Just bought the wife a nice set of Kitchen knives for Christmas, and
had heard
the advise to hand wash them only, I suppose because the granular
dishwasher detergent
might dull them.

Truth or wives tale??????

wrote in message
ups.com...
Just bought the wife a nice set of Kitchen knives for Christmas, and
had heard
the advise to hand wash them only, I suppose because the granular
dishwasher detergent
might dull them.

Truth or wives tale??????


I wonder if it's because of the pressure of the jet spray that may cause
them to hit whatever else is in the same compartment in the silverware tray
and cause a nick in the blade.

In article . com, wrote:
Just bought the wife a nice set of Kitchen knives for Christmas, and
had heard the advise to hand wash them only, I suppose because the granular
dishwasher detergent might dull them.

Truth or wives tale??????

You should hand-wash them, but mostly because a thirty-minute immersion in hot
water, followed by the heat of the drying cycle in the dishwasher, isn't going
to do the (presumably) wooden handles any good. The detergent won't harm the
blades, but they may get nicked if they bang into other utensils.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

wrote:
Just bought the wife a nice set of Kitchen knives for Christmas, and
had heard
the advise to hand wash them only, I suppose because the granular
dishwasher detergent
might dull them.

Truth or wives tale??????

I always heard the reason for this advice is the damaging effect that
the drying cycle's intense heat has on wood handles.....nothing to do
with the blades.

wrote in message
Just bought the wife a nice set of Kitchen knives for Christmas, and
had heard the advise to hand wash them only, I suppose because the
granular
dishwasher detergent might dull them.

I believe it's because dishwasher detergent is more caustic than the type
you'd use for handwashing. In the long run, there really isn't enough
difference to cause you to worry. It's likely you'll be old and grey (or
greyer) before you'd consider them damaged.

wrote in message
ups.com...
Just bought the wife a nice set of Kitchen knives for Christmas, and
had heard
the advise to hand wash them only, I suppose because the granular
dishwasher detergent
might dull them.

Truth or wives tale??????

Dishwasher detergents will eat the edges of good high-carbon steel
leaving, over time, small "nicks" which will require a goodly amount of
either machine grinding or elbow grease to put back the edge.
About the only good advice my M-I-L ever gave me.
--
"New Wave" Dave In Houston

I've heard the same thing, not sure whether it's true or not.

I do know, however, that when I put my knives in the dishwasher (I have
polymer handles on mine for this reason) they do seem to get rust spots
and also lose their edge more frequently.... I do put them on the
bottom rack, and I probably wash the ones I use most often 3 or more
times a week. I've had them for 18 months.... and I run them over a
6000 grit whetstone when the seem dull....about every 6 months.

I also don't use the sharpening steel, ever. If you use a steel use
it very very lightly, never apply force.

On 21 Dec 2006 06:21:51 -0800, wrote:

Just bought the wife a nice set of Kitchen knives for Christmas, and
had heard
the advise to hand wash them only, I suppose because the granular
dishwasher detergent
might dull them.

Truth or wives tale??????
If the handles are wood they will be destroyed over time - otherwise
no real problem altho I do feel that the ones i put in dishwasher got
duller faster - no real evidence - so i stopped putting them in.
Besides it only takes a few seconds to wipe off and put back in drawer
where you can find it! As opposed to looking in drawer, then
dishwasher, then countertops etc. Just an efficiency consideration.

wrote:
Just bought the wife a nice set of Kitchen knives for Christmas, and
had heard
the advise to hand wash them only, I suppose because the granular
dishwasher detergent
might dull them.

Truth or wives tale??????

SWMBO got Henckels (sp?) when we got married and the instructions said
not to put them in the DW because the handles would get damaged. The
handles are some kind of plastic.

Assuming they have wood handles, the diswasher will dull and eventually
remove the finish. Being too lazy to hand wash knives, I usually dip the
handles in oil about once a year or so to renew the finish. Usually use BLO
or Danish and one or two dippings + wipes usually renews the finish pretty
well. If one gets scuffed a bit a light burnish with fine steel wool,
before oiling, will clean things up.

RonB

wrote in message
ups.com...
Just bought the wife a nice set of Kitchen knives for Christmas, and
had heard
the advise to hand wash them only, I suppose because the granular
dishwasher detergent
might dull them.

Truth or wives tale??????

Putting them in the dishwasher will void the warranty on almost all
good knives. Speaking from personal experience, these knife companies
can tell instantly by looking at them that they have been in a
dishwasher. Their tech guys say that it damages the finish on the
steel in addition to ruining the plastic handles.

wrote:
Just bought the wife a nice set of Kitchen knives for Christmas, and
had heard
the advise to hand wash them only, I suppose because the granular
dishwasher detergent
might dull them.

