How do you clean your knives?

[Michelemarie]

I don't put my knives in the dishwasher and usually wash them with hot water and dish soap. However, I get goofy when it comes to a knife I used on raw meat or seafood. I usually rinse them with water, spray some Clorox Cleanup or Lysol Antibacterial Kitchen Spray on the blade and let it sit at least 10 minutes and then wash it with hot soap and water. Could this damage the blade? I'm anal, just wanna make sure all bacteria is dead.

 

[GB]

I wash my knives immediately after using them. They never go in the dishwasher. Depending on what I used them for I will either use only water or hot water and soap. If I cut meat or anything messy then I will use soap. If I cut something like a carrot then I will just wash with water and dry well.

I have no idea if clorox or lysol would be bad for your knives, but my gut says it won't do any damage.

 

[Andy M.]

Antibacterial soap and water will not harm your knives. I often spray them with a dilute bleach spray if I've been cutting stuff like chicken. I have had no problems to date.

 

[RPCookin]

Hot water and plain old dishwashing detergent. I don't do anything else, and I can't imagine anything sticking to a knife. I rinse them fairly often in hot water while I'm using them, so nothing really gets a chance to stick anyway.

 

[Poppinfresh]

My sushi knives go in the dishwasher. My main knife set is ceramic though, so they aren't dishwasher safe...they get the hand washing with Joy. Anything more than that is just overkill anyways.

 

[Michael in FtW]

If I am cutting something like chicken or seafood ... I rinse with hot water and use a nylon scrub brush with liquid dish washing soap ... let the soap sit on it for about a minute - then scrub again for about 30-seconds, rinse, and wipe dry, and put away. Actually, that's what I do anytime I cut any meat - come to think of it.

Spraying your knives with a "sanitizing" solution and letting them sit for more than a minute is "overkill" (actually, wasted time). All it takes for max effectiveness is 30-seconds.

"Sterilizing" your knives (killing 100% of bacteria) is not practical or readily achievable in the home kitchen - and even if you "Sterilizied" them they wouldn't stay that way.

 

[Michelemarie]

Sorry guys - I know I am anal. Let me explain.

I took a microbiology class and we studied bacteria. I know that several cleaners (Lysol Antibacterial Kitchen Spray) says on bottle's directions to let sit 10 minutes - However Clorox Cleanup says let sit 30 seconds. I do know that we had to sterilize our equipment - and that meant with bleach and also letting it sit.

I don't know at what temperature water has to be at to kill bacteria - and I am not sure if soap kills all bacteria - I am concerned about raw meat - not so much anything else.

I learned some scary stuff about bacteria and viruses - sometimes too much information is not good. In this case, I think I may be developing OCD - I am driving my family nuts! (I hope not you guys )

 

[Robo410]

you can buy commercial sanitizer powder or pellets, and fill a tub or ice cube bin with hot water and drop this stuff in. Then just rinse your knives of crud and drop them in. 5/10 min during cleanup or as part of preparation.

At CIA each work station has a tub of the sanitizer. It is changed every few hours. It is simply part of food safety preparation.

You could do the same with hot water and antibacterial soap or a bleach solution.

I don't see it as a problem if it becomes part of your regular kitchen routine.

 

[Michelemarie]

Thanks for the info Robo - like I said, the raw meat thing creeps me out. I usually wash my knives immediately and for the ones that get the bleach soak, I set them in the sink and spray.

 

[Horab]

Well, I guess you can't be too careful.

I've had food poisioning due to my own carelessness with cooking utensils, and that taught me.

I use bleach, too, then hot water and soap, the the top rack of the diswasher, set to clean with hot water.

That's not obsessive, isit?

 

[AllenOK]

Quatenary sanitizers are used in the food industry, as you can't taste any residue, and it kills bacteria.

If you like the idea of soaking equipment in an antibacterial solution, go to a pool supply place and gets some clorine tablets. I can't think of the abbrieviation for them right now. Use a pair of pliars, crush half the tablet into a gallon of extremely hot water. Stir to dissolve the crushed tablet. Once that's dissolved, place your items in that and let it sit for a few minutes. Pull it out and air-dry.

That's how I learned to sanitize dishes out where I used to go backpacking.

