Why Dull Knives Are Dangerous: Safe Cooking and Maintenance Tips from JIKKO Cutlery

Have you ever thought that “sharp knives are scary” or felt safer using a dull one? In reality, it’s quite the opposite. Dull knives are far more dangerous because they require extra force to cut, making them more likely to slip and cause injuries. A sharp knife, on the other hand, cuts smoothly through ingredients with less effort, giving you better control and reducing fatigue while cooking.

At JIKKO Cutlery, a trusted Japanese knife maker with over 120 years of craftsmanship in Sakai, we believe that a well-maintained, sharp knife is the key to safe, comfortable, and enjoyable cooking. In this article, you’ll learn why dull blade are dangerous, how sharp knives can transform your cooking experience, and practical maintenance tips to keep your blades performing like new for years to come.

Cooking becomes Dangerous with a Dull Knife! ~JIKKO Cutlery's Secrets for Safe Cooking

A sharp knife not only cuts ingredients smoothly and beautifully, but also is safer to use. On the contrary, using a dull knife can increase the risk of injuries. From here, we will explain in detail why using a dull knife is dangerous.

Why do Sharp Knives make Cooking Safer? 

When you can’t cut well with a knife, you have to either repeatedly move the knife back and forth, or put more force in to cut. But when doing so, if you accidentally turned the blade in the wrong way, there are chances of cutting yourself with the knife. In such cases, the more force you apply, higher the chances of causing greater injuries, and is extremely dangerous.

Furthermore, when the knife is dull, it means that the angle you insert the knife in will be unstable, and can cause the blade to turn unpredictably to directions unintended. In other words, when the knife is sharp, you can cut ingredients without applying much force, and straight into where you intended to cut, so it is easy to control the situation.

What Are the Risks of Using a Dull Knife?

Did you know that when the knife is dull because the knife isn’t sharpened enough, it not only can’t cut ingredients right, it can also worsen the taste of the  ingredients? But if you use a sharp knife to cut ingredients, you can cut smoothly without crushing the cells of the food, and can cook with ingredients that are fresh with beautiful cut sections.

No matter how valuable the knife was when purchased, you can’t maintain the sharpness without sharpening the knife. To maintain its original sharpness, you must periodically sharpen your knives. 

If it’s hard for you to sharpen the knives by yourself, or if you don’t know how to sharpen the knives properly, we, JIKKO Cutlery will gladly sharpen your knife for you. For household use Santoku knives, we suggest requesting a knife sharpening service at least once a year.

Take a look at JIKKO’s After-Sale Services

World of Cooking Transformed by a Single Knife ~ The Quality JIKKO Cutlery Provides 

A dull knife can damage the ingredients, potentially ruining not only the taste, but also the appearance of the food. Therefore, owning a sharp knife can help improve cooking skills of the chefs, from professional chefs to those who cook at home.

From here, we will explain in depth about the key factors of choosing a good knife, and introduce to you JIKKO Cutlery’s recommended knives.

Why JIKKO Cutlery Knives Are Loved by Chefs from over 100,000 Restaurants 

An important key to choosing the right knife is to. Choose a knife with materials that meets your situation, and to choose a knife specialty shop that you can rely on for years. At JIKKO, we carry various knives crafted with different materials. And because we are knife specialty shops, you'll be able to choose a knife material that suits you, and find the knife that is perfect for you.

An important key to choosing the right knife is to find a blade that truly fits your cooking style and a knife specialty shop you can trust for years. At JIKKO, we offer a wide range of knives made from various high-quality materials so you can find the one that perfectly suits you.

Learn more about Kinife Materials

Today, JIKKO knives are trusted by chefs in over 100,000 restaurants worldwide — from sushi chefs in Ginza Japan, to French chefs in Paris, and Italian restaurants in New York. Each chef chooses JIKKO not only for its sharpness and durability, but also for the craftsmanship and after-care support that come with every knife.

Whether you are a professional chef or a passionate home cook, JIKKO’s long-standing experience in Sakai, Osaka ensures that you can find the one knife made just for you — a lifelong partner in your kitchen.

At JIKKO Cutlery, we help all customers, individual chefs, to choose the right knives for them, and will continue on supporting you with maintaining and repairing the knives, even after the purchase.

The Fusion of Traditional Craftsmanship and Latest Technology: JIKKO Cutlery's Challenge 

The sharpness of JIKKO Cutlery’s knives are astonishing that even make chefs who have used various knives surprised. This is due to the sharpening techniques that have been passed down for over many years.

However, it may be unusual for craftsmen in the genre, but we, JIKKO, are not bound by the traditions, and are eager to flexibly innovate new designs and technologies into our traditions. This has led us to manufacture various knives and JIKKO original series of knives with unique shapes, never seen before. 

Take a Look at JIKKO original selection of knives 

Long-Lasting Sharpness: How JIKKO’s Knives can Transform Quality of Cooking

In this section, we will introduce to you some of JIKKO Cutlery’s knives. The knives mentioned here have excellent sharpness, and are easy to use at home, once-in-a-lifetime knives.

At JIKKO, we recommend SG2 (Powered High-Speed Steel), which is a steel material that is rust-resistant with a sharp cutting edge. Since it is rust-resistant, it is easy to maintain, and is ideal for daily use. Also, since the edge retention is excellent, the cutting edge lasts for a long time.

[Loco] Damascus SG2

This series of knives stands out with its beautiful Damascus patterns. The octagonal shaped handle makes it less likely to slip and easy to hold, and its natural wooden color makes it stylish.

[BOCO] Damascus SG2

This series of knives have black oak handles that are classic and beautiful.  The blade has distinctive Tsuchime (hammered) patterns to it, and gives a luxurious feel to the whole knife.

