Carbon Steel VS Stainless Steel for chef knives?

E

Eternal_Prepper

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Nov 7, 2013
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Carbon steel and stainless steel are your two main choices when it come to choosing a chef knife.

carbon steel is generally mixed with additions such as chrome or vanadium. also carbon steel blades are easier to sharpen than other types.

But on the negative aspect carbon steel is vulnerable to rust and stain.

Stainless steel has a mix of iron chromium, nickel, or molybdenum along with a minor percentage of carbon. Stainless is obviously less prone to rust and its less expensive, but is it better for a chef knife that I hope to be using for a long time?

What are your thoughts? :)


Eternal_Prepper:D
 
A stainless which is suitable for a chefs knife is not less expensive than carbon steel. I think all of the super stainless steels such as S30V, S35VN, M390, and the CPM stainlesses are considerably more than carbon.
Tim
 
stainless is less likely to react with foods you cut - especially vegetables.
carbon steel causes potatoes, onions, apples, lettuse, etc... to turn brown at the cuts.
there are some very serviceable stainless knives out there that do not cost big $$$ -- such as Forschner & Victorinox, which I believe use the same steel as Henkels & Wusthof's basic lines. LOTS of professional cooks, chefs, and butcher shops use Forschner.
The ESEE/Becker kitchen set works well and is pretty reasonably priced for a starter set, too.
 
A carbon steel knife requires more maintenance, all with acid makes the blade black or blue but usually it is easier to sharpness and get really sharp, but if you want Damask in the blade, it is often carbon steel. A steel that is very rust resistant and with Damask is a powder steel from Damasteel in Söderfors in Sweden then you get an elegant knife with good function
 
Nearly all my chef knives are carbon.
my yanagi is clad (kasumi).

If you're dirty and lazy, get stainless.

Id only take stainless if it was free, and even then would take a backseat to my carbons.
 
Most of my clients request carbon steel knives.

The maintenance required for a carbon steel knife is minimal.

Corrosion is generally not an issue unless the user fails to dry the knife after use.
 
You could get a carbon / stainless san-mai and have the best of both worlds. I feel the maintenance of a carbon steel knife gets blown out of context and overshadows the advantages carbon steel has: fine steel that gets a scary sharp edge quickly. If you wipe down the knife after using it and don't put it in a dishwasher or leave it resting in the sink with water, care should be relatively pain-free. I'm incredibly relaxed (read: lazy) with the care of my stainless / carbon san-mai's and I have yet to walk into the kitchen and discover rust.

That being said, I think you'll end up paying more for a stainless steel knife of the same quality / performance as a carbon steel blade.
 
Misono charges more for their swedish carbon, not sure exactly why but I really love this steel.
 
I wonder if it is because they're a Japanese company and they have to import the steel? All the other steels they use may be provided locally.
 
That does make a lot of sense.

but I wonder why they would import carbon steel.... I know there should be closer sources.
 
I wouldn't begin to know, but I'm going to Japan in December to a steel factory and if I get the opportunity to ask I will.
 
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