Food Prep?

[ShawnKirkpatrick]

When you use your knife for food prep, do you try to avoid hit or sliding the edge across the counter top? And how do I get over this little thing about wanting to sharpen my knife after a little use? Like cutting some potatoes earlier, I had this little thing in my head that just that little bit of cutting dulled my blade a little.... I know in my mind that its still sharp but I just want it at it's top cutting performance.

[Sequimite]

I never worry about it, but i never cut on the counter top.

If you don't want to wash the cutting board a paper plate makes a decent disposable cutting board for most things. In addition to being easier on your blade it's more hygienic.

[The Deacon]

If I'm doing food prep, regardless of whether I'm using a folder or a kitchen knife, I either cut on a wood or plastic cutting board, "in the air" away from any surface (as when peeling potatoes), or with the item to be cut between the knife and my thumb.

[Blerv]

Yea wood board or something softer than ceramic. You can also cut 90% of the way through and just bend/break it.

There are disposable things too, napkins, paper plates, etc.

[razorsharp]

when i do food prep, i cut on a wooden or plastic board. stainless, ceramic and glass is a no-no

when im eating dinner and want a sharp knife, and im cutting on stone or ceramic, i use an opinel as the steel sharpens up easy after. whenever i use a paper plate, i pick the knife of my choice. as the paper wont damage anything.

I sharpen after all the time, cause im an ocd sharpener :o

[bh49]

Agree with everybody above, just want to clarify. Bamboo cutting boards are not good either. Too much glue. So plastic or "real" wood.

[Evil D]

I use a wood cutting board. I never considered the glue in the ones that aren't one solid piece of wood. I usually use kitchen knives at home anyway. If i'm out somewhere and use my knife on food it's usually just an apple or something i can cut freehand without needing a flat surface.

[gbelleh]

I use only dedicated fixed blade kitchen knives on a wood cutting board for food prep. The idea of using a pocket knife to cut food has always kind of grossed me out. Plus I don't like the idea of food getting into the pivot area, or stuck in crevices in the handle. I also don't worry too much about sharpening, just whenever it's needed.

[Jay_Ev]

I have heard too many horror stories regarding the use of cutting boards for food prep. All the slices & cuts in the board harbor germs & bacteria no matter how well you think you may have washed it. I use paper plates or a doubled up paper towel.

[M55]

Depends on which knife I'm using...

If I'm cutting with my Endura 4 or Manix 2, they are just fine even after you've banged them into the cutting board through multiple sessions involving tough veggies like carrots etc. on a wooden or plastic cutting board.

Doing the same thing with my Resilience or something made of AUS8(A) results in a not-so-sharp edge after only a couple of cutting sessions, where I can run my fingers, with some force, across the edge and not worry about getting cut, so I stopped using blades with lesser steels (than VG-10 and 154CM) save for backup purposes.

As for resisting the urge to sharpen knives all the time, I don't resist it; it's like meditation for me... I put on a TV show or a movie and casually swipe away on the Tri-Angle.

[.357 mag]

I have heard too many horror stories regarding the use of cutting boards for food prep. All the slices & cuts in the board harbor germs & bacteria no matter how well you think you may have washed it. I use paper plates or a doubled up paper towel.

Natural wood cutting boards have a enzyme that eats bacteria.

[JD Spydo]

I have heard too many horror stories regarding the use of cutting boards for food prep. All the slices & cuts in the board harbor germs & bacteria no matter how well you think you may have washed it. I use paper plates or a doubled up paper towel.

Your fears are somewhat justified "jay ev">> But there is a way to sanitize cutting boards. Where I am currently working we use solid nylon cutting boards. I use a commercial cleaner known as "Clorox CLEAN UP". It contains a high amount of bleach and other santizing agents. I spray down the surface with CLEAN UP spray cleaner and let it soak for at least 30 minutes then I rinse it well with scalding hot water. If its really messy I follow up using Bar Keeper's Friend or commercial grade Ajax with Oxygen Bleach and we've not had any problem at all with our food prep.

