The keys to maintenance are keeping it clean and using a kitchen steel regularly. While steeling doesn’t sharpen the blade, it maintains its straightness and doing it regularly will reduce the frequency at which you’ll need to sharpen your blade.
A sharp knife is safer because you are more likely to use more force with a dull knife making it easier to slip. If you are a chef and use a knife multiple hours a day, you will want to sharpen every four to six weeks. A home cook only needs to sharpen their knives every six to 12 months. You can test the sharpness by dragging the end of a plastic pen (not the ball point end) over the edge of the knife – if is not ‘glass smooth’ as it travels across the blade it needs to be sharpened.
Don’t put your good knife in the dishwasher on a regular basis. Over time it can rust pits in the stain resistant steel. It also can impact the edge against objects dulling your edge.
Never cut on glass, ceramic or granite surfaces. Plastic cutting boards or mats are OK, but the best cutting board surface is end-grained wood.
