Caring for and cleaning your wooden knife block
When you invest in quality kitchen knives, you need to consider how you are going to store them. Keeping them in a kitchen drawer will dull them much faster than they should, and can also chip and damage the blades. Using a wooden knife block is a good way to store your knives and prevent them from getting damaged.
The problem with wooden blocks is that they can often trap germs and bits of food inside their little grooves. They can be difficult to clean, but if you’re careful to clean your knives well before you store them, you can prevent the buildup of harmful bacteria. It is still important to clean your storage block from time to time. Here are some steps that will help make this difficult task easy and fast.
First, make sure to wash all of your knives and let them dry properly before putting them away. Water trapped in the blade grooves can cause mold or warping. While the knives are drying, turn the knife block over and shake off as many crumbs as possible. Keep stirring until no more crumbs come out. When shaking doesn’t work, you can use a can of compressed air, like you’d use to clean your computer keyboard, to remove some of the gunk.
Fill a spray bottle with water and add a teaspoon of bleach. Spray into the cracks, then rinse with your kitchen sprayer. Let the block dry upside down on the counter. Make sure it’s completely dry before putting the knives back on.
If you are concerned about the blade block breaking or cracking due to moisture, you can use a mineral oil to restore and protect the finish. It shouldn’t be a big problem. Preventing germ and food buildup by making sure your knives are clean before putting them away will save you from having to clean the block very often.
Even if you don’t see any crumbs inside the storage block slots, remember that dust can accumulate over time. Prevention is all very well, but you should at least clean the block once a year or so to remove any regular dust that has settled inside the grooves.
A word of warning for those thinking of using steam to try and clean their block: the high heat and humidity can cause the glue to melt.
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