Home cooks: Do you switch to stainless for final cooking tasks?

[the_jest]

I've been wondering this for a while, so I thought I'd ask about it formally. For the purpose of this discussion, I'm talking about home cooks, preparing a meal that you yourself (possibly in addition to guests, family, etc.) are eating. I'm also assuming that you think that carbon steel is better, or that you at least sometimes prefer carbon steels to stainless ones.

When preparing a meal, there are the clearly prep tasks, like making a vegetable mirepoix, and there are clearly final tasks, like chopping parsley to sprinkle over food at the last minute, or cutting a large piece of meat for serving. (I'm a vegetarian, but I believe that some people do slice meat.) For these tasks, there's the conundrum of either leaving your dirty knife out to rust while you enjoy the meal, or spending a couple of minutes washing and thoroughly drying your carbon knife while the food gets cold and your guests salivate.

Do other people typically do this, i.e. clean your knife on the spot? Or do you use your White #1 for the prep tasks, clean it, and then for the last-minute jobs switch to an SG2 which you can leave on the counter while you eat?

 

[AT5760]

Nope. But my cleaning regimen is pretty simple - walk to the sink, rinse in hot water, wipe down with a bit of soap, dry. I don't think it takes much more than 30 seconds unless the knife is really gnarly (like cutting cake).

 

[Tea_Hills]

Yep same here. Quick rinse, quick soap, quick dry.

 

[Delat]

When I’m in the middle of actual cooking, i.e. stuff is on the stove under high heat (like a wok), and I realize I forgot to cut something then I’ll grab a stainless so I can get right back to the stove. I have a 180mm that’s perfect for the task.

 

[esoo]

During prep, my knives will get rinsed at points during the work. If I'm doing mise-en-place, the work will get done, then the knife washed and put back on the rack. If I'm throwing stuff in the pot as I go, it will get washed if there is moment where I have "idle" time.

As for finishing work, I only wash if there is a brief moment while something else is happening (like the wife plating salad). Otherwise, the knife is left wet on the board until I'm finished eating. The food is hot, time to eat. This could mean a knife sits wet for a while - a good meal with friends and it could 2+ hours until I'm back in the kitchen and can clean the blade.

All my knives are carbon. Rust can be removed and knives can be refinished. Got over any worries a long time ago.

 

[Heckel7302]

The only thing I usually need to cut just before serving is meat. Usually will give it a quick rinse and dry before sitting down. Sometimes I forget and it sits with meat juice/fat on it for 30-60 minutes. Never been a problem. That said, all my knives have a healthy amount of patina on them.

 

[timebard]

I like having a smaller stainless knife for this use case. If I'm cooking just for myself or in no rush I'll use carbon throughout but if I'm hurrying through a weeknight dinner for family it's nice to have one less thing to worry about.

Currently I use a 150 Tanaka ginsan petty or 220 Shihan AEBL gyuto for this, but I have a custom order in with Eddie for a 190ish mini-gyuto intended for this exact use case.

 

[M1k3]

I just wipe the knife before setting it down. I'll wash and dry it afterwards.

 

[Nemo]

I thought this was going to be a question about frypans

Nope, I continue to use a carbon steel knife, almost always with a nice patina. I give it a quick wash & dry. There is always soapy water in the sink while I cook. It takes under 30 seconds. Then I leave it to air dry while I serve. Just in case there is any residual moisture.

On the odd occasion that I'm using a stainless knife, it gets exactly the same treatment.

 

[Ocicat]

Good question! As a home cook I've wondered this myself. Personally, I always used to switch to stainless for those last final tasks. But as I've become more comfortable with carbon steel and iron-clad knives, I'll often use them all the way up until serving. As others have noted it only takes a bit of time to clean and dry.

BUT, when I have guests over I still switch to stainless. Typically I'm already preparing something a bit more complicated than the usual family meal, and with people wanting to - you know, talk to me and whatnot - I get worried about getting distracted and forgetting. Probably just a nervous habit more than anything at this point, but it's still there.

And it's not like it means switching to some garbage knife from the department store. My go-to in this case is a 210mm Myojin SG2, which is certainly no slouch and is often used from start to finish anyway.

