The Small Habits That Add Years to Your Knives
If you have ever wondered why one kitchen knife stays sharp for years while another goes blunt within weeks, the answer usually has nothing to do with the knife itself. It comes down to how it is washed, how it is stored, and whether it ever gets sharpened properly. Most people get two or three of these things wrong without realizing it, and none of it is complicated once you know what to do.
Kitchen Devils has been a familiar name in British kitchens for decades, known for its distinctive scalloped edge design and for straightforward, dependable knives. Whether you are using a paring knife for peeling or a cook's knife for everyday chopping, a little care goes a long way. This guide covers washing, drying, storage, and the part most people skip entirely: sharpening. We will cover straight edged knives and serrated or scalloped knives separately, because they genuinely need different techniques, and finish with an honest answer on when it is time to replace a knife rather than keep sharpening it.
Washing and Drying: Dishwasher or Hand Wash?
One question we hear constantly is are Kitchen Devils knives dishwasher safe, and the honest answer is that many Kitchen Devils products are labelled as dishwasher safe, but that does not mean the dishwasher is the best choice if you want your blades to stay sharp for the long haul. Dishwashers are hot, water pressure knocks blades against other cutlery, and heat combined with detergent can dull an edge faster than regular hand use ever would. If convenience matters more day to day, a dishwasher safe knife will survive the process, it just will not thank you for it.
For the best edge life, hand washing is the better habit. A quick wash in warm soapy water, straight after use, keeps a blade in good condition and is no extra hassle once it becomes routine. This matters even more with acidic foods. Anything involving lemon, tomato, or vinegar based sauces should get a rinse fairly soon after cutting, because acids left sitting on a blade can cause discolouration and, over time, pitting on the steel. It is a small thing, but it separates a knife that still looks and cuts like new after five years from one that looks tired after five months.
Drying matters just as much as washing. Never leave a knife to air dry in a rack, or worse, sitting in a sink full of water where nobody can see the blade. A quick towel dry immediately after washing takes seconds and prevents both rust and the kind of accidental cuts that happen when someone reaches into soapy water and finds an edge they were not expecting.
Storage: Why a Loose Drawer Is the Enemy of a Good Edge
How you store a knife between uses affects sharpness more than most people assume. Tossing knives loose into a kitchen drawer is genuinely one of the worst things you can do. Every time the drawer opens and closes, blades knock against forks, spoons, and each other, chipping the edge in tiny increments that add up over months. It is also a safety risk when you are rummaging around for a spoon.
A proper knife block keeps blades separated, protected, and easy to reach. A Kitchen Devils knife block set is an easy way to get your whole set organized in one go, with each knife in its own slot rather than rattling around loose. A magnetic strip mounted on the wall is another good option if space is tight, and it keeps blades fully visible so you always reach for the right one. If neither suits your kitchen, individual blade guards are a cheap and effective middle ground, sliding over the edge to protect it and everything else sharing that drawer.
Sharpening Straight Edged Knives
This is where most kitchens fall down, and it is also a question we get asked constantly: can Kitchen Devils knife be sharpened? Yes, easily, once you have the right tool. Straight edged knives such as your paring knife, vegetable knife, and cook's knife respond really well to a pull through sharpener, and the Kitchen Devils Rollsharp sharpener is designed specifically for this job.
The technique is simple. Hold the sharpener steady on a flat, stable surface, then draw the blade through the guided slot from heel to tip in one smooth motion, using light to moderate pressure rather than forcing it. There is no need to guess an angle by hand, which is exactly what makes a tool like this so useful, because the guides do that job for you consistently every time. A few passes usually brings back a noticeably keener edge. Do this every month or two if you cook often, or whenever a blade starts to squash rather than slice through a tomato skin, and your straight edged knives will stay reliably sharp for years.
Sharpening Serrated and Scalloped Knives
This is the part that trips almost everyone up, and it is one of the most searched questions we see: can Kitchen Devils serrated knife be sharpened? Yes, but not with the same tool or technique as a straight blade. Kitchen Devils is well known for its scalloped edge design, found on knives like the bread knife, tomato knife, and roast meat and bread knife, and running one of these through a standard pull through sharpener will actually damage the points of the serrations rather than sharpen them.
Serrated and scalloped blades need a tapered sharpening rod, ideally ceramic or diamond coated, narrow enough to fit into each individual scallop or serration. Work the tip of the rod into one groove at a time, matching the existing bevel angle, and draw it through with a few light strokes before moving to the next serration along the blade. It takes more patience than a straight blade, but it is not difficult once you get the rhythm of it.
Here is the reassuring part. Serrated knives do not need sharpening anywhere near as often as straight blades. Because the points of each serration do the cutting work rather than a single continuous edge, they stay functional for a long time, often several years of regular use, before they genuinely need attention. If your bread knife is still tearing through a crusty loaf cleanly, leave it alone. There is no benefit in sharpening a blade that is not asking for it.
Sharpen It or Replace It?
Not every tired looking knife needs sharpening. Sometimes it needs retiring. A knife is usually still worth sharpening if the blade is straight, free of deep chips or cracks, and the handle is firmly attached.
It is time to replace a knife if there is a chip so deep that sharpening it out would remove a significant chunk of blade, if the tip has snapped off, if the handle has worked loose or cracked, or if the blade has visible rust that will not shift with cleaning. Trying to nurse a genuinely damaged knife along is not worth the risk to your fingers or your food. Ranges like the multi purpose knife come with a long term guarantee, so replacing one piece rather than a whole set is usually straightforward.
A Few Quick Questions
How often should I sharpen a straight edged Kitchen Devils knife?
For most home kitchens, running it through the Rollsharp sharpener every four to eight weeks keeps it performing well. Heavier daily use means more frequent touch ups, light use means you can stretch that out considerably.
Why won't a pull through sharpener work on my bread knife?
Pull through sharpeners are built for a single continuous straight edge. A scalloped or serrated blade has individual curved points that need addressing one at a time with a tapered rod, otherwise the sharpener will simply grind down the tips of the serrations and blunt them further.
Can I use an electric sharpener on my whole Kitchen Devils set?
Electric sharpeners work fine for straight blades like your small cook's knife or vegetable knife, but avoid them on anything serrated for the same reason as above. Keep a dedicated tapered rod on hand for those pieces instead.
Keep Them Cutting Like New
None of this takes much effort once it becomes habit. Wash by hand where you can, dry blades straight away, give them a proper home in a block or on a strip rather than a drawer, and reach for the Rollsharp sharpener regularly for your straight edged pieces while treating serrated blades to an occasional pass with a tapered rod. Do that consistently and there is no reason a good Kitchen Devils knife should not still be earning its keep in your kitchen for years to come. Browse the full range in our Kitchen Devils collection to find the right knives, sharpener, and storage for your kitchen today.
