I have loved to cook since I was a kid. I have used many knives over the years and received many as Christmas gifts. People would buy me what they swore to be the best knife they ever used. Though I’ve owned some pretty nice knives, none of them stood out as a knife that I loved. Each one had a noticeably sharper edge right after sharpening. But half way through cooking, they’d lose it. Another thing all these knives had in common is that they were all stainless steel. I had never known of anything different. It wasn’t until my mid-thirties that I tried my first high carbon, steel knife.
My wife and I were moving in together. While unpacking the kitchen stuff, I noticed a couple of old looking knives in a box. I recognized the name “Old Hickory” branded into the knives’ wooden handles and realized that these were the same knives I sell at the store. However, I had never used them. I thought the appeal was their old-fashioned look and the fact that they are made in the USA. Because they didn’t have the modern, sleek look of my fancy knives, I assumed they weren’t any good. My wife said that her father gave them to her and that he’d had them since she was little. They appeared every bit their age but I decided to give them a try anyway. That night, I pulled out the knives and gave them a few swipes with my honing steel. As I began to cut, I immediately noticed the razor-sharp edge as the knife effortlessly slid through the vegetables I was cutting. I thought, “Wow, this is nice. Let’s see how long they hold their edge.” All the way through the end of meal prep, the knives were cutting through vegetables like warm butter just as they had immediately after being sharpened. I haven’t used another knife since. In five years, I think I’ve only sharpened them once. I hit them with my honing steel every now and then which seems to be enough to maintain their edge through multiple meal preps.
I had to know what made these knives so great. I looked at the package of one that I had for sale at the store and I found that they are made of high carbon steel. The difference between high carbon steel and stainless steel is that stainless steel contains chromium. Chromium is added to metal to reduce the potential for rust. That is why stainless steel knives are popular for applications with high moisture such as cooking. But the addition of chromium reduces the hardness of the knife making it difficult to obtain and hold a razor-sharp edge.
Despite the higher level of performance, people generally prefer stainless steel because it maintains a clean look. High carbon steel blades will stain and lose their reflective quality over time; but this does not compromise their performance. I guess most people would rather have a pretty knife than one that cuts well. Or maybe like me, they just don’t know any better. I cherish the rustic look of my high carbon steel knives. The nice patina is a testimony to the knives’ character and longevity.
High carbon steel knives do require a little more tender, loving care. You can never leave moisture on a high carbon steel knife or it will rust. The metal is made mostly of iron which is highly corrosive without the addition of chromium. In most climates, simply drying it after each use will suffice. But in our humid climate, there is enough moisture in the air to make even a dry knife rust. The trick is to apply a little oil to the knife before putting it in the drawer. I hit mine with a shot of cooking spray and wipe the oil into the blade with a small piece of paper towel. That seems to work great and takes very little effort. Do not wash them in the dish washer. This will cause the metal blade to rust and the wooden handle to warp.
Some argue that stainless steel is more durable not only because it doesn’t rust, but because the chromium makes the knife more pliable and likely to bend instead of break under pressure. I figure as long as you are not using your knife to pry things open, this shouldn’t matter. Use a pry bar for that. My two high carbon steel knives are approximately 30 years old, so I don’t think durability is an issue.
In researching for this article, I found many experts that claim you can now get stainless steel that is just as hard as high carbon steel. While I can’t say this isn’t true seeing how I haven’t used every knife on the market, I am going to trust my experience. I have yet to find a stainless steel knife that can obtain and hold a blade like the high carbon steel knives I’ve used.
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