Truth or wives tale??????

This is really a wive's tale because my wife told me. When we put the
steak knives in the DW, the silver-plate other utenliles get tarnished
and generally show a chemical reaction to the presence of the knives.
So we don't do it any more. Works for me. She doesn't tell me how to
cut wood and I don't tell her how to load the DW.

Bill Leonhardt

wrote:

Just bought the wife a nice set of Kitchen knives for Christmas, and
had heard
the advise to hand wash them only, I suppose because the granular
dishwasher detergent
might dull them.

Truth or wives tale??????

Good knives should be hand washed, dried, and kept in a knife rack
rather than in a drawer.

A knife rack insures that the sharp edges do not come in contact with
each other.

If you don't have a rack, you now have a reason to build one.

As far as a dishwasher is concerned, ask yourself a question.

Would you put your drill bits, plane irons, files, or any other of
your cutting tools in a dishwasher?

If the answer is "no", then why would you abuse your kitchen knives?

Lew

"Bill Leonhardt" wrote in message
oups.com...

wrote:
Just bought the wife a nice set of Kitchen knives for Christmas, and
had heard
the advise to hand wash them only, I suppose because the granular
dishwasher detergent
might dull them.

Truth or wives tale??????

This is really a wive's tale because my wife told me. When we put the
steak knives in the DW, the silver-plate other utenliles get tarnished
and generally show a chemical reaction to the presence of the knives.
So we don't do it any more. Works for me. She doesn't tell me how to
cut wood and I don't tell her how to load the DW.

Bill Leonhardt


I always thought loading the dishwasher was getting the wife drunk.

"Lew Hodgett" wrote in message
nk.net...
wrote:

Just bought the wife a nice set of Kitchen knives for Christmas, and
had heard
the advise to hand wash them only, I suppose because the granular
dishwasher detergent
might dull them.

Truth or wives tale??????

Good knives should be hand washed, dried, and kept in a knife rack rather
than in a drawer.

A knife rack insures that the sharp edges do not come in contact with each
other.

If you don't have a rack, you now have a reason to build one.

As far as a dishwasher is concerned, ask yourself a question.

Would you put your drill bits, plane irons, files, or any other of your
cutting tools in a dishwasher?

If the answer is "no", then why would you abuse your kitchen knives?

Lew

The knives should be stored in the rack or block either on their side or
with the blade pointing up in the slot.

On Dec 21, 9:21 am, wrote:
Just bought the wife a nice set of Kitchen knives for Christmas, and
had heard
the advise to hand wash them only, I suppose because the granular
dishwasher detergent
might dull them.

Truth or wives tale??????

*gasp!!*

If somebody were to put my Wüsthofs in the dishwasher, I'd faint.

That just isn't done.

Then again... now I think about it...*thinking*..naaa.. just not done.
It doesn't pass the 'gut-feeling' test.


r

On Dec 21, 12:48 pm, "Robatoy" wrote:
On Dec 21, 9:21 am, wrote:

Just bought the wife a nice set of Kitchen knives for Christmas, and
had heard
the advise to hand wash them only, I suppose because the granular
dishwasher detergent
might dull them.

Truth or wives tale??????*gasp!!*

If somebody were to put my Wüsthofs in the dishwasher, I'd faint.

That just isn't done.

Then again... now I think about it...*thinking*..naaa.. just not done.
It doesn't pass the 'gut-feeling' test.

r

That's like driving a new RS4 through a carwash!... even a touchless
carwash... just not done.

Would you put your drill bits, plane irons, files, or any other of your
cutting tools in a dishwasher?

Not while the wife is around!

(IIRC there was a rec.crafts.metalworking thread about using a dishwasher
for a parts washer.)

-- Mark

Mark Jerde wrote:


(IIRC there was a rec.crafts.metalworking thread about using a
dishwasher
for a parts washer.)

Once worked for a company that used a standard home dishwasher to wash
printed circuit boards after etching.

Don't remember what, if any, detergent was used.

Lew

If somebody were to put my Wüsthofs in the dishwasher, I'd faint.

That just isn't done.

Then again... now I think about it...*thinking*..naaa.. just not done.
It doesn't pass the 'gut-feeling' test.

r

That's like driving a new RS4 through a carwash!... even a touchless
carwash... just not done.

Good lord. People spend all of their money buying high-end stuff to prove
something. Then they spend all of their time taking extraordanary care of
stuff by not using the high-end washing equipment that sets idle.

BTW, many of the good kitchen knives that we clean in the diswasher; and
renew with oil every year or so, have been around most of our 40 year
marriage.

It isn't low end stuff.

RonB

"Lew Hodgett" wrote in message
nk.net...
wrote:

As far as a dishwasher is concerned, ask yourself a question.

