How to Care for a Butcher Knife

The profile of the classic butcher knife.

A butcher knife is any utilitarian fixed blade knife intended for cutting raw meat. Although this is a utilitarian knife like the bowie, bayonet and survival knife, it's the one people generally reserve for domestic use. Follow these steps to keep your butcher knife in top condition.

Instructions

1. Clean and dry the knife as frequently as possible. Remove food and any other debris that gets on the knife immediately. Keep the knife dry at all times to prevent damage to the blade.

2. Store the knife in a dry place when not in use. This is usually in a drawer or a knife block. If it's a particularly expensive knife, store it in a sheath to protect it from getting dinged.

3. Wash the knife by hand whenever possible. Putting these knives in a dishwasher may eventually cause rusting and dulling. Softly scrubbing them with a brush with a dab of dishwashing soap will do the trick.

4. Sharpen the knife when necessary. While you don't want to over sharpen the knife, you don't want to let it get dull either. In this state, it can't function correctly and becomes more dangerous to use. There

Tips & Warnings

• The butcher knife is probably the best kind to use in heavy duty culinary situations, such as chopping raw fruit and vegetables.