carbon steel and food

[Rravan]

hi guys i was just wondering what the deal is with carbon steel knifes and food, is this a no go or are there certian thing that need to be taken in too consideration, eg level of polish?
thanx

[steve sells]

deal? I am not sure I understand your question.

Carbon knives have been around since the beginnings of steel making. A fact of steels, is that in general a rougher surface will rust faster than a smooth one, example just after grinding with 50 grit, a blade can rust while you are changing the belts on your machine! where as a 400 grit can sit in the cooling water for a while with no problem.

make it look nice, do NOT use the dish washer on good blades, wash them by hand and you are fine.

It wont pollute the food either if that is what you were asking,

Welcome to IFI

[markb]

Here's a pic of some of the old carbon steel kit. knives in use daily around here, just do as Steve has said.

[Ten Hammers]

spoons, ladles, forks, spatulas and any other utensil needed are forged from steel here. Improper care and yes they will rust.

[ThomasPowers]

They can have a bit of trouble with highly acidic foods like grapefruit or other fruits leaving a thin not too good tasting sludge on them---why old pocket knives sometimes had a silver "fruit blade" in them and silver fruite blades could be found in upscale kitchens.

We ust wiped the blade *before* cutting the fruit to help remove the oxidation layer and lived with it.

[MRobb]

I'll add a question in here too. If a carbon steel knife will not be used for a while, do you coat the blade with anything to keep it from rusting? Peanut or vegi oil maybe?

[jayco]

My mom used to have old carbon steel butcher's knives that she used. They would rust pretty readily in humid weather. They were quite often used to cut up salted meats..........which made the rusting even worse.

Her solution was to rub a thin layer of lard(pig fat) on the blade........worked pretty well.

[Rravan]

thank you all for the clarification, just wasnt sure if it was 100% safe