Would you put your drill bits, plane irons, files, or any other of your
cutting tools in a dishwasher?

If the answer is "no", then why would you abuse your kitchen knives?

Lew



I wonder how well a dishwasher does on pitch and gunk build-up on saw
blades?.....Could be a great thread discussing which brand of dishwasher and
which detergent comes out on topG. Rod

Rod & Betty Jo wrote:
I wonder how well a dishwasher does on pitch and gunk build-up on saw
blades?.....Could be a great thread discussing which brand of dishwasher and
which detergent comes out on topG. Rod

Dunno, but caustic d/w detergent isn't nice to ally motorcycle casings,
much better to use simple soap on those....

"Rod & Betty Jo" wrote in message

I wonder how well a dishwasher does on pitch and gunk build-up on saw
blades?.....Could be a great thread discussing which brand of dishwasher
and which detergent comes out on topG. Rod

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.c...a407dc7f89d7c6

or via makeashorterlink.com

http://masl.to/?W3015296E

-- Mark

I though it was the amount of Salt that gets added to dishwashers that does
the damage to the steel.... they are made of stainless steel not marine
gauge stainless steel...
Eddie
"RonB" wrote in message
...
If somebody were to put my Wüsthofs in the dishwasher, I'd faint.

That just isn't done.

Then again... now I think about it...*thinking*..naaa.. just not done.
It doesn't pass the 'gut-feeling' test.

r

That's like driving a new RS4 through a carwash!... even a touchless
carwash... just not done.

Good lord. People spend all of their money buying high-end stuff to prove
something. Then they spend all of their time taking extraordanary care of
stuff by not using the high-end washing equipment that sets idle.

BTW, many of the good kitchen knives that we clean in the diswasher; and
renew with oil every year or so, have been around most of our 40 year
marriage.

It isn't low end stuff.

RonB

wrote in message
ups.com...
Just bought the wife a nice set of Kitchen knives for Christmas, and
had heard
the advise to hand wash them only, I suppose because the granular
dishwasher detergent
might dull them.

Truth or wives tale??????
I would think that the hot water would lower the temper of the steel
(hardness) Stan

wrote:

Just bought the wife a nice set of Kitchen knives for Christmas, and
had heard
the advise to hand wash them only, I suppose because the granular
dishwasher detergent
might dull them.

Truth or wives tale??????

There are 3 concerns with putting sharp knives in a dishwasher. One is
the handle material may be damaged or wear out faster. One is the sharp
edge will likely get banged around (and maybe the soap is harder on the
edge) which will dull it faster and maybe chip it. And lastly do you
really want to chance slicing you hand open reaching in to unload the
thing.

ron

And lastly do you really want to chance slicing you hand open reaching in
to unload the
thing.

ron

The slicing is a real concern, especially if you keep them as sharp as I try
to. I was glad to see that our newest washer has a dedicated knife rack
that keeps the blades enclosed in a guarded area that still allows the
washing action to reach them.

RonB

"RonB" wrote in message
...

And lastly do you really want to chance slicing you hand open reaching
in
to unload the
thing.

ron

The slicing is a real concern, especially if you keep them as sharp as I
try
to. I was glad to see that our newest washer has a dedicated knife rack
that keeps the blades enclosed in a guarded area that still allows the
washing action to reach them.


I keep my knives razor sharp, but I trust myself to be able to pick up a
knife without slicing myself. A special rack to enclose the blade so the
user does not cut themselves while unloading... sounds more like they're
selling dishwashers to users that should not have any sharp objects around.

--

-Mike-

wrote:
Just bought the wife a nice set of Kitchen knives for Christmas, and
had heard
the advise to hand wash them only, I suppose because the granular
dishwasher detergent
might dull them.

Truth or wives tale??????

I never wash my knives in the dishwasher for SAFETY reasons. When I
empty the dishwasher silverware rack, I grab bunches of silverware. If
someone has slipped in a paring knife or some other knife about the
size of a serving spoon or dinner knife, it's easy to get cut. It has
happened more than once in the past. I know, I know, why don't I look
before I grab? Sometimes they get hidden and you just can't see them.
If you have a policy of not putting them in there in the first place,
then the chances of getting cut are much reduced.

I also don't dump sharp knives in the dishwater along with the other
dishes in the sink for the same reason. If I need to wash a knife, I
set it aside until I'm ready to clean it, then place it immediately in
the knife rack after I dry it.

After all, do you just dump your chisels in your tool box along with
all the other tools?

In article , "Eddie" wrote:
I though it was the amount of Salt that gets added to dishwashers that does
the damage to the steel.... they are made of stainless steel not marine
gauge stainless steel...

