Caring for Your Chef Knife
1. Cleaning it
Do not put your blade in the dishwasher. Doing so will damage the wood, promote rust, and could ruin the sharp edge.
Instead, wash the blade and grip with warm soapy water. While the blade is made of stainless steel, it's best to keep it dry to prevent rust spots from forming. Due to the high carbon content of the VG10 core steel, it’s possible rust will develop at the edge before you notice it on the face of the blade - so your safest bet to prolong the life of your blade is to dry it soon after washing.
2. Caring for the wood
With time it is completely normal for the wood in the grip to dry and take on a more faded look. This is easily fixed by applying mineral oil to the grip. Any commonly available mineral oil will do the trick. Apply the oil generously with a rag to the grip and allow it to absorb for several hours. After allowing it to set in, wash and dry the blade as per instructions above. Food grade mineral oil is usually widely available from most hardware stores for a few dollars - and can be used to revive cutting boards and other wooden kitchenware (spoon, bowl etc…). If you prefer to shop online,
Howard’s Mineral Oil is available here on Amazon.