Knife Care
DO NOT WASH IN THE DISHWASHER! The heat from the dishwasher will break down the epoxy in the handle over time. The handle is also coated with a protective oil. Dishwashing detergent along with heat will break this protective coating down very quickly. Instead, wash gently under warm water by hand or with a soft sponge. Dry the knife immediately after washing and put away once you are sure it's COMPLETELY dry.
USE PROPER KNIFE STORAGE! None of your kitchen knives should ever come into contact with each other during storage. Proper knife storage is a MUST for maintaining the integrity of your knives and the very fine cutting edge in particular. We highly recommend using a magnetic knife board mounted where moisture can't come into direct contact with it. Our second choice would be a butcher block or a drawer knife rack where each knife has its own slot. Make sure the knife is completely dry before putting it away.
Avoid Lateral Contact With The Cutting Edge! One of the worst things you can do to any knife is use the cutting edge to scrape ingredients off cutting boards. This will either roll or chip your edge which will greatly reduce the performance of your knife immediately. Instead, use the spine (top) of your knife to accomplish this task.
USE A QUALITY CUTTING BOARD! Wood end grain cutting boards are preferred. You can use a plastic cutting board if you must. Metal, Ceramic, and Glass cutting boards are strictly forbidden. This also includes cutting ingredients on dinnerware, cookware, or grill tops. These all WILL break down your finely tuned cutting edge very quickly.
DO NOT CUT FROZEN OR HARD INGREDIENTS! Our knives are made to be much harder and thinner than traditional store bought knives. The benefit of this is they will stay sharper longer and cut through ingredients with far less resistance than other knives. The downside is the edge can chip when coming into contact with super dense or frozen foods.
DO NOT USE PULL THROUGH SHARPENERS OF ANY KIND! This includes electric sharpeners! Only use quality water stones to sharpen your knives. These knives are finely tuned tools with finely tuned edges. Pull through sharpeners are notorious for removing too much material and leaving a very coarse finish even on the “fine” settings. This will dramatically reduce the lifespan of your blade. I highly recommend learning how to maintain your knife yourself, learn how here, or send it back to us for free sharpening. Please contact us at info@performanceedeworks.com BEFORE sending your knife in for sharpening.
Carbon Steel Blades in particular should be kept dry and free from food particles at all times. Keep a tea towel or paper towel close by while cooking and wipe it periodically during use. A patina will naturally begin to develop on your carbon knife blade. Acidic foods will accelerate this process. This is actually a good thing. The more the patina develops, the more corrosion resistant your knife will become. It will never make your blade impervious to moisture but it will allow longer sessions in between wiping the blade while in use. If you don't plan on using your knife for a while (1 week or more) it is good practice to put on a light coat of food grade oil. We use food grade mineral oil for cutting boards. This can be found at almost any Home Depot Store. It's ok if it gets on the handle as well.
Stainless Steel Blades are more corrosion resistant than Carbon Blades but they too are not impervious to rusting. The same element that makes the blades hard will also take on rust if not cared for correctly. Get in the habit of wiping the blade periodically during use, wash and dry immediately after use and store them correctly when not in use and you won't have any issues. Stainless tends to remain patina free.