how to stop the wife from putting good knives in the dishwasher

laserdoc85 · December 2013

I really want to buy a good pairing knife and a chef knife. But I know I would find them in the dishwasher after my wife uses them. She is hell on pots and pans and knives. She always uses forks in a Teflon coated pans and ruins them. She then gets a new cheap walmart frying pan and the circle starts over again ,

So how do I make her take care of nice

knifes ????

Eggcelsior · December 2013

Hide them.

Or realistically, tell her that you'll wash them yourself exclusively.

U_tarded · December 2013

I have my knifes that I told her were really sharp and didn't want her to hurt herself. She respects that out of fear. But we also have a set from kohls that she uses. They were cheap and I don't care if they go through the machine. I sharpen them about once and she is happy.

RRP · December 2013

I hear you and I know what you mean...when I started to buy my "good knifes" I vowed to myself that I would always be the one and only one to use them meaning I would be responsible for cleaning them after every use. I also bought protective covers called "safes" and I stored them separately in " my small knife drawer". And the last trick that works the best hands down is I keep my knifes razor sharp! The knifes my beloved likes to use can barely cut hot butter and she likes hers that way!

Carolina Q · December 2013

Ask nicely.

double · December 2013

Put her good shoes in the washing machine...

s_austin_egger · December 2013

It's nearly impossible. The only thing you can do is to be sure to NEVER EVER leave them in or near the sink overnight. The first time you do, you'll wake up in the morning and your good knife will be halfway through the rinse cycle.

Texansurf · December 2013

Learn to do the dishes. Both of you will be happier in the long run

Fred19Flintstone · December 2013

You can't make people do something or stop doing something. If they haven't bought into the plan, they will falter. I am reminded of what my Dad did when I was a teenager ruining or losing his tools. He bought me a set of Craftsman tools for Christmas including sockets, wrenches, screwdrivers... etc. He said these are fine tools and if he ever caught me using his tools again, he would break my fingers. Now I wouldn't advocate threatening to break your wife's fingers, but buy her a set of her own knives. They don't need to be as nice as yours, but they shouldn't suck either. Let her know how important it is to you for her to respect the knife boundary. If she doesn't, you can always burn her pork chop from now on.

stevesails · December 2013

Ok. So here's my question. What is wrong with putting knives in dishwasher it's just hot waterr the steel hardening process is a lot hotter I can't see that affecting any edge on the blade . As long as they are not banging on anything
Yes it will destroy wooden handles. After 25 years I made some new handles out of 2 part puddy epoxy better than New

cali_egghead · December 2013

I keep my knives in a knife bag away from everyone else so they stay clean and sharp.

caliking · December 2013

We're pretty clear about that kind of stuff in our house - I don't mess with her stuff, she doesn't mess with mine. Ask before handling any of the other's items. I wash and put away all of my bbq gear, including knives, meat forks, cutting boards, pans, racks, etc. Its nobody's responsibility but mine. Its why my 7 yr old maverick probes are still operational.

Skiddymarker · December 2013

stevesails said:

Ok. So here's my question. What is wrong with putting knives in dishwasher it's just hot waterr the steel hardening process is a lot hotter I can't see that affecting any edge on the blade . As long as they are not banging on anything Yes it will destroy wooden handles. After 25 years I made some new handles out of 2 part puddy epoxy better than New

Dishwasher detergent (powders) can be like sandblasting. It will take the edge off good knives, much like cutting a sammie while it is on a plate. All good knives advise to hand wash with a mild detergent. I've heard some of the new liquid washer detergents are a bit gentler, but have no idea if it so.

Good luck!

dstrbd488 · December 2013

Well my wife is only 5 feet tall so I just put things I don't want her to mess with on a top self somewhere

Loosemoose · December 2013

We have two Wustof chefs knives that have been washed in the dishwasher many times. They are fine.

Eggcelsior · December 2013

dstrbd488 said:
Well my wife is only 5 feet tall so I just put things I don't want her to mess with on a top self somewhere

I like this. How insidious of you.

hapster · December 2013

I'd be more concerned about the Teflon pans and the coating winding up in my food... My wife was rough on our first set of pots and pan, causing the finish to begin to wear and come off. I went out and replaced the whole set with stainless steel and don't worry about it now.

For the knives; I just tell her to leave them in the sink, I'll wash them myself...

laserdoc85 · December 2013

ok all great ideas. I like the burn her pork chop

If I over overcook her steak she gets p#$$%d off big time . We have cheap knives so I guess I will tell her she needs to only use those and the others are two sharp for her to handle and she might cut her arm off. She has a small pairing knife that must be 30 years old. The blade is so worn down that it is curved on the cutting edge (if thats what you would call it) Beats me how most woman could care less about nice kitchen things like knives and pots and pans. I threatened once to replace our mix matched silverware,(where did that fork come from),with all plastic ones so she would not use it in a teflon coated frying pan to stir things up. One big thing she does is whip mashed potatoes with a hand blender,,and in a TEFLON POT !!!!

EggNorth · December 2013

Maybe you can do th dishes.

gdenby · December 2013

To preface: For our wedding, we received an excellent Sabatier/Hoffritz 9" chef knife. 2 weeks into our marriage, I came home from work, and my darling showed me the knife. The tip was gone. She said, "All I did was throw it into the sink! How could it break, its steel?" The only thing I could do was sigh and maintain marital bliss.

