Aftercare
Is my Japanese Knife Dishwasher Friendly?
Japanese knives are generally not suitable for washing in a dishwasher. Modern machines have lots of salts and detergents which can damage the razer sharp edge of your knife. It doesn't matter what type of steel your knife is made from the edge cannot withstand a constant barrage from hot water, salt and detergent.
Not only can these salts and detergents damage the edge of your perfectly honed knife but traditional Japanese knives have wooden handles, or part wood. Wood should never be put into a dishwasher as the dishwasher can damage the protective coating/treatment on wood and can then eat into the wood itself. Water damage to wood will most likely leave the knife in a state of disrepair.
Keep your Knife Dry
Another extremely important note to remember about Japanese knives is to keep them dry. Moisture is steel, and timbers mortal enemy. Even the most stain resistant metals used in Satoshi knives can degrade and rust over time. So when you wash your knife by hand, always ensure to dry it fully afterwards and put it away in a moist free location. It is recommended that you oil your knife periodically with a special grade oil which we will be offering as a product soon. Knife oil will pretect your knife from moisture in the air by creating a barrier between the air and the steel itself. We are currently working on a lubricant which can be used on all of our knives universally. Knife oil needs to be fully organic in order to be used on knives. Do not used synthetic or semi synthetic oils for this process.
How to care for my Japanese knife handle?
Handles can come in all different types. Gnerally each knife will come with its own care guide which you should read carefully. If you are investing in a quality Japanese knife you need to read the guide from the manufacturer. All our guides will come translated from Japanese to English and other common languages. Again, please read this carefully. Some knives are made from treated wood but each of these wooden handles but some can be made from oak, ebony, etc so each may have slightly different aftercare requirements. We will do a guide soon on each type of handle and breakdown the requirements of each. The general rule is as per the above 2 points. Do not put Japanese knives in the dishwasher unless instructed to in the manual. Keep your knife dry and oiled too, as per above.
Some other handles types are Pakka wood which looks very similar to wood but its actually made from a plastic resin. Pakka wood handles are more hard wearing than real wood so may suit some cooks more than others. There is no need to treat Pakka wood like you would a traditional wooden handle.
We will do a more comprehensive guide on handle types in the future but for now just remember to read the owners manual to ensure you get a lifetime out of using your Satoshi Japanese Knife.
What type of Chopping board to use for my Japanese Knife
This is an easy question to answer as we belive there is only 1 truly safe chopping board to use with any knife. And the answer is wood. There are many reasons for this but the main reasons are as per below:
Protection of the blade: When you cut down through anything on a chopping board you are hitting the edge off the surface below. If you use a hard or brittle surface this will damage the edge or your knife or make it dull over time. So as wood is a naturally soft material it is the perfect board to chop on. Plastic is also an option as its also softer than metal or glass but we rule it our due to safety reasons below. Metal and glass chopping boards are a not suitable if you want to keep your blade sharp.
Safety: The 3 most common chopping board surfaces are wood, metal and plastic. Glass is used to a lesser extend and as mentioned above its not good for retaining sharpness. This brings us to the next question, what is the safest chopping board to chop on for health and safety? Well plastic is the worst for public safety due to the particles of plastic which end up in the food supply. As you chop and slice food on a plastic chopping board you cut the board and fragments of plastic break off and end up sticking to your food and in turn gets cooked with the food and then into your body. As we all know plastic is not good for humans so its best to stay well away from plastic chopping boards. If you have a plastic chopping board at home have a close look at it and see if there is any damage. The more damage you see on the chopping board the more plastic whiich may be going into your food supply. Our advise is to ditch the plastic and get a wooden or bamboo instead. Make sure the bamboo is real bamboo and not a bamboo/plastic compination material.