Help: Best Dishwasher-Safe Chef Knife That Won't Rust (was Knife thread for Zhizara)

[mollyanne]

Please recommend a top quality Chef Knife,
or Knife Set for that matter, that won't get
rust spots if you wash it in the dishwasher.
Please help...i'm tired of washing knives!

Apologies if this has already been asked but
I confess that I'm not an avid knife thread
reader either.

.

 

[Zhizara]

Got all the knives I need. Got no dishwasher. Thread is like listening to guys talk about sports or cars. They are welcome to their fun, but I'll pass.

Isn't Stainless Steel supposed to be rust free? I don't think you need to spend a fortune either. Wouldn't it make sense to pay a reasonable price and just buy a new one when you need it?

 

[mollyanne]

I've got a Food Network Chef knife,
a Hoffritz Signature Series chef knife,
a OXO Stainless Chef knife,
and a Wolfgang Puck Bread knife...

ALL of which get rust spots
if put in the dishwasher

I'm willing to pay whatever it takes.
But is there one even?

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[Kathleen]

How about a ceramic knife? I do not know a thing about them, but would think they would not rust.

 

[Zhizara]

Why not try the knives thread. They know ALL about them. Not me.

 

[taxlady]

My DH puts the Henckels in the dishwasher all the time. They never get rust spots, but do sometimes get water spots

He makes sure that they are put in such that they don't get knocked against anything else.

I prefer washing them by hand.

 

[Kathleen]

Why not try the knives thread. They know ALL about them. Not me.

Because...I'm not seeking a rust-free knife?

I wash my Henckels by hand too, TaxLady. No rust spots on them either.

 

[Bigjim68]

IMO, there are no top quality chef's knives that are suitable for dishwasher use. Banging knives around with water jets is not going to keep the knives sharp. I don't have the worlds best knives, nor the world worst, but all are sharp enough that I would not want to grab them from the DW. It is a simple matter to wipe the knife down after using and store it where it belongs.

 

[taxlady]

IMO, there are no top quality chef's knives that are suitable for dishwasher use. Banging knives around with water jets is not going to keep the knives sharp. I don't have the worlds best knives, nor the world worst, but all are sharp enough that I would not want to grab them from the DW. It is a simple matter to wipe the knife down after using and store it where it belongs.

I agree. I used to have arguments with my DH about whether or not they could go in the dishwasher. I didn't know why, but I was sure it wasn't a good idea to put them in the dishwasher. I finally heard a TV chef explain about the knives getting banged around and told my DH. That's when he started laying them down in the top rack, so they don't get banged around.

Well, they are his knives. He bought them before we got together.

 

[Zhizara]

Because...I'm not seeking a rust-free knife?

I wash my Henckels by hand too, TaxLady. No rust spots on them either.

I wash everything by hand.

 

[Kathleen]

I wash everything by hand.

Me too! Erm...not by choice. My kitchen is too tiny for a dishwasher!

 

[babetoo]

mine go in the dishwasher. i lay them down on the top rack. no rust problems here. how would they get banged around? don't understand that part.

 

[DaveSoMD]

I was my knives by hand also. I do have a dishwasher but I prefer to wash some things by hand like my knives, pots and pans and splatter screens.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Woe be unto to him who puts a knife in the kitchen sink with water in it.

Everything here is handwashed, too. Even if I had a dishwasher, I would wash knives by hand.

 

[Andy M.]

mine go in the dishwasher. i lay them down on the top rack. no rust problems here. how would they get banged around? don't understand that part.

The banging around can happen when you put knives in a silverware basket.

In addition, the harsh chemicals in DW detergent can cause damage to the handle material over time.

 

[Rob Babcock]

While any knife blade made out of steel containing at least 11-13% Chromium will be fairly rust resistant, it's really a bad idea to run your good knives thru the dishwasher. The obvious first reason is that the edge can bang up against other things, dulling the blade. Also, as Andy mentioned, heat and solvent can damage the handle over time. I imagine that knives like Wusthofs with plastic scales will probably hold up pretty well but I wouldn't subject real wood to a dishwasher if I could help it.

And really, it's not that hard to hand wash a couple knives.

Still, if you must have something that's dishwasher safe I suppose Henckels, Wusthofs or Messermeisters with resin or plastic handles would be your best bet. If you're looking for something cheaper, Analon or Kitchenaid knives with similar scales would be relatively safe.

 

[taxlady]

Me too! Erm...not by choice. My kitchen is too tiny for a dishwasher!

Teehee.

My kitchen doesn't have adequate counter space. We use the top of the less than full size "portable" dishwasher as our main prep area.

 

[mollyanne]

My OXO Chef knife has a rubber handle and my FoodNetwork Chef knife has a stainless steel handle so I'm not really worried about those or wooden handles wearing in the dishwasher. I'm only concerned with the blades themselves and can't for the life of me figure out why no one can design one that won't get rusted when put in the dishwasher. They'd make $$$. Maybe it's the detergent brand I use...Cascade?

With all this being said, I don't put mine in the dishwasher either but I would if they would stay safe.

And I have 4 "helpful" kids coming and going and invariably one will forget the rule. A little steel wool makes it good as new but grrrr

.

 

[Kathleen]

Teehee.

My kitchen doesn't have adequate counter space. We use the top of the less than full size "portable" dishwasher as our main prep area.

My kitchen has a sink with double drainboards. I just bought a custom-sized cutting board that can slip into the space created by one of the drainboards so now I have a 'mise en place'. (I feel so professional!)

How large is your portable dishwasher? Do you recommend them? How much hassle is it to hook up?

 

[taxlady]

My kitchen has a sink with double drainboards. I just bought a custom-sized cutting board that can slip into the space created by one of the drainboards so now I have a 'mise en place'. (I feel so professional!)

How large is your portable dishwasher? Do you recommend them? How much hassle is it to hook up?

It's 18 3/4" x 26 3/4" and counter height. It's easy to hook up once you have the right gizmo on the spout of the kitchen faucet. It hooks up just like a portable washing machine.

Yes, I recommend them when you don't have room to build one in. The top can be taken off if I ever want to build this one in. My only quibble is that we didn't get the full sized one. It's hard to put larger pots and pans in it and it won't hold many pots at once. It makes a nifty rolling island