in the kitchen by increasing your meal prep time.
How Often Should You Sharpen Your Knives?
How often you must sharpen your kitchen knives depends on numerous factors such as duration of use and the type of knife. A good rule of thumb is to sharpen them the moment you notice that they no longer cut seamlessly.
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On a general scale, they should be sharpened at least once in 2 months.
You Can Reduce Sharpening Time
Have you noticed that your kitchen knife needs to be sharpened more often than usual? If yes, it may be an indication that you’ve been storing it the wrong way or engaging in other ineffective practices.
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Fortunately, there are ways to ensure that the intervals between sharpening days are reduced and Ina Garten has spilled the beans on one.
Ina Garten to the Rescue
As a renowned cooking show host, Ina Garten is a household name in the American food and cooking industry. Nicknamed “the Barefoot Contessa,” she is reputed to be one of the most loved cooks in the country for various reasons.
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Garten, in an Instagram post on January 31, revealed her hack for storing knives to maintain its sharpness. The trick is as brilliant as it’s easy.
How Not to Dull Your Knives
Garten’s post highlights the importance of sharp knives and ensuring that our kitchen practices don’t make them dull. She indicates that storing them vertically is one such mistake to avoid.
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In her words, “It’s really important to have sharp knives, and I try not to do things that dull them. I choose knife blocks that hold most of the knives sideways.”
There’s A Hack for Vertical Knife Blocks
But what if you’ve already purchased vertical knife blocks? Does this mean you should toss them in the trash can immediately? Certainly not, Garten has pulled out one of the many tricks up her sleeves just for you.
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“Any knives that are held vertically, I have another trick for saving the blade,” she said.
Spilling the Tea
“Somebody asked me recently why I put my knives in my knife block the way I do and I realized I do it differently,” Garten said. “If you put it in right side, the usual way, as you put it in, the blade is scraping against the wood and I don’t think it’s good for the blade,” she continued.
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“So, I put it in upside down and I think it saves the blade. Does that make sense?” Yes Garten, it sure does!
How Viewers Responded
Many of the commenters on Garten’s post were excited about how clever the cook’s hack is. “I was literally just talking about how much knife blocks dull a blade. But this is genius!” a viewer typed.
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Someone else wrote, “You’re absolutely right, why didn’t I think of that? Thank you, Ina.”
More Suggestions
Others who weren’t asking questions or commending Garten for sharing her tip made complementary suggestions. “Also, use the back of the knife to scrape chopped things into the pan — the blade will thank you by staying sharper longer!” Someone wrote.
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Another advised cooks to stop keeping their knives in the dishwasher to ensure that they last longer.
Ina Garten Deserves Her Flowers
“Ina you could tell me to cut my appendages off and it would still make sense,” one of the commenters on Garten’s post typed. While this is on a light note, it highlights the respect and impact she has had on cooking enthusiasts over the years.
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Garten has always found joy in revealing simple but effective hacks to improve productivity in the kitchen. We’re so grateful for her!
