Food Prep with your EDC folder?

CrimsonTideShooter said:
If I use a knife for food prep I prefer long fully flat ground blades like on the spyderco military. I think it's the perfect food prep knife. Your mileage may vary.
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So I'm not the only one. I usually stray away from folders for food, but my trusty millie always seems to wanna bite into my fruit, samiches and even steak. Super sharp, long, ffg and comfy.
 
I mostly use an Opinel 8 for cutting food. There's always a couple of them in the kitchen.
 
knifenut1013 said:
I too like my millie for food prep, its great at push cutting tomatoes :)

OP, I'd probably sharpen that knife if I were you, edge geometry and sharpness mean more than thickness ;)
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Isn't thickness a part of the edge geometry:confused:?

In any case, I can tell you that edge geometry can allow a dull knife to keep cutting. I once tried to cut a very small honeycrisp apple with my Dozier Buffalo River Hunter, and quite literally had to force my way through. When I was done, I had to drop a tomato on the blade just to make sure the knife didn't suddenly dull on me. To my surprise, the tomato was split clean in half. It seems the blade was thicker than I expected, and couldn't cut the apple very well because of it. Same with corn, and my ZT 0551 also proved difficult to use on apples.

The edge would push cut paper, but I really had to muscle the Dozier blade through the corn, which presents a significant risk to ones fingers, cutting glove or not. Compare it to my coworker's knife which would regularly tear paper, but could still slice through the corn stalk like butter because of the paper thin blade(closer to sheet metal than a knife blade).
 
Kaizen1 said:
The idea of using the same knife for random packages, cutting tasks, etc and food prep seems strange to me.
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Then you would have loved the day I cut up a bunch of radiator hose with my Tenacious, and also cut the top off a jug of coolant to make a funnel. Shortly followed by me preparing my lunch sandwich with the same knife :P

I don't mind out and about food prep. work lunches, picnics, etc...

if I am going to be making a full fledged meal (which doesn't happen much, I'm a bachelor) involving lots of slicing and chopping, then a proper knife is a must. I find it's ergonomics and blade length that count more than anything else. A "large" pocket knife like a millie all of a sudden seems small when trying to chop. Also bashing your knuckles on the board gets old :P
 
Noctis3880 said:
In any case, I can tell you that edge geometry can allow a dull knife to keep cutting. I once tried to cut a very small honeycrisp apple with my Dozier Buffalo River Hunter, and quite literally had to force my way through. When I was done, I had to drop a tomato on the blade just to make sure the knife didn't suddenly dull on me. To my surprise, the tomato was split clean in half. It seems the blade was thicker than I expected, and couldn't cut the apple very well because of it. Same with corn, and my ZT 0551 also proved difficult to use on apples.

The edge would push cut paper, but I really had to muscle the Dozier blade through the corn, which presents a significant risk to ones fingers, cutting glove or not. Compare it to my coworker's knife which would regularly tear paper, but could still slice through the corn stalk like butter because of the paper thin blade(closer to sheet metal than a knife blade).
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Some think that a sharp knife is the difference in cutting, but but Noctics makes a good point which is illustrated by Video number 8 here http://www.edgeproinc.com/sharpeningtips.html
 
I tend to use my EDC to prep food when helping out in other people's kitchens away from home. Their kitchen knives are often so dull, that I have no choice but to use my EDC.
 
I am bartender and part of my daily tasks involve spending about 1/2 hour cutting lemons and limes for the rest of the shift.

For some reason the owners of the bar like to buy bread knives for the employees to use cutting fruit.... I do now know why.... I have tried talking to them about it.

So I like to use my knives, either one I've made or a pocket knife I carry. It safer and a whole lot more fun.

One of the best slicing knives I've used on the citrus was my Al Mar SERE 2000. Believe me, I know it was not designed to do this particular task but it sure did work well at it. A quick rinse and drying of the blade and the VG-10 looks as good as the day I got it.
 
I have quite a few folders in my kitchen that supplement my kitchen knives. A Boye folder modifed to clip point is great for spotting fruits and vegetables. A Buck 186 Titan with a Buckcote blade is great for filleting citrus fruit. An Endura with a cutaway ZDP-189 blade is used for boning chicken. A medium sized SAK is used for coring apples and pears. On the road my CUDA's (5.5"&7") are used for whacking up cakes, bread, hams, and melon. If I know I will be doing a lot of prep away from home, I drag along some kitchen knives. I don't hesitate to run hot water through my folders to wash the crud out.
 
First I skinned the block of cheese, cutting it like a laser and it hardly even noticed due to my mirror polished edge.

Then I tactically deanimated the body with a baton strike to its spine.

Backup arrived for the cheese and I forced the cheese to sit and watch as I took slow razor thin slices out of its companion.

A successful high speed operation and I got myself out of my chair safe and sound in the end, all thanks to my EDC companion blade.

My photo quality sucks because my camera is a super compact tactical model, not designed for high resolution. It's hell on a beach landing though.


tactical_apples.jpg
 
I have no problem using a knife for cutting food and a box or tape. I always wash the blade before and after use, and if necessary rinse out the trough. Mainly I cut vegetables for a salad or cheese for a sandwich.

I remember using a BM 530, Kershaw skyline, spyderco military, and boker exskelibur quite successfully over the past few summers. They are relatively simple, thin bladed knives that are easy to clean.
 
I've gotten tired of trying to keep my kitchen knives sharp after moving in with the folks I'm currently living with, so I just wind up using my Izula for most things. Only thing it hasn't been able to do very well is slice ham, but then again it's a 3" blade so I can't really blame it.

Excels at cheese and summer sausage though.
 
I've used a Boker stockman for food prep more times than I can count. Camping, at work in the kitchenette, even at home sometimes. Lots of apples. Some meats and cheeses. Plenty of bagels. Food prep is one of the reasons I carry a thin bladed traditional.

Frank
 
Wouldn't even consider it. My knives are used in all kinds of nasty situations involving work.
 
Food prep is rarely one of my daily tasks. I don't cut my sandwiches or peel my apples, I eat them whole. If you need a reason to play with your knife then whatever. If dinner needs preparing I have a woman for that.
I use to think it was stupid to use your EDC knife for food prep, again because thats not something I really do, but one day I was preparing some chicken for the grill and holy damn my Military is the best food prep knife we have in the house. For me at least, I don't know what all those gadgets are she has in there.
 
Kaizen1 said:
Can we get some hard use footage on those kitchen knives?:p
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Cutting up stuff in the kitchen isn't exactly hard use. ;)

Although I have used paring knives in the field for food prep work over the years and they work fine.

Basically if there is food involved I don't use any folder period.
 
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