How to clean Japanese Knife & Maintain Hygiene 10 Secrets

It is very obvious that after cooking a meal, your beloved knife would have food residue and crumbs and if you are not habitual to clean your knife regularly, then your knife would be dirtier than ever. But if you clean your knife according to the correct way and clean it on a regular basis, then your knife would be just fine like before. All you just need to follow a hygiene level to maintain your knife.

10 Key Points How to Clean Your Knife and  Maintain Knife Hygiene

With great skills, a great knife is also essential for a cook. But to make sure that your knife will stay great, you have to keep your knife clean properly. We have discussed some key points to maintain knife hygiene.

Don’t put your knife directly in the dishwasher

When we are talking about maintaining knife hygiene, the first thing that comes to our mind is cleaning the knife in the proper way. Knives that are made of steel are mostly dishwasher safe but directly putting the knives into the dishwasher is not the right way. Different types of acid are present in food and when we leave food on the blade, it makes it hard to clean.

In nature, the dishwasher does not put on straight away which helps the food to sit on the blade. The worse situation is when the knives cuddle each other, there is a possibility to get the blade notched and dented. So it is better to wash the blade with hot water or soap water, then dry it properly and put it away. Always keep in mind that, if you store your knife dry, it will help to keep rust from developing.

Wipe the knife clean right after each use

Leaving your knives with food after use could be the worst thing as it will allow the debris to get stuck on your knives and it will make it difficult to clean it. So after every use, you should put your knife under water immediately and let the food brush off and drain it down the sink. If there is any garbage still left on your knife, you can quickly wipe it down with the help of a sponge or dish towel.

Soaking the knife for removing food Waste

After trying several times, it is possible that you won’t be able to get rid of debris and food ends up stuck on your knife. In this situation, the best solution is to deep down your knife under shallow water for a couple of minutes. This process will help you to scrub away the food easily. But you have to be careful that you are not soaking it for longer as it can lead your knife to get rust.

Dry the knife following the right process

Make sure you dry your knife with a clean and dry towel quickly after cleaning it with water. You should not leave your knife for air dry because, during this process, your knife will develop rust very quickly. And a little tip for your safety purpose is always dry your knife pointing opposite from you.

Gather necessary materials

It will require certain supplies to clean your knife. So it would be wise to gather all the necessary materials before you start cleaning your knives. Mild dishwashers are very popular around the market as an initial washing. But you can also consider your daily used soap but avoid dish soap as it is very harsh for knives and it causes rust and damage.

Also, it is very important to remove rust, and a kind of household lubricant can be a good choice to remove rust from your knife. Also, household oil is essential to lubricate the knife after washing and you will find these things easily at a hardware store. You should also arrange a soft sponge or a toothbrush for your initial cleaning, a nylon pad to deal with rust and after finishing your cleaning, you will be in need of a soft, clean cloth to pad dry the knife.

Clean with White vinegar and potatoes to get rid of tarnishes

Very few people know about this technique but white vinegar and potatoes are excellent cleaning properties and work effectively on a tarnished and fade knife. If your knife loses its shine, you just have to rub your knife with a rag soaked in white vinegar that has been heated, and then you have to dry it with a clean cloth. It will increase the efficiency of your knife. Potatoes also work in the same way and it helps to improve steel’s resistance to rust. All you just need to cut a slice of a potato and rub it on your knife.

Use turpentine soaked sponge

Very often your knife gets rust and white spots and using turpentine soaked sponge could be a savior to remove rust and white spots. Turpentine contains similar chemical properties like white vinegar which helps to prevent rust and white spots

Lemon to remove black spots

Just like other kitchen ingredients, lemon is another ideal option to remove black spots. Blade gets black spots because of prolonged use. In this process, you just need to prepare a mixture of lemon juice and water and soak your knife into it for a couple of seconds. After that rinse it and dry it with a clean cloth

Cork to restore the shine

After use for several months, the knife usually loses its shine and you can restore the shine by cleaning your knife with cork. All you just need to drop a cork into a bowl of water and wet it properly. Then swamp the cork in ashes from a fireplace. Once your cork is ready to use, rub your knife with the cork and wipe it with water and clean it 

Cleaning wooden-handled knife

Knife handles need less care to clean than knife blades. But you have to keep in mind that water can damage wooden handles and over-washing is also harmful to wooden handles. The wood of your knife will consume too much water if you deep down it into water. So the handle will swell easily and it will lead the handle to crack. Avoid leaving your wooden-handled blade out to dry or a place with too much moisture.

Final Word

 We have tried to give a basic down-pat and you are pretty much knowledgeable about the cleaning process, care, and tips of a knife. But our final tips are _ Keep your knife away from the contact of any foreign sources. Every knife is not made of equal materials and equal steel.

All you have to research and understand is what does actually your knife need to clean and what precautions you have to take before heading off to clean your knife. Then you are pretty much good to go.