 

[Dan-]

Most of my stuff is carbon. Cutting vegetables, you have to clean immediately. Slicing meat, you can wait, but it’s just more hygienic to clean right after use. And scraping dried herbs or garlic off a knife is just annoying.

The knives my wife uses are stainless, though, for perhaps obvious reasons.

 

[ethompson]

I keep a damp towel and a dry towel next to the board. Wipe with damp towel throughout prep and dry periodically. Will do a full soap wash either when cleaning the kitchen or after raw meat.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

I don't have any stainless in my active rotation.

 

[tostadas]

Rinsing and drying a knife takes all of 30seconds. But if it's something I know is going to be messy and I absolutely don't want to deal with thinking about washing, a stainless cleaver with stabilized handle is my go-to. I particularly like that it serves dual purpose as a scooper.

 

[Stevem627]

I keep a damp towel and a dry towel (and one for my hands) when doing prep. One of the best investments in the kitchen is a bunch of the inexpensive flour sack style towels. I use very little paper towels since we started using these many years ago.

If I know I’m going to be distracted by family, friends, or a party, I use my stainless SG2 knives or even pull out my factory VG10 knives so I don’t have to worry about forgetting about cleaning, or if someone uses a knife.

 

[Greenbriel]

I'm with @tostadas - I'll use whatever I'm using, usually carbon but I love me some HD2/SG2, and wash and dry before serving. I'll grab a Wusthof if the knives are back on the rack and I forgot to cut something acidic like a lemon.

 

[DitmasPork]

I've been wondering this for a while, so I thought I'd ask about it formally. For the purpose of this discussion, I'm talking about home cooks, preparing a meal that you yourself (possibly in addition to guests, family, etc.) are eating. I'm also assuming that you think that carbon steel is better, or that you at least sometimes prefer carbon steels to stainless ones.

When preparing a meal, there are the clearly prep tasks, like making a vegetable mirepoix, and there are clearly final tasks, like chopping parsley to sprinkle over food at the last minute, or cutting a large piece of meat for serving. (I'm a vegetarian, but I believe that some people do slice meat.) For these tasks, there's the conundrum of either leaving your dirty knife out to rust while you enjoy the meal, or spending a couple of minutes washing and thoroughly drying your carbon knife while the food gets cold and your guests salivate.

Do other people typically do this, i.e. clean your knife on the spot? Or do you use your White #1 for the prep tasks, clean it, and then for the last-minute jobs switch to an SG2 which you can leave on the counter while you eat?

I’ll typically use carbon knives all the way through from start to finish—don’t see the point or reason of switching knives partway through unless wanting to test out another knife. When prepping, I’m in the habit of wiping down knives often, usually after every ingredient, or when knife needs it. Once in a blue moon, during a hectic supper party. If you forget to clean a knife, and rust appears, no worries, easy enough to remove, sand off, it’s a battle scar for the knife—carbons expect to get scuffed, rust spots, patina.
If stainless is your jam, then rust shouldn’t be an issue—but wiping down knives is a good habit IMO. Although, I wipe down my stainless as frequently as my carbons.

 

[DoYoon Kim]

I do exactly what you described 90%-100% of meal is done by carbon (i would use stainless here to if i can find a stainless convex SG2 workhorse). but I have a shibata ko-bunka when I forget a garnish.

I do have a Semi-stainless WH on the way that may lead me to not needing that shibata even more....

 

[esoo]

I do exactly what you described 90%-100% of meal is done by carbon (i would use stainless here to if i can find a stainless convex SG2 workhorse). but I have a shibata ko-bunka when I forget a garnish.

I do have a Semi-stainless WH on the way that may lead me to not needing that shibata even more....

The Myojin SG2 line might fit what you're looking for.

 

[RamDashi]

Just want to second the importance of having a generous supply of kitchen towels. I like the flour sack ones for home.

In addition to wiping blades, they’re great for taking moisture off or wiping a board clean during prep.

One of the “secrets” of professional cooking is always having a towel.

