Questions - how to store a carbon steel knife until next use either the enxt day or in a few days?

[dassomi]

Hi all,

Sorry if the question is dumb.

so after using the knife I wash the blade with soapy water dry it up good and then spray it with camellia oil and rub it in with my hands.
So now my question.
Is it OK if I lay the knife on a kitchen towel until I use it the next time? Or would this cause the oil to dry om te part where it touches the towel and rust?

Thanks

 

[Infrared]

Should be no problem.

I leave my knives on dry kitchen towels with no oil and never have any rust issues.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

I own multiple carbon/wrought clad knives and I only use oil if it's going back in the box.

I don't live in a high humidity area. Carbon knives are generally not the maintenance nightmares that they are often made out to be.

 

[Heckel7302]

I never oil my reactive knives. They live on wood mag racks. I used to live in Florida, now in Indiana. I have about 30 of them up there, and some get used very rarely, like only a couple times per year. Never had any rust issues. I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[Jovidah]

Honestly don't overthink it. Unless you're in some really humid climate there's no need to spray with super expensive oils, or oil it at all.
Just wash with water & soap like any other knife, dry it with a towel.... I do leave it out on the counter for a while just to make sure the last residual moisture airdrys, but that's it. Never did I ever oil any blade and I never had any issues.

Thinks might be different though if you live near the sea, a jungle or some other really moist environment.

 

[TM001]

Hi all,

Sorry if the question is dumb.

so after using the knife I wash the blade with soapy water dry it up good and then spray it with camellia oil and rub it in with my hands.
So now my question.
Is it OK if I lay the knife on a kitchen towel until I use it the next time? Or would this cause the oil to dry om te part where it touches the towel and rust?

Thanks

I live in coastal GA, about as humid as you can get in US (along with coastal LA and central FL). For my carbon knives, wash with soap and water, towel dry, leave on counter for an hour or so to make sure they are dry. I never oil unless I am putting them away for months and I don't worry about letting them sit after use fo while unless I have cut acidic things like lemons.

They do not require that much extra maintenance as long as you are ok with discoloration.

 

[ocanada]

Just remember… steel existed in your area before stainless

 

[mengwong]

They do not require that much extra maintenance as long as you are ok with discoloration.

Don’t call it discoloration… it’s a PATINA!

Don’t call it passivation… it’s a PATINA!

A knife recently arrived with this in the maker logo

After a couple rounds of washing and stonework — nothing was intentionally done in this region

A tiny spot on the edge had picked up some funk

Now the funk is gone, replaced with scratches

 

[blokey]

Just remember… steel existed in your area before stainless

I think there are actually some tribes that didn't make contact with outside world until 20th century, so they technically didn't have any metal tool before.

 

[blokey]

Don’t call it discoloration… it’s a PATINA!

Don’t call it passivation… it’s a PATINA!

A knife recently arrived with this in the maker logo
View attachment 212154

After a couple rounds of washing and stonework — nothing was intentionally done in this region
View attachment 212156

A tiny spot on the edge had picked up some funk
View attachment 212158

Now the funk is gone, replaced with scratches
View attachment 212159

Sometimes the rusty spot on the signiture is actually left from the die tools they are using, like the ones on TF, but in any case is good to clean them up.

 

[martchap]

Hi all,

Sorry if the question is dumb.

so after using the knife I wash the blade with soapy water dry it up good and then spray it with camellia oil and rub it in with my hands.
So now my question.
Is it OK if I lay the knife on a kitchen towel until I use it the next time? Or would this cause the oil to dry om te part where it touches the towel and rust?

Thanks

It can be an issue when the knife is new, but over a few months (weeks?) it really will develop a patina naturally, and then it will be less sensitive to rusting. At my friend's house I was surprised to see a 12" French carbon steel (vintage) knife that he just washes and tosses in the dish rack wet, with no thought about caring for its condition—and the patina was doing its job without any rusting problems. I will say, though, that one must embrace the aesthetics & character of the patina look

 

[cooktocut]

I live in Florida and I think the only carbon knives that don’t tend to rust are the Damascus ones, for wtvr reason. I think the etch makes them less prone to it? Either way they get oiled, because my non Damascus carbon blades almost all will rust after just a few weeks of sitting on a magnet rack. Even after they’re heavily oiled, I need to re-oil them regularly if I’m not using them because the oil will go away in places (ie be absorbed by leather magnet strip, or just slide off I guess) and they will certainly rust. I’m jealous of all you guys that don’t have to deal with this.