Hot food ruin temper?

Y

yepimonfire

Joined
Nov 7, 2013
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Was using my bowie to cut some piping hot pizza straight out of the oven. Got me wondering, how hot does something have to be to pull out the temper? I know I've damaged a kitchen knife using a grinder before (it was a destroyed mess no stone was gonna help) but I don't know hot that was compared to say, a ham or Turkey at 350 degrees.
 
If you ruin a temper with hot pizza, the knife wasn't worth the cardboard it was probably made from lol.

Unless your pizza is 700-900+ Fahrenheit, you don't have much to worry about.
 
No, cutting hot food is not going to affect the temper of a blade, not even a cheap one. Don't worry about that.

It's fairly easy to foul-up the temper of the very edge with power-tools. Don't do that.
 
Yes, cutting pizza will instantly vaporize your knife in to air.
 
Ummmmm, no. Not at all. Grinders, yes. Grinders (sub sammiches, even heated up HOT!) no.
 
Cooking a ham or turkey at 350 degrees doesn't mean that the meat is 350 when you cut into it. I wouldn't worry, as I've even cut into meat while it's on the grill.
 
Doesn't the steel have to get hotter, than the heat treat was, to ruin temper?

Example, if it was heat treated at 1400 degrees, that's what it would take to alter the temper?
 
I get concerned about than when going to use a large knife to move wood in a fire. Could that damage the temper?
 
MatthewSB said:
Doesn't the steel have to get hotter, than the heat treat was, to ruin temper?

Example, if it was heat treated at 1400 degrees, that's what it would take to alter the temper?
Click to expand...

No, the blade has to get hotter than the temper (which is around 400 Fahrenheit for most carbon steels) to alter the knife. Go over to shop talk and read about what heat treat actually is.
tueller said:
I get concerned about than when going to use a large knife to move wood in a fire. Could that damage the temper?
Click to expand...

Not unless you hold it in there. Its not going to instantly heat it 400+... its still not a good idea though.
 
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Only if you are eating Lava. You need time at temp, and way past the temp any food would EVER be to affect a knife blade.
 
A group in Italy tried , unsuccesfully , to pass a law to cook pizza at the proper 830 F !!! But by the time it's served it would have cooled a bit.
 
If your ham is at 350 then you must like dry burnt food. I best most food is under 180
 
Unless you like to eat literal lava cakes, I think you are good. I would suggest keeping away from cutting food that is actively on fire, too. It takes a temperature much higher than most all foods are cooked at to damage temper.
 
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