Some unhealthy habits you should avoid when using a kitchen knife

One of the kitchen tools a home cook uses the most is the chef's knife. The majority of people are unaware of how simple it is to destroy a kitchen knife. There are a few healthy habits to get into—and others to break—if you have some gorgeous blades you want to have for years in order to maintain your knife sharp and durable for years.

The obvious ways to dent and dull a chef's knife are to store your blade incorrectly and cut on uneven surfaces, but there are several less obvious methods. The list of kitchen knife sins listed below can quickly damage your blade.

Scraping your knife sideways on the board

Try not to scrape with your fine knives; knives were actually only meant to be cut in two directions, back and forward, not side to side. Although it may be instinctive to move and use the knife's blade to gather all the chopped food on the board, doing so will eventually wear down the edge. If you can't entirely eliminate the habit, at least attempt to do it lightly and without using a lot of downward pressure.

Cutting nonfood items or using your knife as a general tool

Good knives may seem like a multipurpose tool but they should only be used for food prep.Avoid cutting any non-food objects like cardboard, plastic, or other packaging. And don't even consider using your knife as a lever or screwdriver to pry something that is jammed open.

Oversharpening a knife will also ruin the blade

A knife blade reaches a point when it can no longer be sharpened, and if you keep pounding it on a steel or whetstone, you'll simply be shaving off the blade and diminishing the life of the knife.

Letting knives sit in the sink or putting them in the dishwasher

Your knives should never be put in the dishwasher for a variety of reasons. The handles will probably be harmed, and the blades shouldn't ever be submerged for so long. In relation to that, you should never leave a knife wet in the sink or anywhere else. That means you should never soak it, and after hand cleaning it, you should dry it right away to prevent the metal from rusting and corroding.

Using a metal scrubber or rough sponge

A knife blade reaches a point when it can no longer be sharpened, and if you keep pounding it on a steel or whetstone, you'll simply be shaving off the blade and diminishing the life of the knife.

Storing your knives free in a drawer

Your knives should never be put in the dishwasher for a variety of reasons. The handles will probably be harmed, and the blades shouldn't ever be submerged for so long. In relation to that, you should never leave a knife wet in the sink or anywhere else. That means you should never soak it, and after hand cleaning it, you should dry it right away to prevent the metal from rusting and corroding.