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chopping vegetables on a wood cutting board How often do you cook at home? According to the United States Healthful Food Council, Americans spend half of their food budget at restaurants. For those of us who tend to prepare meals more often than going out, you may notice your knives becoming less and less sharp.

While it is true that overuse will lead to dull kitchen knives, there are many other factors that contribute to a worn-down blade.

We highlight four mistakes of knife maintenance and how to change these bad habits!

1. You’re Using the Wrong Cutting Surface

Although glass cutting boards can be beautifully crafted with hand-sketched designs, they are not the best surface to use our kitchen knives on. Since glass is harder than the blade, your knife can bend and dull quicker. Instead, use a plastic, wood or bamboo cutting board that is softer than the typical knife blade.

2. You Put Knives in the Dishwasher

The dishwasher is a great invention that saves us time spent washing dishes, but it is not the best way to clean kitchen knives. First, harsh dish detergent can cause the metal to corrode over time. Second, knives could hit other utensils during the cycle and become damaged. Hand wash your knives, but do not leave them sitting in the sink long with food residue.

3. You Store Knives Improperly

How many of your knives are thrown into a kitchen drawer after use? Storing knives without their protective sheaths is not only dangerous to someone who reaches into the drawer, but can also lead to premature dulling, bending and flattening. After handwashing your knives, cover them with a sheath before they go into the drawer or place them in a knife block.

4. You Use the Knife to Scrape

Lastly, using your knife to push aside vegetables or meat that you have already cut to make room on a cutting board is fairly common. However, using the serrated side shaves the blade down faster, leading to an ineffective chopping performance. Instead, it’s recommended to use the flat side of your knife to scrape food to the side.

At Colony Diner, we love to serve our customers breakfast, lunch and dinner they’ll be talking about for days to come. While you’re in the market for a new knife set, leave the cooking to us! Visit our Wallingford restaurant today.