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1. Keep your quality knives sharp! No knives stay sharp forever, but professional knives can be kept sharp almost forever, with some minimal effort. You have 4 broad choices: 1. Traditional combination of Steel and stone: the Steel daily, and the stone about once a month. With a lot of skill, a Steel can maintain a sharp edge, but eventually the cutting edge will become 'rounded', from human angle error, at which time the cutting edge bevels must be restored by removing this rounded material (on a stone, or some other device/service). 2. Gadgets: can be simple and fast, but chefs don’t use them for a reason. We know technically why a ‘gadget edge’ is not satisfactory for professional knives, but chefs just know from experience that they don’t work. 3. Füri professional sharpening tools and systems: developed and patented by the mechanical engineers at Füritechnics, after years of primary research with one simple goal: to produce cutting edges that are honed like a professional on a Steel, but with none of the human angle error, so a perfect 20° bevel is created each side, quickly and easily, by anyone. Knife sharpening need not be a mystery. Our sharpening pages are designed to remove the mystery and show the techniques that will build your skills. We have detailed descriptions and animations to describe knife sharpening options. Click here for more sharpening detail. 2. Don't let your knives rust! The material used in professional knives is very different to sinks, pots and pans, forks and spoons, etc. It is less corrosion resistant, but much harder (to hold an edge under abrasive cutting conditions). Simply hand wash and dry your knives after each use. Don't leave them wet on the sink, and don't put them in the dishwasher. (Dishwashers are highly corrosive environments, and will literally eat a small layer of metal off your knives, making your fine edge rounded and dull, and leaving rust spots on your blade.) Also, the plastic sleeves many knives are packaged in are very humid environments, and your knives shouldn't be stored in them after purchase (use a good knife block or magnetic rack). If you do get small rust spots or stains on your knives, simply scrub off the spots using a sideways (width-wise) scrubbing motion, using a scouring pad or cloth and metal polish. Never scrub along length-wise along the blade or handle, because this is across the original polishing grain, and will quickly show polishing scratch marks. 3. Don't use your knives as a lever to remove lids, etc, and avoid dropping them onto the floor! Professional knives are hard and strong, but they can still be broken or chipped if enough inappropriate force is applied. Knives are only designed for straight-line forces in the vertical plane (normal cutting), and not for sideways leverage, or for striking against hard objects (including bones – chefs never swing their knives at bones!). Apart from the unnecessary destruction of a fine tool, and the inconvenience, the lifetime warranty is voided if they are abused in any of these ways. Please care for your knives: they will give a lifetime of good service if treated sensibly! 4. Handle your knives carefully when cutting! Build your cutting skills. There are some simple techniques that make the food preparation process much more pleasant, faster, and safer. One of the key simple skills is the hand grip on the food, and using your knuckle as a guide on the side of the blade. Again, the easiest way to explain the techniques is to demonstrate them, so go to our cutting skills pages, and see animations of our Chefs demonstrating various cutting techniques for different kinds of food preparation. The next best thing to a live Chef! 5. Store your knives carefully to avoid damage to, and from, their edges. The safe and hygienic storage of knives is a crucial issue in both domestic and commercial kitchens. Traditional and common knife storage methods such as wooden knife blocks or loose knives in a drawer have many drawbacks. These include blunt knives, contaminated knives, damaged knives and increased injury risks. The Füri Clean-Store Knife Blocks are the best possible way to store professional knives because they protect the blade edges (and users’ hands from the edges of the blades) and ensure the knives are easily accessible during food preparation and cooking. Designed by Füritechnics, they are called ‘Clean Store’ because they are hollow inside and the slots are very shallow, which is more hygienic than the deep slots in regular wooden blocks which accumulate airborne grease and dust and are very difficult to clean. The Füri Clean-Store 1 Knife Blocks feature an acrylic cover, plastic knife slots and an easy to clean pull-apart stainless steel construction. This is not just a knife block; it is a bench-top organizer for all your food preparation tools. The stainless steel storage pocket is ideal for holding peelers, zesters, can openers, etc, so that everything is close at hand. The Füri Clean-Store 2 Knife Blocks incorporate the Füri Tech Hone sharpener and European styling. Black moulded HDPE knife slots and an easy to clean pull-apart extruded aluminum construction make cleaning a breeze. Also in this series is the Füri Clean-Store 2 Knife Block with chrome finish. With the same pull-apart, easy to clean extruded aluminum construction, and moulded ABS, this block is a stylish addition to any kitchen. The Füri Clean-Store 3 Knife Block also feature the black moulded HDPE knife slots and an easy to clean, pull-apart (with use of an Allen key) stainless steel construction. The Füri Clean-Store Knife Block systems are designed to solve all the issues of knife hygiene, care and safety and are a must for anyone who takes these seriously. |