Does dishwashers damage stainless blades?

sogflash

sogflash

Joined
Aug 28, 2011
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If a kitchen knife has a handle that isn't damaged by the dishwasher and the blade is stainless is there any reason not to put the knife in for a wash.

I've heard people say it damages the edge, but I don't understand how if you don't rub the edge against cups, other cutlery, glass or other hard things in the dishwasher.

Yes, you can clean it faster by hand, but that is not the question.
 
Do not put your good knives in the dishwasher. The detergent is strong and can stain your blade an odd color, dry out and crack wooden handles. I hand wash all of my kitchen knives. Cheap block steak knives, I will throw in the dishwasher though,
 
My wife abuses the shit out of our Cutco set and they’ve seen the dishwasher hundreds of times with no issues. Other knives I’m not so sure about but all of our stainless forks, spoons and butter knives have no issue in the dishwasher either. Do yours?
 
91bravo said:
Do not put your good knives in the dishwasher. The detergent is strong and can stain your blade an odd color, dry out and crack wooden handles. I hand wash all of my kitchen knives. Cheap block steak knives, I will throw in the dishwasher though,
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Are those knives stainless?
 
Jsega51 said:
My wife abuses the shit out of our Cutco set and they’ve seen the dishwasher hundreds of times with no issues. Other knives I’m not so sure about but all of our stainless forks, spoons and butter knives have no issue in the dishwasher either. Do yours?
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I don't know, but I guess forks, spoons and butter knives are made from different grades of stainless than knives that need to hold a decent edge.
 
All my kitchen knives go into the dishwasher.

Henckels and Wustthovs have held up fine. Over 20 years now.

I put a Buck 121 in the dishwasher as an experiment. The aluminum pommel got hazy.

If and when my knives give up the ghost I plan on replacing them with Dexter Russel SaniSafe knives. They are dishwasher safe.
 
Couple of stainless folders got washed accidentally with clothes in my washer. No damage no stain. Never tried any knives in the dishwasher though.
 
sogflash said:
I've heard people say it damages the edge, but I don't understand how if you don't rub the edge against cups, other cutlery, glass or other hard things in the dishwasher.
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Dishwasher detergent has an abrasive in it, that is used to scour the dishes clean. That abrasive will dull the knife. Think sandblaster, although not as aggressive as a sandblaster would be.

O.B.
 
I put all my SS kitchen knives in the dishwasher, but they also look like they've been washed repeatedly in a dishwasher.
Faded handles, stained blades... but I don't care about them.

Anything I care about doesn't go in the dishwasher, the detergent contains abrasive particles and bleach. The liquid....just bleach.
 
I only put my beater knives in the dishwasher, and none of those have wood handles. My Shun knives and even my Old Hickory knives get handwashed. Both to protect their edge and, in the case of the OH, protect the handle. It's just easier to wash them before the food and stuff gets dried on the blade.

I have heard of people running their Glocks through the dishwasher though;)
 
eveled said:
If and when my knives give up the ghost I plan on replacing them with Dexter Russel SaniSafe knives. They are dishwasher safe.
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This is a good plan. Folklore goes a lot farther than reality sometimes and I found that out with the Russell utility / restaurant knives.

When I started doing off-site cooking and light catering I would never take any of my personal knives. I didn't need to see somebody trying to open a can or abuse any of my knives. So at the suggestion of a friend of mine who's been in the food business for nearly 40 years I tried the Russell Brand of Sani safe knives.

They aren't the most comfortable handles and they aren't the best steel, but they are damn near indestructible under all conditions. I've had a couple of sets now for about 20 years and outside of being hazy on the finish from being used and washed so much they are the same damn knife I started with! And these have been through many commercial dishwashers, not just the home models.

Modern LIQUID dishwashing detergent has little or no grit in it but relies on the solvency and surfactant efficiency of the detergent/soap. It is the heat cycle that gets the knife handles, and as pointed out some of the chemicals can stain carbon steel. Hence, the good advice of not to put your knives in the dishwasher. The scales fall off the handles and the blades become badly discolored. But the old wives tale of losing the temper of your knife is simply not true since dishwashers with a hot water feature usually only get to about 185 to 190 F.

That being said, I still don't put any of my knives that I use at home in a dishwasher. I just feel better about it, I've always done it that way and probably will never change.

Robert
 
I toss the kitchen knives that my wife uses in dishwasher and have for years without any problem: Henckels, Spyderco paring knife, several no-names. I usually use my EDC (GB2, Buck Slim Pro, Sebbie, etc.) when I'm doing food prep, and they never go in the dishwasher
 
eveled said:
All my kitchen knives go into the dishwasher.

Henckels and Wustthovs have held up fine. Over 20 years now.

I put a Buck 121 in the dishwasher as an experiment. The aluminum pommel got hazy.

If and when my knives give up the ghost I plan on replacing them with Dexter Russel SaniSafe knives. They are dishwasher safe.
Click to expand...

Dexter Russell Sani-Safe is tough like a 3 dollar steak, and has zero issue with a dishwasher.

Not any fun to use, not pretty, just plain indestructible and easy to maintain.

Inexpensive too.
 
I always thought the heat would mess with the steel be apparently people are doing it with great success.

I will still hand-wash though, but good to know for the beaters.
 
There are some dishwasher detergents that could/would seek out any flaw in the stainless and corrode or discolor it not to mention what they might do to any parts attached to the stainless. I never put anything I care about in the dishwasher, anything.
 
It depends on the detergent you use. Some have harsh chemicals and abrasives. Not only that but the washing action can cause the knife to bang around if it isn’t secured. I’ve used some good detergent that cleaned well and I didn’t use the drying cycle as the steam can warp some materials, it didn’t discolor or fade the handle and didn’t effect the blade. That was about 6 years ago and I can’t remember what brand it was.
That was on my old cheap kitchen knives but since then I’ve got a better, nicer set. I don’t have a dishwasher now but if I did I would hand wash them just to be sure.
 
I never put any knives I truly care about in the dishwasher. I have lost or ruined many quality kitchen knives this way before realizing that the dishwasher is really harsh on even the best stainless steal. A lot of dishwasher detergents use bleach or bleach alternatives which is a really harsh chemical.
 
All stainless knives may go into dishwasher safely.
And out :^)
But
think twice about HANDLES !
Your wife, mother, daughter don't care or/and don't want to know ...
 
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