Caring for your Oneida Products
Taking care of your stainless is painless!
Just follow these 3 easy steps for sparkling, clean silverware.
- Load stainless and golden accents flatware into the dishwasher with spoon and fork handles down, knife handles up.
- Use powder detergents. Avoid ones with lemon or orange scents.
- Use a stainless metal cleaner periodically to keep your set looking its very best. It’s that easy…
Caring for Sterling, Silverplated or Gold Plated Flatware
Although these prized products are dishwasher safe, hand washing is recommended to maintain their superior beauty and shine. If you choose to put them in the dishwasher, make sure you do not mix metals. Use a fine quality cleaner as needed to maintain the patina or luster that comes from years of use.
Caring for your Oneida Dinnerware
Most Oneida dinnerware is dishwasher and microwave safe, with the exception of some larger accent pieces that should be handwashed. Not sure? Just check the backstamp on each piece for use and care information. Or you may refer to the specific pattern page for details. Even our carefree, colorful melamine and acrylic lines can go into the top rack of your dishwasher.
Caring for your Oneida crystal
Our popular, restaurant-quality stems and tumblers are dishwasher safe (and stronger than most glassware on the market).
Cutlery Use and Care
Anatomy
A Point: The very end of the knife, which is used for piercing
B Tip: The first third of the blade (approximately), which is used for small or delicate work
C Edge: The cutting surface of the knife, which extends from the point to the heel
D Heel: The rear part of the blade, used for cutting activities that require more force
E Spine: The top, thicker portion of the blade, which adds weight and strength
F Bolster: The thick metal portion joining the handle and the blade, which adds weight and balance and keeps the cook's hand from slipping
G Finger Guard: The portion of the bolster that keeps the cook's hand from slipping onto the blade
H Return: The point where the heel meets the bolster
J Tang: The portion of the metal blade that extends into the handle, giving the knife stability and extra weight
K Scales: The two portions of handle material (wood, plastic, composite, etc) that are attached to either side of the tang
L Rivets: The metal pins (usually 3) that hold the scales to the tang
M Handle Guard: The lip below the butt of the handle, which gives the knife a better grip and prevents slipping
N Butt: The terminal end of the handle
Materials
Carbon Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon, often including other alloys such as vanadium and manganese. Carbon steel commonly used in knives has around 1.0% carbon. A typical carbon steel blade is very inexpensive, and can be very sharp, and hold its edge well. Carbon steel is normally easier to resharpen than most stainless steels, but is vulnerable to rust and stains. Some professional cooks, particularly those in Asia, are partial to carbon steel blades because of their reasonable cost, cutting power, and edge-holding ability; others find these advantages outweighed in the kitchen by the extra maintenance required, as these blades must be cleaned, dried, and lubricated after each use.
Stainless Steel is an alloy of iron, approximately 10-15% chromium, possibly nickel, and molybdenum, with only a small amount of carbon. Typical is 420 stainless, a high-chromium stainless steel alloy often used in flatware. Most consumer grades of low-carbon stainless are considerably softer than carbon steel and more expensive grades of stainless, and must be more frequently sharpened. Nor can these knives take as sharp an edge as carbon steel, though most are highly resistant to corrosion.
High Carbon Stainless Steel normally refers to higher-grade, stainless steel alloys with a certain amount of carbon, and is intended to combine the best attributes of carbon steel and ordinary stainless steel.High carbon stainless steel blades do not discolor or stain, and maintain a sharp edge. Most of these 'high-carbon' stainless blades also feature higher quality alloys including amounts of molybdenum, vanadium, cobalt, and other components intended to increase strength, edge-holding, and cutting ability. (Our knives are high carbon.)
Laminated blades attempt to use the best of multiple materials by creating a layered sandwich of different steel alloys (there are no laminated blades made of plastic or ceramic.) Such knives are a modern descendant of the ancient Japanese San Mai sword-making process, sometimes known in the West as 'Damascus steel'. Frequently a harder, more brittle steel is sandwiched between two softer, tougher steel alloys, so that the blade combines the attributes, to some extent, of both metals.
Titanium is metal that is lighter, more wear resistant, and more flexible than steel, but also less hard and it will not take as sharp an edge. But carbides in the titanium alloy allow them to be heat-treated to a sufficient hardness. Titanium does not impart any flavor to food. It is typically expensive.
Ceramic blades are incredibly hard blades; so hard that they will maintain a sharp edge for months or years with no maintenance at all. On the other hand, although ceramic blades can be sharpened on silicon carbide sandpaper or many grinding wheels, it is difficult enough that they are usually professionally sharpened. Also, they are hard enough to cut through glaze on dinnerware, so they should only be used on cutting boards. Further, although they are hard, ceramic blades are also very brittle, and will chip if struck against hard objects, or even sharpened improperly.
Plastic Their primary use is for cutting through vegetables such as lettuce without causing them to discolor (a steel knife will cause the cut edges of lettuce to turn black.) They can be resharpened, but they are cheap enough that they are regarded as semi-disposable. They cannot be made as sharp as metal or ceramic blades, but since they are typically serrated, they may perform adequately for their intended purpose.
The Element Breakdown of our steel:
Carbon over 0.15%
Manganese 1%
Phosphorus 0.04%
Sulfur 0.03%
Silicon 1%
Chromium 12-14%
Handle
Wood handles provide good grip, and most people consider them to be the most attractive. They are, however, slightly more difficult to care for as they must be cleaned more thoroughly and occasionally treated with mineral oil. Most wood handles, especially those of ordinary varnished hardwood, do not resist water well, and will crack or warp with prolonged exposure to water. They should be hand-washed for that reason.
Plastic (POM) handles are more easily cared for than wooden handles and do not absorb microorganisms. However, plastics may also be less resistant to ultraviolet damage and may become brittle over time, resulting in cracking. Some plastics are also slippery in the hand. The material is lighter than most other materials, which may result in a knife that is off-balance or too light for some tastes.
Composite knives are made from laminated wood composites impregnated with plastic resin. Pakkawood and Staminawood are commonly encountered composite wood handles. They are considered by many chefs to be the best choice because they are as easy to care for and as sanitary as plastic, they have the appearance, weight, and grip of hardwood, and are more durable than either. They often have a laminated, polished appearance, and may have intense or varied coloring.
Stainless Steel handles are the most durable of all handles, as well as the most sanitary. Many argue, however, that they are very slippery in the hand, especially when wet. To counter this, many premium knife makers make handles with ridges, bumps, or indentations to provide extra grip. One disadvantage of some all-metal handles is that knife weight usually goes up considerably, affecting the knife's balance and increasing hand and wrist fatigue.