 

[DoYoon Kim]

The Myojin SG2 line might fit what you're looking for.

I have considered this verrry strongly and its that right now, the most used knives for dinner prep are 250g+ (most used being the Morihei Hisamoto Fine Finish @ a nice 280g). Looking for like Wakui WH levels of convexity here , but no worries I'm fairly certain blank blades has me covered.

 

[esoo]

I have considered this verrry strongly and its that right now, the most used knives for dinner prep are 250g+ (most used being the Morihei Hisamoto Fine Finish @ a nice 280g). Looking for like Wakui WH levels of convexity here , but no worries I'm fairly certain blank blades has me covered.

Okay, you are firmly workhorse workhorse. Probably light for your preferences then. Keep it in mind if you're looking to experiment as I think Myojin does a very top convex grind (although the example I had could've used just a touch of thinning).

 

[Cliff]

I will often use carbon all the way through. I tend to have shorter knives in stainless -- they see more citrus and acidic products. For big dinners that go through an intense prep stage and then on to plating, like the dinner parties Ditmus mentions above, I might pull out something like an Ashi Ginga 210 petty in AEBL when I'm assembling everything or a Takamura R2.

 

[DitmasPork]

@the_jest I tend not to overthink steel type—i.e. carbon vs stainless—with whatever ingredients I'm prepping. My carbons are fine with pineapples, lemons, etc. Just wipe them down regularly. Sometimes I'll bring stainless if traveling to super humid environments, where leaving a dry carbon knife on the counter will rust in a half hour—but often bring carbons, cleaning off rust daily, which isn't a big deal.

 

[Cliff]

I'm more paranoid about rust, though haven't encountered it. I use a Takamura R2 or Kaeru semi-stainless most of the time when I am traveling someplace humid.

 

[DitmasPork]

I'm more paranoid about rust, though haven't encountered it. I use a Takamura R2 or Kaeru semi-stainless most of the time when I am traveling someplace humid.

I don't enjoy rust, annoyed, sometimes horrified—but rust and I have learned to live in a state of détente. My Mazaki and Watanabe seem particularly prone to rusting, though Tsourkan 52100 doesn't rust easily. When visiting family in Hawaii, the air can be very humid with a high salt content when blowing in off the ocean.
Fave stainless: Heiji semi-stainless and ginsan. Not much experience with powdered steel, been tempted by the myojin sg2

 

[Cliff]

I can't imagine going to Hawaii with a Shig, which is strange, given that Japan isn't exactly a dry, landlocked country. I have been lucky so far with my Wats and Mazakis, but I don't travel with them. I am jonesing for a Heiji semi-stainless suji.

 

[SABOL BROTHERS]

K390 from start to finish. There is no need to use stainless steel even though MagnaCut is really nice.

 

[pitted_soul]

I like having a stainless utility/petty knife, 5-6in, that I keep around for odds and ends throughout an entire session. They're incredibly versatile and don't cost a ton, relatively. I just gave my aunt my Takamura, but my Masashi is just as awesome.

If it works for YOU, then it works.

 

[chefwp]

Nope. The first things I do before any knives or ingredients come out is 1- fill one compartment of my sink with hot soapy water and 2- get the island where I do all my prep work completely clean and uncluttered. If the meal is a huge endeavor that soapy water will get renewed once or twice, but it is ubiquitous. I clean an dry the knives I use as I go, and it takes only seconds, even at the end. I also just as matter of habit clean pans and cooking utensils as much as possible as I'm preparing, because it breaks my heart to have to clean a huge mess after a nice meal when I just want to relax and nurse another glass of wine. It is also a throwback to when I was a lunch chef that often operated without a dishwasher, cleaning a bit as much as I could spare the time was necessity. When I say I clean knives as I go, that typically means when I'm done with that knife, carbon knives don't need all the babying I think some folks believe is required. I might wipe it dry if I'm cutting something particularly messy or wash it to prevent cross contamination of microbes, but otherwise am petty chill about it. My knives are more likely to corrode from non-use of particular ones as I don't oil them regularly (I'll oil them when I notice, "oh crap, I haven't used my suji in forever and now it's got some rust...")