Almost 4 decades later, the Sabatier is still always at hand. But now, it shares space on a magnetic strip w. my good knives. While I was building up my selection of good knives, I repeatedly told my wife to not put them into the sink w. the rest of the dishes, etc. She briefly ignored me till she touched a paring knife in the soapy water, and was cut.

Since then, I do my best to always clean and store the knives as soon as I finish w. them. The couple that are the best go into their boxes, and disappear into a shelf. My wife uses the old knives that sit in the drawer.

As to not putting the knives into a dishwasher, besides the abrasive quality of the cleaner, and the vibration, if you have carbon steel blades, even nicely patinated ones will corrode.

williamadamsesq · December 2013

To great extent, it's the handles, not the blades, that may be the problem with putting knives in the dishwasher. My gude boning knife has plastic inserts and is rated as dishwasher safe, but not recommended. I had 'the talk' with swmbo at thanksgiving, but found my unfinished wooden handle santoku in the dishwasher Tuesday morning. Still, it was her idea to get the egg, and knives can be sharpened.

Eggcelsior · December 2013

williamadamsesq said:
To great extent, it's the handles, not the blades, that may be the problem with putting knives in the dishwasher. My gude boning knife has plastic inserts and is rated as dishwasher safe, but not recommended. I had 'the talk' with swmbo at thanksgiving, but found my unfinished wooden handle santoku in the dishwasher Tuesday morning. Still, it was her idea to get the egg, and knives can be sharpened.

You are still going to shorten the life of the blade.

This reminds me of something:

The life of the knife is ended by the wife.

Eggcelsior · December 2013

laserdoc85 said:
ok all great ideas. I like the burn her pork chop If I over overcook her steak she gets p#$$%d off big time . We have cheap knives so I guess I will tell her she needs to only use those and the others are two sharp for her to handle and she might cut her arm off. She has a small pairing knife that must be 30 years old. The blade is so worn down that it is curved on the cutting edge (if thats what you would call it) Beats me how most woman could care less about nice kitchen things like knives and pots and pans. I threatened once to replace our mix matched silverware,(where did that fork come from),with all plastic ones so she would not use it in a teflon coated frying pan to stir things up. One big thing she does is whip mashed potatoes with a hand blender,,and in a TEFLON POT !!!!

Lose the nonstick cookware and get some claded stainless steel. No risk of ruining them by scratching.

Little Steven · December 2013

dstrbd488 said:

Well my wife is only 5 feet tall so I just put things I don't want her to mess with on a top self somewhere

Well that is just cruel.

laserdoc85 · December 2013

Eggcelsior said:

ok all great ideas. I like the burn her pork chop If I over overcook her steak she gets p#$$%d off big time . We have cheap knives so I guess I will tell her she needs to only use those and the others are two sharp for her to handle and she might cut her arm off. She has a small pairing knife that must be 30 years old. The blade is so worn down that it is curved on the cutting edge (if thats what you would call it) Beats me how most woman could care less about nice kitchen things like knives and pots and pans. I threatened once to replace our mix matched silverware,(where did that fork come from),with all plastic ones so she would not use it in a teflon coated frying pan to stir things up. One big thing she does is whip mashed potatoes with a hand blender,,and in a TEFLON POT !!!!
Lose the nonstick cookware and get some claded stainless steel. No risk of ruining them by scratching.

stainless does not clean up well plus it does not stay shiny for long. Already picked up a nice set of diswasher safe non stick calphalon at costco. I will keep the older non stck pots for her to use when she just has to use that mixer to whip of potatoes. she was the one that said she wanted new pots and pans for xmas,,,put then she called it a jimmy gift. A jimmy gift is something both of us will use. Guess I will run by Chateau Elan on the way home from the Atlanta airport today and get her a certificate for a massage. I usually cant go wrong on that one.

I look at this way. I also get new pots and pans. I can always hide the frying pans and let her use the old walmart scratched up ones

Fred19Flintstone · December 2013

My teenaged daughter still washes the dishes every night. When it was just me & her (my 1st wife died), we made a rule to make things easier: "If it can't go into the dishwasher, it don't come into the house." My current wife has shown me the error of my ways, but my daughter still follows the old rule quitea bit.

lousubcap · December 2013

Many choices/options above-what works for me is to avoid (to the maximum extent possible) any BGE cook prep work when SWMBO has designs on using the kitchen at about the same time. Then I always do the cleanup, knife washing, drying and storage as soon as I am finished with them. Don't give her the opportunity to roll-in. FWIW-YMMV-

saluki2007 · December 2013

In our house the kitchen is my domain i.e. I cook all meals and clean everything in it...she does the rest of the house.

fishlessman · December 2013

i never leave my chef knife out so im not sure how it could be put in a dishwasher and she should be taken to the knife shop and you should both have your own chef knife

now i would share the paring knife because i havent needed to use one in years for anything other than slicing lime wedges for drinks

)

laserdoc85 · December 2013

I take it it is best to get stainless knives as the carbon ones take a bit more care anyway. Dont need to see any rust spots down the line. Chefs to go seems to have a good price on that Shun Sora 8" Chef's knife for 79.95. Figure I need maybe a bread knife and a pairing knife.

Charlesmaneri · December 2013

I put all my knifes in a cabinet that she can't reach

how to stop the wife from putting good knives in the dishwasher

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