To insist on washing up liquid

[Quibbledibble]

Please help me settle a disagreement…

Is it acceptable to wash up without fairy liquid or similar. For example, washing up a knife that was used to cut an avocado?

Not something I’d lose sleep over tbh.

Avocado? Fine.
Chicken? Not okay.

It depends on what the residue on the knife/plate/whatever is. Water is a pretty good solvent for a lot of things. Anything fat/oil based will need a detergent (washing up liquid) or very hot water.

So avocado better with washing up liquid due to fat content, unless your tap water is very hot.

Fruit or veg yes.

meat, Mayo etc no

If it was an avocado knife on its own and I needed it to cut something else, a rinse under hot water and dried with kitchen towel would be ok with me. If I didn't need it for anything else that minute it would just go in with the rest of the washing up which would need washing up liquid. Any knife used to cut meat would need washing up liquid whatever the circumstances.

For something like avocado, a quick rinse and a wipe is fine. For meat, particularly chicken, needs soap to be certain to wash it off.

Also keep in mind most soap/washing liquid doesn't actually kill bacteria, it just makes them less adhesive so they wash off.

If I had cut up an avocado or something similar, I would be happy to rinse the knife under the tap and continue to use it to cut up other things. I wouldn’t put it back in the drawer, though. Once I’d finished using it, it would go in the dishwasher. If I didn’t have a dishwasher, it would be left out with all the other washing up to be done together (with washing up liquid and hot water). It’s probably OK, hygiene wise, but why would you bother washing up one knife individually rather than doing all the washing up in one go?

Maybe on the very odd occasion and only for fruit / veg or bread nothing too offensive and probably if it was that I wanted to use the knife straight away so rinse and dry and use before then washing properly following this. But certainly not as standard. And absolutely not if been used for meat / fish / dairy etc. due to risks of bacteria from this.

I am more perplexed about people who rinse the knife between cutting different types of foods...
Water is fine for the situation you described. Anything meaty, cheesy, greasy will need a washing up liquid.

If I was chopping veg for a stir fry for example, I would use the same knife to prep all the veg, unwashed between veg. If I had meat to cut up I would do this last and use the same unwashed knife. After it had been used on meat, it would go in the dishwasher.

DH and I eat fruit during the day so we will frequently use the same knife, unwashed, to prepare our fruit.

Unless something has been used for meat or something fatty or claggy, then a quick rinse in warm water would usually suffice if you want to reuse it.

Everything ends up in the dishwasher at the end of the day.

Hot water and friction will even clean a knife used on raw chicken, but washing up liquid makes it easier.

I have good sharp knives so always wash and put back in block after use. A quick rinse under the hot tap and dry with kitchen towel is fine for most things that are not meat or greasy.