Knives in the dishwasher

[julski]

Here's an update on my knives four years later!!

I just cleaned and sharpened them, and I'm surprised to report that the Henckels Four Star 8" chef's knife is good as new - and I can even still read the imprint on the side!! I have had this knife for TWENTY years (I remember because I bought it for my first catering job in 1989) and it's been through the dishwasher on the top rack hundreds of times.

The one that did not do so well is the Henckels Pro "S" - there is a distinct line of pitting about half an inch below the tang.

[Tony Boulton]

Good reasons for not putting sharp knives (as opposed to "silverware") in the dishwasher:

1. It's dangerous.

2. If the sharp edge is touching anything else hard, the vibration caused by the aggressive action of the dishwasher will damage the fine teeth, making it harder to hone.

3. Detergents and heat add up to corrosion which affects rivets (made from alloy), wood, plastics.

4. If you don't start the dishwasher immediately the acids in the food you have been cutting will eat into the surface of the blade. This causes "pitting" which will result in rust spots.

5. It's lazy....

[TimmDavis]

Knives in the dishwasher Never.

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I absolutely agree! I never ever put my knives in the dishwasher. Not to mention it takes all of a couple of seconds to wash and dry the knives by hand. Why take any kind of risk with your knives?

[paulraphael]

Simple. Cutlery that's supposed to be sharp never goes in the dishwasher (or the sink) under any circumstances. If you have family members or guests who like to "help" and who can't grasp this, then you need to lock the knives out of harm's way.

Knives that are flatware you can treat just like your forks and spoons. Put them in any way you like.

[Octaveman]

5. It's lazy....

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Just deserved to be quoted.

[Porthos]

I have run my knives through the dishwasher without ill effects (one wooden handle notwithstanding) for 47+years.  However, I do so with the understanding of  what not to put in, and how to position them to avoid damage. I've never had a blade deteriorate

 

I have 2 knives that never go in: a 10" slicer with a rosewood handle and a 10" chef's knife with a rosewood handle. 

 

I'll never own Damascus steel knives. They are beautiful but would require more care than I wish to put into them.

 

My knife block is filled with western-style knives. I have Forschner, Victorniox,  Wusthoff, Henkel, and others. After I retired from participating in Ren Faires as a volunteer I stopped pursuing one of my hobbies, finding quality brand knives in thrift stores that were donated because the edges were dull and the owner didn't choose to deal to with them.  Bringing them back life and giving them to friends was a pleasure.  There are a few of those that made it into my knive block or knife roll that I use when traveling. 

 

My best "test case" is my 9 1/2" chef's knife that my Sweetie gave me for Christmas 1982. Just this year, for the first time, I had to smooth its wooden handle and then put 6 coats of polyurethane on it. The blade itself still takes and keeps an edge. I use an Edge Pro.  I actually found egullet when I wanted to learn to properly sharpen knives; thank you Chad Ward.

 

I position all knives so that the edges CAN NOT hit anything else.

 

I fully understand that the prevailing wisdom is never, ever put kitchen knives in the dishwasher. If that is how you care for knives I have no argument with what you do in your kitchen.  My choice to put them in the dishwasher is solely my own choice.

 

I do not wish to engage in debate over my choice.  I simply wanted to share my perspective and personal experience. 

Edited yesterday at 04:57 AM by Smithy
Corrected title spelling (log)

[weinoo]

I think I had an argument with fat guy about this 15 years ago. Or maybe it was about wooden spoons?

 

my perspective…I’d rather give any and all of my knives a quick wash and dry and put them back where they belong.

 

 

 

 

[blue_dolphin]

I don’t have lots of knives so I prefer to keep my limited selection at the ready. I don’t run the dishwasher after every meal so washing them by hand suits me. 

 

[haresfur]

I avoid putting anything with a wooden handle in the dishwasher. That means my Japanese knives, several crappy old knives, and my cheap as chips Kiwi. I'd put the Kiwi in if it had one of the newer plastic handles. I probably wouldn't put the Victorinox chef's knife in, but I don't have final say on all the matters. I wouldn't put my carbon steel or stainless clad knives in, even if they didn't have wooden handles. I have several knives we keep around just because we can abuse them and not worry about things like the dishwasher. 

 

So it is complicated. Good knives that only I use, hand wash as soon after a task as possible. Cheap knives where anything goes. A couple of cheap knives that are hand washed because of their wood handles. I suppose those are the ones where my strategy is different from @Porthos so his post is well taken. The old club of a western chef's knife might be a good one to experiment with, since I have a similar plastic handle one if it dies.

 

If I have a pot of soapy water in the sink, I'll tend to just hand wash the knives so I don't end up cursing the fact that they are sitting in the dishwasher, dirty. But overall dishwashers are more energy and water efficient. 

[weinoo]

5 hours ago, haresfur said:

So it is complicated. Good knives that only I use, hand wash as soon after a task as possible.

This...I only use "good knives" and they are immediately wiped with a wet rag after any task and ready for the next task.  If there's no next task, the can readily be put back onto their storage space...if I've cut anything that would involve washing them down, that's what happens anyway.  In other words, there's never a dirty knife lying on a cutting board...(as Taylor would say) like...ever.

[Dr. Teeth]

So I was thinking the other day that eGullet is really the friendliest place in the internet.   I’ve rarely seen a cross word exchanged here.

 

Glad you decided to see what it would take to get folks fired up.

 

So, I choose not to put my knives in the dishwasher.  My in-laws, who really can’t cook, have knives that have been run through for years.   I think the heat drying is highly destructive to most knife handles - they have mostly split apart and are of the layered, bolstered type common to mid quality knives favored in the 90’s (henkles wustof) 

 

But, as you state in your opening they are your knives, I hope they serve you well and that you continue to do as you choose with them.   I will say this though:

 

Good Lord, Man.   Your test knife is the one your Sweetie gave you?!

Edited 14 hours ago by Dr. Teeth
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