best knife to cut an apple

How 'bout a Sludgeomatic from Gallager food preporation servises? You can actually make apple sauce with it.

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You may think it's funny but wait till it's your turn.
 
Having grown up on a farm with an apple orchard, I've probably eaten a zillion apples peeled and sliced with carbon steel blades. One of my fondest memories is of my grandad peeling an apple for me with his Case, so that the peeling comes off in one fell swoop. Anyway, you guys must have more sensitive tasters than me. I have not noticed any metallic taste. And I also use carbon steel blades in my kitchen and no problemo, especially once the blades are "broken in" as they say.

You sure you're not tasting either rust or that 50 wt motor oil your putting on your knives?
wink.gif


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Hoodoo

I get some pleasure from finding a relentlessly peaceful use for a combative looking knife.
JKM
 
I use a carbon steel opinel on my apples and I havent tasted anything funny..Man the patina just keeps getting better.
troy
 
Wow tough question,,,, i think you should have a chisle ground,,,,, chisle, and a REALLY big hammer, those apples can be pretty tough to cut......
 
geeez.if your at work or somehting use a SAK or an opinel.you dont need any of these high falutin' blades.go with something simple.
or you could just bite it,like everyone else.
rolleyes.gif
 
I have not been around for a while and I come back to this?

Is this thread a joke? Steve777, If you were joking, good one dude, you had me going. If this was not a joke, you can bet the W&C forum is having a field day with this one. If I could only remember the f.. password.

My answer, thus, is the 20 INCH ANG KHOLA. That way you can cut the apple and turn it into apple sauce at the same time.
 
There was actually a good thread about apples and carbon steel several months ago at rec.knives: <a href="http://x76.deja.com/[ST_rn=ps]/getdoc.xp?AN=638976546&search=thread&CONTEXT=977468971.1382875160&HIT_CONTEXT=977468776.1381564451&HIT_NUM=10&hitnum=0">click.</a> Kind of weird how a rec.knives thread was so much more civil than this one. Geez.
rolleyes.gif


[This message has been edited by cerulean (edited 12-22-2000).]
 
Cutting an apple is such a mundane task. You could add some flaire to it with a Benchmade 42 artfully manipulated. And when you're done, the whole thing can go in the dishwasher if necessary.


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Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.balisongcollector.com
 
Let me think about it, hmmm ...

REKAT Sifu - best folder to cut anything. Doesn't matter what - can be an apple ... along with the arm of your enemy of course.
 
Ok. I checked the rec.knives thread and there seemed to be a concensus there that carbon steel knives add tang to your apple. So, I decided to do a test. I used an Opinel with no patina, a Chicago Cutlery butcher knife with a well-seasoned (26 year) patina, and an SAK pocket pal (stainless). I sliced the apple into thirds with the pocket pal and then peeled each third with a different knife. I used the same knife I peeled the third with to slice and eat it. I carefully sniffed each slice as I ate it and sniffed the blade after each cut.

My results:
I could detect no difference in taste or smell. No metallic tang was found in apples sliced by either carbon steel blade.

This could be due to the following:
1) my taster
-some people have more discerning palates than others
2) differences observed by others are caused by using carbon knives that have not been cleaned of loose surface oxidation
3) the apple I used is lower in acid than others that might cause the tang
4) the process needs to last longer (i.e., slice more apples) to allow the acids to corrode the carbon steel so that the effect can be noticeable
5) it's psychological
wink.gif

6) Insert your favorite reason here________ .

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Hoodoo

I get some pleasure from finding a relentlessly peaceful use for a combative looking knife.
JKM



[This message has been edited by Hoodoo (edited 12-22-2000).]
 
Hmm... I'm going to eat an apple right now with an Opinel #7.

Eating... Eating... Eating...

Huh. I start to taste the tang after several slices. It's subtle, but it's definitely there.

When I smell the blade after just a couple of slices, I smell a strong metallic type odor. The metallic flavor is the same thing as the odor, but it's easier to smell it on the blade than to taste it on the food.

I'm really baffled as to why some people taste it and others do not. Maybe it's some weird genetic thing.

I have to say though, an Opinel is certainly a great knife to cut an apple with! Actually, it's just a great knife all around. I should really use mine more.

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Cerulean

"We cut things to create things" - J.K.M.
 
I was listening on the radio the other day to an interview of a guy who just published a book testing all manner of cooking utensils. It's by Burt Wulf and it's called The New Cook's Catalog. One of the interesting comments was that when people shifted from cast iron skillets to porcelain and aluminum skillets, iron deficiencies began to appear. Don't know how true that is but maybe there is a grain of truth there. And maybe we are getting some iron from using our carbon knives.
smile.gif
BTW, there is supposed to be some pretty extensive reviews in there on knives and sharpening devices. A regular kitchen consumers report, with lots of head-to-head testing. Anyone seen this book?

Anyway, maybe I'll have to give it another go. Maybe slice an apple and let the knife sit for awhile and see what happens. Could be the oxidation effect is stronger the longer you use it so that even I can detect it.
smile.gif


Here's an interesting test. Have someone slice two apples, one with a carbon blade and one with a stainless blade, so that you don't know which is which and see if you can detect the difference by taste and smell. Is the "tang" transmitted to the apple or is it confined to the blade?

Hoodoo, with healthy hemoglobin 'cause I use carbon blades

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Hoodoo

I get some pleasure from finding a relentlessly peaceful use for a combative looking knife.
JKM
 
Jake Evans,
$25? no thanks, just spent about $11 on a "Crock Stick" to sharpen my SAK's. My newly sharpened SAK should do the trick.
Thanks.
 
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