I do like the one Brother's recommendation of using fixed blade knives designed for kitchen use. Albeit I will often use a folding Spyder or other high quality folder when needed but I do sanitize the blade before I touch it on anything with food or food prep tools.

As much as I love all of Spyderco's food knives there is a great website dedicated to food prep knives that I consider the Bible of that arena. >> http://www.knifemerchant.com << He used to sell a lot of Spyderco blades and I think his store still does. But that website has a ton of great food prep items as well as the F. Dick cutlery company of Germany.

[jackknifeh]

About wanting to sharpen a knife even if it has been used a very little bit. Nothing wrong with that depending on your sharpening technique. If your knife looses the hair popping edge and you want it back a strop will take care of the issue in a matter of a few seconds. But if you use stones in those instances the steel will be gone a lot sooner than you will realize. Use a strop and one year from now your blade will be the same size. Use stones and you can measure the blade and you may have lost enough length to notice (when mneasuring). You won't see it just by looking. Think of the barber who uses a hanging strop between customers. He always has a perfect edge. That is required for shaving. Just ask the forum shaving guru, Chuck. :) Nothing wrong with wanting a perfect edge all the time. I mean we have spent what some (me) would call small fortunes on knives and sharpening tools. I'm NOT going to live with a dull edge after all the money I've spent, not to mention the time I've spent learning to sharpen (and still learning). :D

Jack

[Jazz]

Just use a sharpening steel after you use it.It straightens the edge, and you don't have to wear it out so much.

- best wishes, Jazz.

[jackknifeh]

Just use a sharpening steel after you use it.It straightens the edge, and you don't have to wear it out so much.

- best wishes, Jazz.

When you use a steel to you stroke backwards (like a strop)? I've read lots of comments about "straightening" the edge which would bring back an edge if it rolls. It seems to me that would require a pulling stroke because a push stroke on a steel or stone would remove the rolled steel where a pull stroke may "un-bend" or "un-roll" (straighten) the steel. If that's the case I can see how that would be a good quick fix. But it also seems like the edge retention may suffer because steel that has been folded is weaker. Am I understanding what you mean by straightening the edge? Let me also say that I am the worst steel user in the world. I just never mastered it's use. I know it's me because I've seen people take a slightly dull knife and in a few seconds have a very sharp edge. I can turn a pretty sharp usable knife and steel it into a very expensive butter knife. No kidding. I'm sure it's all about angles and practice.

Jack

[phillipsted]

When you use a steel to you stroke backwards (like a strop)? I've read lots of comments about "straightening" the edge which would bring back an edge if it rolls. It seems to me that would require a pulling stroke because a push stroke on a steel or stone would remove the rolled steel where a pull stroke may "un-bend" or "un-roll" (straighten) the steel. If that's the case I can see how that would be a good quick fix. But it also seems like the edge retention may suffer because steel that has been folded is weaker. Am I understanding what you mean by straightening the edge? Let me also say that I am the worst steel user in the world. I just never mastered it's use. I know it's me because I've seen people take a slightly dull knife and in a few seconds have a very sharp edge. I can turn a pretty sharp usable knife and steel it into a very expensive butter knife. No kidding. I'm sure it's all about angles and practice.

Jack

Jack - the Fr.Dick web site has a nice illustration on proper steeling technique.

http://www.dick.de/en/tools-for-chefs-a ... ng-steels/

TedP

[Jazz]

When you use a steel to you stroke backwards (like a strop)? I've read lots of comments about "straightening" the edge which would bring back an edge if it rolls. It seems to me that would require a pulling stroke because a push stroke on a steel or stone would remove the rolled steel where a pull stroke may "un-bend" or "un-roll" (straighten) the steel. If that's the case I can see how that would be a good quick fix. But it also seems like the edge retention may suffer because steel that has been folded is weaker. Am I understanding what you mean by straightening the edge? Let me also say that I am the worst steel user in the world. I just never mastered it's use. I know it's me because I've seen people take a slightly dull knife and in a few seconds have a very sharp edge. I can turn a pretty sharp usable knife and steel it into a very expensive butter knife. No kidding. I'm sure it's all about angles and practice.