 

[GB]

Allen, I was under the impression that clorine would rust metal very quickly. I was told this by my father in law who told me not to store my clorine tablets in the shed with my lawn mower as it would make it rust in no time. I am just bringing this up so that people with carbon knives do not try this. I am not sure if that short amount of time would really do any damage, but just something to possibly be aware of.

 

[Andy M.]

Household bleach works for sanitization. The chlorine tabs from the pool store are the same stuff.

The Clorox bleach bottle and their website tell you how to use their bleach as a sanitizer.

I keep a spray bottle of bleach and water under the sink and use it to sanitize after cutting meats, primarily poultry. Spray the counter top, sink and knives and then rinse.

 

[Michelemarie]

AndyM - that is primarily what I do but with Clorox Cleanup - I know there is a good amount of bleach in this product - I have ruined several shirts! I only do this when I am working with raw meat.

 

[CharlieD]

The only time I put a knife, or actually the knife, into dishwasher is when I cut a chicken. I have one knife I use for that. The only thing that is bad for any knife is heat. Even hot water is bad. So the rest of my knives are washed ander warm water with soap of my wifes choice. I do not like doing dishes, sorry DW.

 

[Andy M.]

AndyM - that is primarily what I do but with Clorox Cleanup - I know there is a good amount of bleach in this product - I have ruined several shirts! I only do this when I am working with raw meat.

It's basically the same thing. The mix it yourself method is a little cheaper.

 

[Michael in FtW]

Michele - I must amend (correct) what I previously said about how I wash my knives. I wash my knives and plastic cutting boards with a few drops of straight liquid dish washing soap and just enough hot water to work up a lather, let sit for a minute or two, rinse with hot water, sprinkle on some Comet or other chlorine containing powder, work up a lather and let sit for a minute or two, scrub again for a few seconds, rinse, then use more dish washing liquid and hot water to wash off the chlorine residue - dry with a clean dish towel and put away.

I went out and checked the Lysol (Lysol Antibacterial Kitchen Spray) and Clorox (Clorox Clean-Up) websites - they both claim 99.9% kill in 30 seconds. If you make a mixture of 1-Tablespoon Clorox to 1-qt water - the kill time is 2 minutes. Straight 5% vinegar - 3-5 minutes. I use vinegar on my wood cutting boards and just let them air-dry overnight.

I am familiar with the Quaternary (ammonium based alkaline) sanitizers AllenMI was talking about - it's the 3rd sink solution (or the solution in the 3rd sink) .... wash in soap & water (sink 1), rinse in clean hot water (sink 2), and a final rinse in the sanitizer (sink 3). They are also about a 30-second kill time sanitizer. You can see this used in action in just about any bar where the bartender is washing the glasses behind the bar.

 

[Michelemarie]

I went out and checked the Lysol (Lysol Antibacterial Kitchen Spray) and Clorox (Clorox Clean-Up) websites - they both claim 99.9% kill in 30 seconds. If you make a mixture of 1-Tablespoon Clorox to 1-qt water - the kill time is 2 minutes. Straight 5% vinegar - 3-5 minutes. I use vinegar on my wood cutting boards and just let them air-dry overnight.

Thanks for the information! I use either one - whatever I grab first. Do you use vinegar on your cutting boards every time you use them or just periodically?

 

[Michael in FtW]

Do you use vinegar on your cutting boards every time you use them or just periodically?

Just about every time I use it with anything that is wet ... but nothing fancy or exotic- I just put a little vinegar on a paper towel and wipe the board down with it. But, I also keep my wood board well oiled so nothing is likely to absorb into it. How often I oil it depends on (a) how much I use it and (b) the time of the year - I oil it more in the winter when I'm running the heater and the humidity is low. In the winter I might oil it once a week - in the summer about every 6 weeks or so.

 

[Michelemarie]

Just about every time I use it with anything that is wet ... but nothing fancy or exotic- I just put a little vinegar on a paper towel and wipe the board down with it. But, I also keep my wood board well oiled so nothing is likely to absorb into it. How often I oil it depends on (a) how much I use it and (b) the time of the year - I oil it more in the winter when I'm running the heater and the humidity is low. In the winter I might oil it once a week - in the summer about every 6 weeks or so.

What type of oil do you use?