prepping carbon steel for use in the kitchen

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rupsty

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Mar 14, 2013
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I'm near completion of my first knife. It looks good, not great but that's ok. I have a smaller knife that I made but never finished - but I put an edge on it and it cuts pretty well. The thing I've noticed is that once it gets wet it smells like steel. And I imagine things will taste like steel. So I've been experimenting with leaving it in vinegar for a few hours. The vinegar puts a nice darkening layer on it but it still smells like steel. In retrospect, I wouldn't have used 01 steel for a kitchen knife but I didn't know better at the time.

Are there any tips for making a carbon steel chef's knife usable in the kitchen without smelling or tasting like steel?
 
"A few hours" is WAY too long for a vinegar patina. It will eat up the steel and that's what you're smelling (it's probably leaving a black film that comes off on everything, right?). Mix equal parts vinegar (or lime juice) and water, and add a drop or two of liquid soap. Wipe it on with a paper towel continuously for a few minutes or until it turns the color you want. Nick Wheeler has a great video on this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WGU7dV2k8Q
But you don't have to put a patina on it at all. This video shows you how to properly use carbon steel in the kitchen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tza5pymb5yg

- Chris
 
I use only carbon steel in the kitchen, no stainless. We just rinse and dry the blades. That smell you speak of will go away after a little use.

Carbon steel was used for a few hundred years in food prep before stainless came along...
 
I recently used some of aldos 1084 to make a paring knife for my wife.

I took it to a satin finish and we havent noticed any odd taste or smell. Not sure why that is, but its worked wonderfully so far. Maybe someone with more knowledge can shed some light.
 
Wiki: " After sharpening a carbon-steel knife in the evening after use, the user normally lets the knife "rest" for a day to restore its patina and remove any metallic odour or taste that might otherwise be passed on to the food."

That said, I have a 1084 knife I let sit over night in straight vinegar. It didn't do near as much as I thought it would. It reaches a certain point and stops unless you wipe it clean. Even the edge was still passably sharp, dulled obviously but not much work on the finer stones to bring it back. I've soaked it a few times since to remove rust when my wife leaves it outside for a few days in the garden...
 
Last edited:
Don Hanson III said:
I use only carbon steel in the kitchen, no stainless. We just rinse and dry the blades. That smell you speak of will go away after a little use.

Carbon steel was used for a few hundred years in food prep before stainless came along...
Click to expand...

What Don said! My first foray into Japanese kitchen knives was a Fujiwara FKH 210mm Gyuto made with SKD4 Carbon steel. The first month or so I would get that steel smell when dicing onions and acidic product. Once it had built a natural patina, all of that went away and three years later I get away without wiping it down right after cutting tomatoes and even lemons due to the natural patina. I still take great care of it but let's just say that if a family member stopped by and was helping prep a meal with that knife, I wouldn't be freaking out :D .

Oh and don't prep it with a forced patina, there are few things in this world more beautiful than a naturally formed patina, at least that's what my crazy mind thinks.
 
With my steel food prep knives, I cut and wipe dry. I will not clean the knife until just before the next use. Of course this means not storing the knife in a block, or anything that can not be cleaned. Make sure it is dry and wrap in a paper towel. This has allowed very strong natural patinas to form.
 
That's GREAT to know!! I thought my carbon knives were going to be useless in the kitchen. Sounds like I just need to use them and keep 'em dry.
 
Another way to create a cool forced patina, that will protect the blade from a common level of abuse, is to daub the blade with mustard, let it sit, clean it, daub it with another mustard pattern, let it sit, clean, and repeat until you get the look you like.

Michael Rader does some really nice mustard patinas.
 
avery nice patina can be started on carbon knives by cutting sweet walla walla onions. wash and dry the new blade, cut an onion into thin slices. repeat until you are pleased with it.
 
Another tip for carbon kitchen knives is to do the final finish with scothbrite or a scotchbrite belt. When someone accidently leaves it wet or dirty for a while and black spots appear, you can just clean them off with a scotchbrite pad and have it looking fairly new again in seconds.
 
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