Keeping cutlery in good condition - By: Henry Funk

Cutlery is all too easy to chip, tarnish, pit or just get water marked. It is important that you know some basic rules in order to keep your cutlery in the best possible condition that you can manage.

Washing and drying: do not use a dishwasher on your cutlery. The particles of food can, surprisingly, pit your knives and forks and mean that there are just small marks over the metal. This may not have a huge impact, but over time this will wear down the metal and mean that the quality of your cutlery is poor. If your cutlery looks bad then you will not want to allow others to use it, thus you will need a new set, and although it may be fine for everyday cutlery, your special pieces deserve that little bit extra care. Instead of using a dishwasher, get clean, warm water and a mild anti bacterial soap and wash each piece on its own and lay out on a clean draining board or a towel. Make sure your cutlery does not touch, as it can be damaged in this way. Wash your cutlery before plates, as the dirty leftovers from food can get in the water and leave stains on your finest dining pieces. Once it has been washed then dry and polish each piece and store it away safely.

Storage: If you can afford to get a proper cutlery cabinet for your pieces, then do so. If you buy a proper full set from a cutlery retailer, as opposed to a supermarket brand set for example, you may receive it in a wooden box than you can store it in whenever you are finished using it. If you can get a felt, suede or velvet lined box then this is best as the cushioning will protect your cutlery. Even a cardboard box that your set was bought in will suffice: the main thing is not to mix all of your cutlery up with the other pieces of a different use (e.g. knives with forks) as this is how items get damaged. Wrap pieces in kitchen paper if this is the only way you can think to cushion it, it will make all of the difference.

Maintenance: Use mineral oil, or olive oil, to rub over your cutlery to give it that extra bit of polish. This will reinvigorate it, and means that it will stay well lubricated and unharmed. You also need to make sure that you do essential maintenance for knives. Get a professional to show you how to sharpen your knives when you buy them, and get a good knife block. If a knife gets too blunt then it gets to a point where it cannot be resharpened. Just a quick run along your knife block once a month or so will ensure you never have this problem.

Even these basic methods will make sure that your cutlery lasts you well, maybe even a lifetime as really good sets are guaranteed to do.

About the Author

Frederick Hill is a cutlery collector, collecting thousands of pieces of antique cutlery over the last 30 years. For more information about cutlery and how to make it last, or even how to lay a table correctly, please visit http://www.oneida.co.uk/

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