“Unbelievable, I can see some flexes of rust on my stainless steel kitchen knives. Are those knives bad quality?” The answer is: No.
The first thing that comes to people’s mind after they see rust on the knives is like this, they will doubt the quality of the knife, actually, No! a good knife is a compromise, unfortunately, the best cutting characteristics must compromise on sensitivity to rust. Improperly stored way of the knife will rust the knife. You may want to know:
Why do kitchen knives rust?
How do I stop knives from rusting?
And how do I remove rust from blades?
Ok, this article will clear your question.
Why do kitchen knives rust?
Stainless steels are generally rust-resistant, but not totally rust-proof. Whether the cooking knife rust relates to how you maintain it.
What is rust? rust is primarily Iron(III) Oxide, it is formed when the Iron from your steel blade reacts with the oxygen from the atmosphere and the water. this process is called oxidizing. If the steel is left long enough, with exposure to water and oxygen, its rusting is inevitable. So, the stainless steel knives and carbon steel knives we use will form rust if exposed to humid air and water for a long time.
As mentioned above, Rust (oxidation of iron compounds) happens when these three components are present:
- Iron (present in knife steels)
- Oxygen
- Water, Humid environment
Removing one of the three from the equation and your knives will be rust-free. Stainless steels such as 440C, ATS34, S30V, are not actually rustproof as given time, any commercially available stainless steel will rust.
To be completely rust-proof, the knife blade and fittings need to be made from non-ferrous materials. In the market, ceramic kitchen knives are totally rust-resist. However, they have their own disadvantages: poor resistance impact and unable to sharpen again. So it explains why rust doesn’t mean the bad quality of the knife and it gives some enlightenment to stop rust on knives.
How do I stop knives from rusting?
As previously analyzed, the best way to prevent rust is not to allow rust to happen, let’s explore together how to prevent rust on a cooking knife. Start from the equation: water, oxygen, iron.
- Clean and dry your stainless steel and carbon knives immediately after use, especially in the winter. Don’t exposure it on the air for a long time.
- Never put your knives in the dishwasher. Humidity, Salt, acid and heat environment, all of this will damage your kitchen knife a lot.
- Never leave your wet knife in a sink or on a work surface.
- Clean and oil your knife before storing.
- Don’t cut acidic foods like lemons or oranges and let the knife blade wet after use.
You can get the oil from a knife manufacturer or outdoor sporting goods store. Something intended for knives, though any oil will technically work.
In addition, you can store them with some silicate beads in close proximity. Those little packages you find in your pocket when you purchase newants/shorts/accessories/electronics/baby diapers and anything and everything else that’s better off-dry. They absorb many times their mass in H20 the leading cause of oxidation in iron.
Another way, Straight after you use them wash and dry their store in a dry place also you can get kitchen paper very lightly with veg oil and RUB on knives.
How do I remove rust from blades?
Fortunately, there are kinds of ways that you can remove rust from your old cooking knife. This article will only introduce some simple, easy and healthy methods:
1. For light rust, mineral oil, cloth, and time will remove the rust.
2. Use a ball of aluminum foil and baking soda.
Mix the baking soda with a bit of water to form a paste and use the aluminum foil ball to scrub the paste on the steel. This will not scratch the surface on most steels because aluminum is usually much softer. Also good for kitchen knives since baking soda is pretty safe.
3. Vinegar method
One of the simplest methods for rust removal is to soak your knives in vinegar for thirty minutes to an hour. This will soften up the rust and make it very easy to remove with any abrasive material, but we recommended that you use a soft scrubbing pad to ensure that your kitchen knife blade is not damaged in the cleanup process.
4. Lemon method
Another method that can remove the rust on your knives is lemon juice. You can soak the knife in lemon juice, or you can simply slice a lemon in half and place it over the rust spots. after 30 minutes to one and half hours, remove it and scrub off the rust. to be honest, acidic solutions tend to work best when you are clearing away rust. But noted that, you should wash and give the blades an oil bath quickly to prevent more rust forming as the solution will start to react with the metal once you’ve got rid of the rust.
5. Potato
Another magic option for removing rust from a knife blade is to use a potato. you can try this in several methods. You can dip the end in dish soap, and cut a potato in half to use it rub the rusted area with the potato, you can also put the potato on the blade for a few hours and scrub away. Or place the knife blade of your knife into a raw potato, and set it overnight and clean it with a soft cloth or toothbrush.
6. The Onion Method
The main compound of rust is sulfenic acids, coincidently, Onions contain it which can help dissolve iron oxide. You can either insert your knife into an onion for a while or saw back and forth into the onion. After this process, you will find that the rust doesn’t’ exist again.
7. Sandpater
if your knife blade just has small rust stains, you can try Sandpaper which usually works well. Just take a small piece of fine sandpaper and rub the stain gently with it until it disappears. noted that, you should use high-quality Sandpaper to avoid damage to your blade.
8. Rust Remover
The fastest option you can choose is that you can buy purpose-made rust remover for cooking knives to ensure you clear off the rust spots as quickly as possible.
Make a conclusion
After purchasing a kitchen knife, be sure to use and store it in the correct way, prevent rust on the blade is essential to make the knives last longer. So be careful to maintain your knife blade.