[Never Stain]

Since it's an all-stainless steel knife, you can sanitize the knife with boiling water, from blade to the handle, and can even scrub and wash the whole knife with a sponge. It’s a knife with a stylish design and is easy to use.

Is Your Knife Really Safe? ~ The Dangers of Dull Knives and Solutions to the  Problem 

From here, we'll dig deeper into the knives’ sharpness, and the solutions to what you should do when the knife becomes dull. Since a knife is something that you will use for a long period of time, it’s essential for you to learn the proper way to maintain and sharpen the knife. Whether you choose to sharpen your knives by yourself, or take it to a professional to restore it for you, it’s best to learn and acquire the proper knowledge about sharpening the knives.

The Dangers of Cooking with Dull Knives 

When the knife is dull, the blade of a double-edged knife won’t go into the ingredients smoothly, and can slip away when cutting. This situation not only results in ingredients not being cut properly, but also poses the risk for the knife turning to unexpected directions.

Since a double-edged knife has symmetrical cutting edges, the knife can go into the ingredients at a straight angle; and thanks to this, it makes it easy to cook and handle the knife. Meanwhile, if the single-edged knife is not sharpened properly, the blade won’t cut into the ingredients sharply, which prevents it from doing delicate tasks that you would normally be able to do.

 You can resolve these issues by simply sharpening the knives properly, and correctly care for your knives.

Basic Knife Maintenance Tips that you can do at Home 

The only way to restore the knife's sharpness is sharpening it. You can just sharpen the knives when it starts to get dull, but if you periodically sharpen your knives, you don’t need to spend as much time sharpening, making the sharpening process easier.

If it’s difficult for you to sharpen your knives by yourself with a whetstone, please utilize JIKKO Cutlery’s Knife sharpening services. JIKKO’s sharpening services won’t just sharpen the tip of the blade; we check the entire knife to see if there are dents or damages on the blade, and will restore and sharpen the whole knife. You can just bring your knife in to a professional once every year for maintenance, and will be able to keep on using the knife in an excellent condition.

Take a Look at JIKKO Cutlery’s Knife Sharpening Services 

For any questions about JIKKO knives or maintenance support, feel free to visit our official website — we’re here to help you keep your knife in perfect condition.

【Visit JIKKO's website】

Frequently Asked Questions About Maintaining Your Knives 

From here, we’ll answer some of the frequently asked questions about maintaining your knives.

Question: For how long can you keep using a knife?

Answer: You can keep using the same knife as long as the blade of the knife lasts. For instance, though it does depend on how often you sharp them, household knives can generally be used for a lifetime. And even knives used by professional chefs, who maintain and sharpen their knives properly, are said to last for 10 to 20 years.

Question: Do I need to sharpen the knives I bought before using them?

Answer: All knives at JIKKO Cutlery already have the blade attached (HATSUKE) at the time of purchase. Therefore, you can immediately use the knife after the purchase. However, in many cases, knives purchased elsewhere may only have simple blade attachment, or might not be sharpened. In such cases, you must properly sharpen the knives yourself before using them to cut properly.

Question: How often should I sharpen my knives?

Answer: How often you need to sharpen your knives depends on the situation. At what point you need to sharpen your knives differs depending on how often you used your knives, as well as what you usually cut. In short, if you really want to keep the best cutting edge, it is best to sharpen your knives every time before use. How ever, for household use knives that you use once every day, you can just lightly sharpen your knives once every 3 months, and take it to a professional knife sharpener once a year to maintain a sufficient enough sharpness.

Question: What can I do daily to care for my knives?

Answer: For stainless steel knives, though it is less likely to rust, it isn’t rust-proof, so it is best to wash every time after use, and wipe away any liquid with a dry cloth. If a knife is left out for a long time after use, or left in the water, it could lead to rust or tarnish of the knife.

For carbon steel knives, the knife can rust in just 5 minutes if left wet and moist. Be sure to wash immediately after use, evaporate the liquid that went into the blade by pouring boiling water on the blade, and dry it out thoroughly with a cloth. Lastly, lightly apply oil on the blade to prevent it from rusting.

Question: Is there a way to restore the knife's sharpness?

Answer: There are few ways to restore the knife’s sharpness. First, it is common to  restore the sharpness using a whetstone to sharpen the knife. Use rough whetstone, medium-grit whetstone, and finishing fine-grit whetstone in order to refine the blade, make it sharp, and hone it up smoothly. By doing so, you can restore back the sharpness of the blade. Also, you can you a simple knife sharpener to easily sharpen the knives, which may be easier for beginners. However, simple sharpeners are for temporary fixes, and it is best to periodically maintain your knives with a whetstone.

Question: Why don't stainless steel knives cut well?

Answer: Some people think that stainless steel doesn’t cut well, but it’s actually inaccurate. If you choose a steel material with a great edge retention, stainless steel knives can cut well, and some are even comparable to carbon steel knives. The reason the idea that “stainless steel knives don’t cut well” spread, is because cheaply made knives for mass-production uses low grade stainless steel with not so good edge retention. Consequently, many bought and used the knife since they were sold at affordable prices, but they quickly became dull, so many believe that stainless steel knives are not so good. So when purchasing a knife, it’s best to not choose a knife just by the price;  be sure to research what steel materials were used to manufacture the knife.

Question: Can cheap knives cut well if it’s sharpened?

Answer: Usually, cheap knives don’t have good edge retention. Therefore, you need to sharpen the knives much more often. If you are willing to sharpen the knife every time before use, the sharpness will likely be better even if the knife is cheap.

Knives That Were Introduced in the Article