Knives and home dishwashers

[Half Baked]

I have several Wusthofs and never put them in the dishwasher mainly because I've always read 'not to' on kitchen sites.

Is there a reason why? The handles are not wood and it seems they'd be alot cleaner having been sterilized in the dishwasher.

I've just been a'cooking and a'thinking all day long.

 

[TATTRAT]

It playe h-e-double hockey sticks with the edge on your knife. The abrasive qualities in the chemicals knock down the burr, from what I have been told. I am not sure what the big differences are in the home dish machine chemicals versus commercial, but I would still shy away from it.

 

[Half Baked]

Ahhh, I hadn't considered the cleaner.

 

[Katie H]

It playe h-e-double hockey sticks with the edge on your knife. The abrasive qualities in the chemicals knock down the burr, from what I have been told. I am not sure what the big differences are in the home dish machine chemicals versus commercial, but I would still shy away from it.

I agree with Tatt. The dishwasher detergents used in home dishwashers can be corrosive. It can etch china and glassware and I can't imagine it would be good for your fine knives. I won't even put any of my cookware in the dishwasher for that same reason.

If sterilization is a concern, there's always the old-fashioned way. Boil in water for a few minutes.

 

[kitchenelf]

Yep - it's all in the edge!!!! The handles also react unkindly to the high heat - wooden or not.

 

[Half Baked]

Thanks kids. I knew I'd find the answer here.

 

[thymeless]

The other risk is the water jets knocking the blade into other objects in the dishwasher. This too can harm the edge.

There is also some risk of cuts to people unloading the dishwasher.

 

[GB]

Not to mention how things can knock and bounce around in there while the washing cycle is doing its thing.

 

[kitchenelf]

You don't need to boil your knives - it will also affect the handles, whatever they may be. This is why stainless steel is in professional kitchens - you WIPE it down and it's clean (with the proper cleaner of course) - my first and final thought is DO NOT BOIL your knives or even pour boiling water over them.

Also, the ONLY place sterilazation can take place, be effective, and work properly, is in an operatiing room - other than that our ONLY option is "sanitized".

Soap and water are going to clean your knives - period. You do anything else and you risk harming them. Just the high heat from a dishwasher can temper knives - boiling water is higher than that.

Sorry, I love my knives and don't want to see anyone's get ruined.

 

[Half Baked]

This is why you're paid the big bucks! The check's in the mail.

I took off the part about boiling since I realized that was ridiculous. I'll go get some electrolyzed water. That's a great sanitizer.

 

[kitchenelf]

Honestly????? You know you don't even need that - just soap and water. If it was needed restaurants would have been doing it for years because the Health Department would be making them. Hey, you didn't even ask for my address for that check - is this a scam????

 

[Half Baked]

Just trust me....it's on the way! Gb gave me your address. It was kitchenelf's address, wasn't it?

 

[TATTRAT]

All we do at the end of every shift is set up a sanitizing bucket. InThe next shift, all it takes is some hot soapy water and a rince, no big whoop.

 

[GB]

Just trust me....it's on the way! Gb gave me your address. It was kitchenelf's address, wasn't it?

Of course it was. Everyone knows she moved to MA

 

[VeraBlue]

The harsh chemicals for an automatic dishwasher will kill the blades.

 

[shpj4]

I don't put any of my good knives in the dishwasher because I feel that the detergent will be bad for them.

 

[college_cook]

A small bucket filled with dilute bleach (about 1/3 capful per gallon of water) does the trick. Dip, wipe, and you're clean!

 

[TexanFrench]

Cooking knives and dishwashers

Here's info. from the Chef's Choice website on dishwashing knives:

+++++++++++++
Washing sharp knives in the dishwasher can be hazardous to the knife, the dishwasher and the cook! It is too easy to reach into a dishwasher and get a nasty cut. Sharp knives can knick plastic-coated wire shelves and other utensils. The force of the water can dull knife-edges by pushing them against shelves or utensils. The combination of hot water and the chemicals in dishwasher detergent can leave stains on stainless steel cutlery that comes in contact with silver or silver-plated flatware or copper. (These stains don't effect the knife's performance.)
+++++++++++++++

Personal note:

Occasionally my "kitchen helpers" have been known to put my good knives into the dishwasher. Once I even found a paring knife, which had been lost for months, "hiding" on the floor of the dishwasher. Who knows how long it had been there? (I use modestly-priced paring knives because they have such adventurous lives--they are more likely to be broken or chipped than any other knife in my kitchen.)

That being said, I keep my dishwasher set to "energy-saving air dry" and I always use a gel dishwasher, which is less abrasive than the powder kind. (Some powdered dishwashing soaps may actually use sand as the cleaning/abrasive agent.) I wouldn't recommend knives in the dishwasher, but if they are apt to creep in when your back is turned, you can do something to minimize the problems.

Life is never perfect, alas! And I never turn down offers of help. (Although I usually try to handwash all the knives before the help arrives.)

 

[Corey123]

I have several Wusthofs and never put them in the dishwasher mainly because I've always read 'not to' on kitchen sites.

Is there a reason why? The handles are not wood and it seems they'd be alot cleaner having been sterilized in the dishwasher.

I've just been a'cooking and a'thinking all day long.

Yes, I agree on the handles!!

I put a brand new set of small steak knives in the dishwasher. When the machine finished, the handles looked real old and worn. I think that the hot water and rough detergent did a number on them and made the handles look so old!!

The varnish was all gone!!!

And BTW, a dishwasher does NOT serilize things - it sanitizes them. To sterilize, the water has to be at least 212 degrees or higher, the temp of boiling water.

It's true that dishes washed in a dishwasher are generally more free from bacterial contamination than with dishes washed by hand.


~Corey123.

 

[Constance]

If I want something sterilized, I just add a splash of Clorox to the soapy water. It's good for wiping off your countertops and washing enameled woodwork, too.