How to Care for Your Paring Knife?

Just like your chef’s knife or santoku knife, a paring knife can turn into a dull knife and lose its shine over time. So it’s important for you to know the right tips and tricks for maintaining your sharp knife and restoring its sharp blade if it ever got blunt.

In the next few lines, we will tell you how to care for your paring knife in detail. Don’t forget to take notes!

1- White Vinegar

You can use vinegar to maintain and clean your stainless steel blade or any other blade material. White vinegar comes with great cleansing features. Here is the right way to use it.

Required Tools

• A rag
• White vinegar

Steps

1. Heat some white vinegar.
2. Soak a rag in white vinegar. 
3. Then you only have to scrub the blade with the rag. 
4. After that, use a clean cloth to dry the blade.

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2-Potatoes

You can use potatoes for cleaning and maintaining the knife blade. as the starch in the potatoes enhances the rust resistance of the stainless steel blade.

Required Tools

• A potato
• A clean rag

Steps

1. Cut one potato into two halves.
2. Then scrub it on your blade. 
3. After that, wash your knife and dry it with the rag.

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3-Turpentine

This is an excellent method for removing rust and white spots from your paring knife. as the turpentine chemical features are similar to white vinegar.

Required Tools

• A sponge
• A rag
• Turpentine

Steps

1. First, soak the sponge in turpentine.
2. Then you only have to scrub the blade with the rag.  
3. After that, use a clean cloth to dry the blade.

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4- Lemon

After using the knife blade for cutting, chopping and slicing for long time, black spots can be formed on the blade surface. The lemon is one of the best ways to take off those spots. All you need to do is to follow these steps.

Required Tools

• Lemon
• Water
• A soft cloth

Steps

1. Prepare a solution of lemon and water (1:5 lemon to water ratio)
2. Immerse your blade in the lemon and water solution for a few seconds. 
3. Next wash your blade and dry it using a soft cloth. 
4. Repeat this process if you need to

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5- Cork

You can use cork to clean and restore the shiness of your paring knife blade.

Required Tools

• Cork
• Water
• Fireplace ashes
• A rag

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Steps

1. Wet the cork by using water. 
2. Next submerge the cork in fireplace ash. 
3. Use the cork to scrub the blade, then start wiping it clean.

More Tips and Tricks for Maintaining a Paring Knife

• Yes, your paring knife might perfectly fit in the basket, but still you should avoid washing it in the dishwasher, because the detergents and extreme heat can damage the kitchen knife blade and knife handle (whether it is a stamped knife or forged knife).
• This damage includes rust, scratch, chip, discoloration, and dullness.

• So you should always hand wash your paring knives with soapy water. whether it is a japanese knife made of high carbon steel, or a ceramic knife.

• Before returning them to the kitchen knife sheath, knife case or knife block , make sure you dry make sure to dry them thoroughly. 

• We recommend sharpening your paring knife once every couple of months with a sharpening stone or an electric knife sharpener if it is a serrated paring knife. And honing it with a honing steel once a month.

• Using a honing rod or any knife sharpening method can seem very easy. However, these tools can chip or damage your kitchen knife sharp edge easily, so make sure that you use them the right way.

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