Jack

I do it backwards - like a strop. Makes more sense and works great. I've been cooking professionaly and using steels for 27 years - took a while to learn, but that's my ( and a lot of others' ) method. I do it at work and on my Spydies. I know there are people that'll argue with me, but it works for me, even on the most rolled edges. I start hard and slowly lighten the strokes.

- best wishes, Jazz.

[Cliff Stamp]

But it also seems like the edge retention may suffer because steel that has been folded is weaker.

Exactly right. When an edge has deformed it has been pushed past the elastic limit and is over stressed. If you push it back into place then this stresses it even more. At some point this entire section of edge will just crack off. When you go to sharpen it, which you will have to at some point, you will find that the edge has a persistent burr which is extremely difficult to remove because as soon as almost any pressure hits it then it just folds over instead of being honed away.

The easiest way to understand this is just bend a spoon back and forth a few times and watch what happens to the effort it takes to bend it. It gets easier and easier to bend it, and at some point the metal just tears. Each time you bend the steel past the elastic point there are small rips in the internal structure, at some point there will be so many rips they will all connect together into one big rip and the steel will fail at a macroscopic level.

If you can, usually it is better to have the Sharpmaker set up and use the fine or ultra fine rods. This will keep the edge very sharp and minimize stress on the edge and thus the edge retention will stay at a high level. When you start to notice it drop off then just switch to the medium rods, increase the honing angle by 10 degrees, do 1-3 light passes, return to the regular angle and give it 1-3 passes and the continue with the fine/ultra fine rods.

If you don't damage the edge, and don't cut extremely abrasive material very often, you could go an extremely long time not having to do more honing than that.

[jackknifeh]

I do it backwards - like a strop. Makes more sense and works great. I've been cooking professionaly and using steels for 27 years - took a while to learn, but that's my ( and a lot of others' ) method. I do it at work and on my Spydies. I know there are people that'll argue with me, but it works for me, even on the most rolled edges. I start hard and slowly lighten the strokes.

- best wishes, Jazz.

Whatever works for you is what matters. Oh, keep your head up. Maybe one day you'll get a steady job. :D

Jack

[ShawnKirkpatrick]

Yeah, I guess I should have said I don't do a full sharpening session I usually just run it across the fine stones on the sharpmaker a couple of time, I don't go thought the whole 20 strokes on each part of the stones. I don't usually dull or let my blades be that dull.

Exactly right. When an edge has deformed it has been pushed past the elastic limit and is over stressed. If you push it back into place then this stresses it even more. At some point this entire section of edge will just crack off. When you go to sharpen it, which you will have to at some point, you will find that the edge has a persistent burr which is extremely difficult to remove because as soon as almost any pressure hits it then it just folds over instead of being honed away.

The easiest way to understand this is just bend a spoon back and forth a few times and watch what happens to the effort it takes to bend it. It gets easier and easier to bend it, and at some point the metal just tears. Each time you bend the steel past the elastic point there are small rips in the internal structure, at some point there will be so many rips they will all connect together into one big rip and the steel will fail at a macroscopic level.

If you can, usually it is better to have the Sharpmaker set up and use the fine or ultra fine rods. This will keep the edge very sharp and minimize stress on the edge and thus the edge retention will stay at a high level. When you start to notice it drop off then just switch to the medium rods, increase the honing angle by 10 degrees, do 1-3 light passes, return to the regular angle and give it 1-3 passes and the continue with the fine/ultra fine rods.

If you don't damage the edge, and don't cut extremely abrasive material very often, you could go an extremely long time not having to do more honing than that.