Salt? You mean, from the food? There doesn't seem to be enough to damage
regular stainless steel flatware.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

In article et, "Stan and Sue Deen" wrote:

wrote in message
oups.com...
Just bought the wife a nice set of Kitchen knives for Christmas, and
had heard
the advise to hand wash them only, I suppose because the granular
dishwasher detergent
might dull them.

Truth or wives tale??????

I would think that the hot water would lower the temper of the steel
(hardness) Stan

I would think that's not going to happen at dishwasher temperatures... which
are necessarily less than 100C (212F).

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

"efgh" wrote in message
news:Buzih.92681$rv4.19053@edtnps90...
The knives should be stored in the rack or block either on their side or
with the blade pointing up in the slot.


Unless they're not.

Or maybe there are other people in their houses.


"Mike Marlow" wrote in message
...

"RonB" wrote in message
...

And lastly do you really want to chance slicing you hand open reaching
in
to unload the
thing.

ron

The slicing is a real concern, especially if you keep them as sharp as I
try
to. I was glad to see that our newest washer has a dedicated knife rack
that keeps the blades enclosed in a guarded area that still allows the
washing action to reach them.


I keep my knives razor sharp, but I trust myself to be able to pick up a
knife without slicing myself. A special rack to enclose the blade so the
user does not cut themselves while unloading... sounds more like they're
selling dishwashers to users that should not have any sharp objects
around.

--

-Mike-

wrote:
Just bought the wife a nice set of Kitchen knives for Christmas, and
had heard
the advise to hand wash them only, I suppose because the granular
dishwasher detergent
might dull them.

Truth or wives tale??????


Are they stainless steel? If so, no matter what
you do to them you won't hurt them. You also may
never get them very sharp. If you have high
carbon steel, it is better to hand wash and wipe
dry after every use. If the handles are real
wood, you hand wash.

A dishwasher is not going to make the knives
appreciably less sharp (unless the knives are
banging around hitting stuff in the washer..

In article . com,
wrote:
Just bought the wife a nice set of Kitchen knives for Christmas, and
had heard
the advise to hand wash them only, I suppose because the granular
dishwasher detergent
might dull them.

Truth or wives tale??????


Good luck to you. (At least it wasn't for a birthday or god forbid
aanniversary)

Seriously, many hihg-quality knives do have that admonition. What does
the manufacturer say?
--
Make it as simple as possible, but no simpler.

Larry Wasserman - Baltimore Maryland -

I don't know about what you Americans and Canadians do but in Europe we have
to add salt to the dishwasher! they do have tablets now with the salt
already added to the formula, something to do with stopping the glass ware
going dull? so my wife tells me ;-)
Eddie.
"Doug Miller" wrote in message
t...
In article , "Eddie"
wrote:
I though it was the amount of Salt that gets added to dishwashers that
does
the damage to the steel.... they are made of stainless steel not marine
gauge stainless steel...

Salt? You mean, from the food? There doesn't seem to be enough to damage
regular stainless steel flatware.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

In article , "Eddie" wrote:
I don't know about what you Americans and Canadians do but in Europe we have
to add salt to the dishwasher! they do have tablets now with the salt
already added to the formula, something to do with stopping the glass ware
going dull? so my wife tells me ;-)

Never heard that before...

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

"badger.badger" wrote in message
...
Rod & Betty Jo wrote:
I wonder how well a dishwasher does on pitch and gunk build-up on saw
blades?.....Could be a great thread discussing which brand of dishwasher
and which detergent comes out on topG. Rod

Dunno, but caustic d/w detergent isn't nice to ally motorcycle casings,
much better to use simple soap on those....

Well, that's a case of much more active metal(s) than iron.

Seriously, no real reason why the nonionic dishwashing detergent should etch
steel of any sort more than the anionic high-suds types. Reason for the
non-ionic choice is that they behave better in hard or cold water, which is
why they're used in the laundry soaps as well.

Agents added to the detergent to help it deal with hard water might affect
the steel, but I think the warning against dishwashers has more to do with
the opposite end of the knife.

We are using the dry cycle so we don't hothouse carbon steel in a
high-humidity environment, right?

"RonB" wrote in message
...
Or maybe there are other people in their houses.


As there are in mine...

--

-Mike-

My wife tells me that it is more about the handles than the blades. I
am informed that the heat of the dry cycle will shrink and deform the
handle material of kitchen knives over time.


wrote:
In article . com,
wrote:

Just bought the wife a nice set of Kitchen knives for Christmas, and
had heard
the advise to hand wash them only, I suppose because the granular
dishwasher detergent
might dull them.

Truth or wives tale??????



Good luck to you. (At least it wasn't for a birthday or god forbid
aanniversary)

Seriously, many hihg-quality knives do have that admonition. What does
the manufacturer say?