Knives In The Dishwasher – What’s The Correct Way?
There are a lot of differing opinions about how to put knives in the dishwasher. But is the correct way the safest way, or should they even be in the dishwasher at all?
A debate has broken out on the mildlyinfuriating subreddit on the proper way to get knives clean. Common sense should tell you when putting knives in the dishwasher to put the pointy side down because it’s safer, but you’d think that having them face up would get them cleaner. There’s even some dishwasher manuals that say you should have the pointy side up. One commenter said “I don’t want the last bit of dirty water on the part that actually get used, I’m an adult and can avoid cutting myself.”
Knives In The Dishwasher – Safety First
Putting the knives pointy side down seems like the safer way to go so you don’t stab yourself on one, but maybe the Florida climate I live in makes for a second reason. After the steak knives have been through the dishwasher a few times, they have little rust spots on them. So instead of debating pointy side up, or pointy side down – maybe don’t put them in the dishwasher at all.
Don’t Put Your Knives In The Dishwasher Or Even In The Sink
Another reason that came up in the discussion was that the detergents used in the dishwasher could dull the knife over time. Maybe. What I do know is that you should never put your knives in the sink when you’re done using them. More items could be placed on top of the knives and then when you fill the sink with water to do the dishes, you could reach down and stab yourself with one. That has actually happened to me and tore my finger up. Quite a bit of blood.
What Do The Experts Say?
If you’ve ever worked in a commercial kitchen, you know you don’t put the knives in the dishwasher AND you don’t put them in the sink. You wash and dry them when you’re done using them. But that’s for the food prep knives. What about butter and steak knives? I’m going to err on the side of caution and put all the utensils handle side up. Knives, forks, spoons, all of them. I’m not taking any chances.