I bought a French Nogent pairing knife about a year ago, which I use almost daily but only for a few small tasks. What I noticed is that the profile is starting to show signs of wear, a very slight hollow is forming where the edge used to be perfectly straight.
My mother has been using Herder pairing knifes for decades, especially for peeling potatoes, and she uses these until just a sliver of knife remains - the more worn the better she thinks (I tend to agree!). These knives keep sharp (or sharp enough) with a nice bite even without sharpening. They seem to be self sharpening.
The steel of these knives rusts or stains, so I am assuming this is carbon steel (I may be wrong here!).
So, my question is, is this typical for carbon steel knives and due to use or improper knife care that perhaps promotes corrosion and/or wear? Or do these brands use a special soft steel that abrades easily so that it remains sharp?
Or... are potatoes killing our knives?
On this forum I never read anything about faster wear of carbon steel knifes compared to stainless - so that is what triggered this question.
I would love to hear your thoughts!
My mother has been using Herder pairing knifes for decades, especially for peeling potatoes, and she uses these until just a sliver of knife remains - the more worn the better she thinks (I tend to agree!). These knives keep sharp (or sharp enough) with a nice bite even without sharpening. They seem to be self sharpening.
The steel of these knives rusts or stains, so I am assuming this is carbon steel (I may be wrong here!).
So, my question is, is this typical for carbon steel knives and due to use or improper knife care that perhaps promotes corrosion and/or wear? Or do these brands use a special soft steel that abrades easily so that it remains sharp?
Or... are potatoes killing our knives?
On this forum I never read anything about faster wear of carbon steel knifes compared to stainless - so that is what triggered this question.
I would love to hear your thoughts!