In some instances some chef knives or general cooking knives are advertised as dishwasher safe. These knives typically have an all metal construction, like Global knives, and they are stainless steel that do not use a high carbon content in the knives blades.
That said in my opinion no knife should be put in the dishwasher (except flatware knives of course) and here is why.
- The chemicals used inside your dishwasher, or, the dishwasher tablets can cause rust and corrosion on your knife's blade.
- Potentially while in the dishwasher the edge of your knife is submitted to rubbing up against all matter of dirty kitchen utensils which is also detrimental to your knife’s health and in particular its blade edge.
- Sometimes some dishwashers do not do a great job of drying the contents inside them. This can lead to water droplets being left of your knife and if left to sit long enough rust spots can form. We will cover how to remove rust from your knives in another blog post.
- Last but not least with knives that have natural wood handles, they can get stripped of the oil used to moisten and protect the wood which then means your knife’s handle will become dry and be prone to cracking.
Even composite material handles like Pakkawood, which is a composite material designed to look like wood but actually last longer and be more durable are prone to showing tell tale signs of being blasted at high temperatures inside a dishwasher.
The best way to clean your knives is by hand with a mild detergent and soft cloth. If your knife is highly polished do not use a scourer pad as they could potentially scratch your knife's blade. Once clean be sure to dry your knife thoroughly with a soft cloth and of course mind your fingers when you doing this.
Now that you know how to clean your knives go get them dirty in your kitchen!
