ArfinGreebly
Moderator Emeritus
Tonight I fixed dinner, including an over-the-top salad, with tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce, red/yellow/green bell peppers, and a side dish of cut veg (celery, carrots).
All the cutting was done with a large carbon steel sodbuster (Böker, Tree Brand, Argentina).
The only thing I did to the blade before (and during, actually) the prep work was address the edge to make it a bit sharper than the factory edge. The second attempt did the trick (diamond steel), and I got a very acceptable edge that did not need further attention.
However.
Early on, and especially with the more acid foods (like tomatoes), there was a distinct metallic "tang" in the air. You could smell the reaction of the acids with the steel of the blade.
By the time I had finished prepping dinner, the blade had a pronounced patina over the whole surface. Having worked with carbon steel blades before, the patina thing is expected, so no surprise there.
What I wonder, though, is that, with carbon steel, is there something that should be done with the blade prior to such an exercise (like an oil wipe with veg oil) to reduce the reaction and associated smell, which I presume also translates to a certain amount of taste transfer to the food.
It's been years (okay, decades) since I used a brand new carbon steel blade in the kitchen, and any knowledge I might ever have had about pre-conditioning or treating the blade prior to use has faded from memory.
So . . .
Those of you who use carbon steel regularly . . .
. . . what can you tell me?
Is there some pre-use thing that's a good idea?
Post-use (between uses) thing to do?
I did a wash & dry, followed by oil wipe before putting the knife up.
What is it that you do, and what results does that give you?
What other things do you recommend?
Thanks.
All the cutting was done with a large carbon steel sodbuster (Böker, Tree Brand, Argentina).
The only thing I did to the blade before (and during, actually) the prep work was address the edge to make it a bit sharper than the factory edge. The second attempt did the trick (diamond steel), and I got a very acceptable edge that did not need further attention.
However.
Early on, and especially with the more acid foods (like tomatoes), there was a distinct metallic "tang" in the air. You could smell the reaction of the acids with the steel of the blade.
By the time I had finished prepping dinner, the blade had a pronounced patina over the whole surface. Having worked with carbon steel blades before, the patina thing is expected, so no surprise there.
What I wonder, though, is that, with carbon steel, is there something that should be done with the blade prior to such an exercise (like an oil wipe with veg oil) to reduce the reaction and associated smell, which I presume also translates to a certain amount of taste transfer to the food.
It's been years (okay, decades) since I used a brand new carbon steel blade in the kitchen, and any knowledge I might ever have had about pre-conditioning or treating the blade prior to use has faded from memory.
So . . .
Those of you who use carbon steel regularly . . .
. . . what can you tell me?
Is there some pre-use thing that's a good idea?
Post-use (between uses) thing to do?
I did a wash & dry, followed by oil wipe before putting the knife up.
What is it that you do, and what results does that give you?
What other things do you recommend?
Thanks.