Knife Care-How to look after Japanese knives

A Japanese knife will outlast the person who buys it if it is looked after, and looking after one is easier than people fear. This is the routine we recommend across the counter in our Brisbane studio, whether your knife is stainless or carbon steel.

Know your steel

Stainless steel resists rust and stains, so it only asks that you wash and dry it after use. Carbon steel (the White and Blue steels on hand-forged knives) takes the keenest edge but will rust if left wet. Many Japanese knives split the difference with three layers: a carbon core for the edge, wrapped in stainless cladding, so only the exposed edge needs carbon care. If you are not sure what your knife is made of, our knife steel guide covers every steel we stock.

On carbon steel, the shiny blade will slowly turn dull grey-blue. Don't panic. That is patina, a stable oxide layer that actually slows rust down and records what you have cooked. Rust is orange and spotty; patina is even and grey. One is a problem, the other is character.

Using your knife

• Japanese blades are thin and hard. They cut brilliantly but they do not bend, so never twist or pry with the edge. That is how blades chip.
• Avoid bones, frozen food and very hard produce like pumpkin and squash necks. Use a heavier Western knife for those jobs.
• Cut on wood or soft composite cutting boards only. Glass, stone and ceramic plates destroy edges instantly.
• Never heat the blade over flame, and don't scrape food sideways across the board with the edge. Use the spine.

Cleaning

• Wash by hand with dish soap and warm water straight after use, then dry completely with a towel. On carbon steel, wipe the blade down during cooking too, especially after acidic foods like onion, citrus and tomato.
• Never use a dishwasher. The heat, detergent and rattling ruin both edge and handle.
• Wooden handles dry out over time. A little food-safe wax or oil now and then keeps the wood healthy.

Keeping it sharp

Even with perfect care, every edge dulls with use. Japanese knives are made to be sharpened on whetstones, and it is a genuinely satisfying skill to learn. Start with our step-by-step sharpening guide, or learn hands-on at a sharpening class in the studio. If you would rather leave it to us, our professional sharpening service restores edges, repairs chips and thins tired blades by hand. Whatever you do, avoid pull-through sharpeners. They tear the fine edge and can chip hard Japanese steel.

Storing

• Protect the edge. A saya (wooden sheath), a slot in a knife block, a stand or a knife bag or roll all work. Loose in a drawer does not.
• Storing a carbon steel knife long term? Coat the blade lightly with camellia oil, wrap it in newspaper, and keep it somewhere dry. This is how knives have been stored in Japan for generations.

If rust appears

Don't panic, and don't scour it with steel wool. A Sabitoru rust eraser removes rust quickly without damaging the surface. Wet the Sabitoru slightly and rub along the blade like an eraser. For deep or pitted rust, or rust near the edge, bring the knife in and we will sort it out as part of a sharpening service.

Everything mentioned here lives in our knife care collection. Questions about your specific knife? Email contact@japaneseknifestudio.com.au or bring it into the studio at Lot 10, 198 Adelaide Street, Brisbane City. We would rather show you than tell you.