Food prep using folders

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DangerZone98

Joined
Dec 7, 2019
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Hey friends. Previous threads on this have been posted years ago so I hope it’s alright if we start a new one. Do you folks use, be it occasionally or regularly, folders for food prep? I find this most viable with my larger folders like the Voyager XL or Resilience since I’m less likely to get food stuffs in the pivot and internals. If stuff gets in there, I sometimes disassemble the knife and clean thoroughly.

Some folders have wonderful grinds for slicing and dicing, but I generally find fixed blades to be way more convenient for food prep.
 
I occasionally use my Roosevelt for food prep. Not a super long blade, but very sharp and slicy. In a pinch it works quite well with smaller veggies.

There are a couple folders that have been designed specifically with food prep in mind such as the Spydiechef and the Liong Mah KUF (Kitchen Utility Folder). Both beautiful EDC knives with good ergonomics for chopping.
 
I travel a fair bit for work. If I know I'm going to a place with a kitchen I'll bring an appropriate knife. Sometimes I'll go some place where I'm not expecting a kitchen but, to my surprise, I have a kitchen. At that point I use whatever pocket knife I have on me.

So yes, occasionally I use a folder for kitchen duty.

I use it, stuff goes wherever it goes, I run it under hot water and scrub it with a brush and soap to clean. I might even oil it afterward if I'm feeling plucky.
 
I can't legally carry this knife, and I likely wouldn't even if I could, but I try to find uses for it at home to increase my enjoyment of owning it.

It's an 11" stiletto switchblade that I built myself (liners, bolsters, handle scales, and lock-release mechanism all made from scratch). The blade has a full hollow-grind, and it takes a shaving-sharp edge, so it's basically a stiletto-straight razor.

It's very "slicey", and as you can see, it slices a tomato so thin you can see through the slices :).

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I use my Opinel no. 8 in food prep, mostly, but did use my PM2 to process a bunch of lemons for lemon curd for my fiancee! Intend to get more folders, namely Opinel, for food prep partially.
 
I use an S110V Military and a Rex45 Chief in the kitchen and in the past I have used a GB2 and PM2 also. Foodstuff getting in the pivot area is actually not a big problem. I carry #9 inox Opinel in my camp kitchen (light, expendable).
 
The Cold Steel Kudu has a 4-1/4" blade, full flat grind, simple construction, easy to clean. That would be my folding kitchen knife.
 
DangerZone98 said:
Hey friends. Previous threads on this have been posted years ago so I hope it’s alright if we start a new one. Do you folks use, be it occasionally or regularly, folders for food prep? I find this most viable with my larger folders like the Voyager XL or Resilience since I’m less likely to get food stuffs in the pivot and internals. If stuff gets in there, I sometimes disassemble the knife and clean thoroughly.

Some folders have wonderful grinds for slicing and dicing, but I generally find fixed blades to be way more convenient for food prep.
Click to expand...

For actual food prep? Absolutely not. That folder has been in my pocket, has been used to cut all sorts of crap, and unless I completely disassemble the knife and completely clean the joint before and after, it's germ city.
I do sometimes use a pocket knife to open packages that contain food, but I keep the blade away from the food itself.
Food prep is for fixed blades. And I have an entire set of fixed blade kitchen knives devoted to it.
 
I have given up using folders for food prep. I have tried all kinds of grind and up to 4.5 inch cutting edge knives. The edge is never long enough and stuff always gets in the pivot and ruin that drop shut action that is all the rage these days. I end up having to dissemble them most of the time after food prep.
 
According to the Human microbiome project:

"The human body contains trillions of microorganisms — outnumbering human cells by 10 to 1. Because of their small size, however, microorganisms make up only about 1 to 3 percent of the body's mass (in a 200-pound adult, that’s 2 to 6 pounds of bacteria), but play a vital role in human health."

As usual, there is nothing to fear, but fear itself.
 
On the rare occasion I use a pocket knife on food, it's just for fun (mostly for the sake of pictures) and after cleaning and disinfecting the knife. One thing I've never understood in this hobby is how universally important "food prep" seems to be when people are choosing a carry knife. It has almost become a buzzword that makes me cringe when I hear it. I have a few cheap kitchen knives that do the job infinitely better and cleaner than any pocket knife will. For me, pocket knives are for work and utility.
 
Here’s what I think; if a folder is convenient, I’ll use it. I even have a folder or two that I’d pick out specifically. Namely, my Kizer Sovereign in N690. If it’s not convenient, a cheap kitchen knife will do the trick better MOST of the time. I do own sets of Shin knives (VG-10 dmscus), and Wusthoff, both of which are higher end, and get used well.

Mostly, a kitchen knife is just better. They’re designed to do a job, and they do it pretty well.

But. I do like feeling cool. So out comes my Reate to slice the veggies!!
 
DangerZone98 said:
Some folders have wonderful grinds for slicing and dicing, but I generally find fixed blades to be way more convenient for food prep.
Click to expand...
Some work for slicing but I can only think of a few that would work for actual dicing or chopping. The handle positioning and blade height on 99% of folders are not adequate for me to consider serious kitchen duty. Actually, that goes for most fixed blades not explicitly designed for kitchen use as well. Handle position won't work for dicing and chopping.

Other than a new folder I am testing for slicing ability and ergos, I'm with Frank in that a folder that has been used as an EDC is not sanitary enough to get deep kitchen duty. That's different on my salt folders though. Those can just get scrubbed down before, during, and after some food prep.

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I use a Cold Steel Kudu for food prep and cutting up meat. I have the original 4116 Krupp version. which makes for an easy to sharpen and maintain kitchen knife.
Best $10 knife I ever owned. Easy to clean.s-l640.jpg
 
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