You probably don't spend a ton of time thinking about your kitchen steak knives. They are just a tool that you use to cook or cut your food and then they go right back in the drawer until you need them again. But if you want your kitchen steak knives to remain sharp and effective, you should take some additional precautions to help reduce wear and tear. To that end, here are some tips and tricks to keep in mind that will have you cutting through your food with ease in the months and years to come.

Wash By Hand, Not By Dishwasher

When it comes to premium steak knives, you ideally want to wash them by hand instead of in the dishwasher. That's because if you put steak knives into your dishwasher, they will bump and rattle into other cutlery or the plastic container that's holding your eating utensils inside the washer. Every time a knife's edge bumps into something, it could potentially dull itself. If it does this often enough, you'll have a quite dull knife on your hands.

Don't Delay, Clean Right Away

To keep stainless steel knives in good condition for years to come, it's important to clean them quickly following a meal. Allowing gunk to build up will make it harder to remove and might even stain your eating utensils for the long-term. Wash your knives and other cutlery with warm water and soap within an hour of the end of your meal.

Don't Use Kitchen Steak Knives on Non-Food Items

Kitchen steak knives are designed for work in the kitchen. That means that you should use them to cook, prepare, and eat your food. Using a steak knife to cut something else besides food will significantly ramp up the dulling of the blade and the long-term wear and tear. Invest in a different set of knives, a sturdy pair of scissors, or perhaps a razor blade if you need a sharp edge in another area of the house.

If your current set of steak knives is beginning to look and feel quite dull, it might be time to splurge on an upgrade. A new German stainless steel kitchen steak knife set will help restore your kitchen to its former glory and help you cut through your meat and other tough foods with ease. In the meantime, be sure to wash your steak knives by hand instead of in the dishwasher and clean them right away after eating, and don't ever use a steak knife on something that isn't food.

For more information, contact a company like Foxel.