Does carbon steel taste funny?

m0urning_cr0ws

m0urning_cr0ws

Joined
Dec 13, 2010
Messages
92
Question may sound strange, but let me explain! So far i have only owned knives made of some form of stainless or another, and have used them for cutting up fruit and then stabbing said fruit piece and eating it. When i do this it is natural for my tongue to ocasionally touch the (unsharpened) part of the blade and, heck, sometimes i just lick the fruit juice right off the blade! And until now everything was normal, but i recently bought a Case Sodbuster Jr in CV steel (cuz i don't REALLY need a locking knife for eating mangoes, right?). I just cut up a mango and my hands were sticky as was the handle of my knife, so i stuck the knife "pirate style" in my mouth to search for my chile powder that we latinos so desperately need to put on our fruit. Then it hit me. A super strong metallic taste that was overpowering! :barf: When i procured the aforementioned chile powder, i took the knife out of my mouth and actually smelled the knife, and it smelled funny too! I had not noticed this smell when i first bought it or the first time i used it to cut up a mango, but it has since formed a nice blue patina and i wonder if that has anything to do with it? And here it gets wierder... so of course i want to compare, so i go to my room and pick up my Sage and, yes, i lick it and smell it. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Now the fruit did not tast funny at all, i think it only affected the flavor when i would stab it and use the knife to put the fruit in my mouth , but i think that has more to do with me smelling the knife than taste, but the blade definitely tastes wierd compared to SS! So i guess i will still be using my Sodbuster for fruit, but i think i will no longer be using it as a "fork" of sorts! Guess this is why SS is so popular for tableware... i thought it was just looks! Any thoughts? :confused: Is this normal in carbon steel, and does my patina have anything to do with this? Like i said, when i first used it, i did not notice any funny taste or smell. And yes, i cleaned it with soap and dried it, and it still smelled like that.
 
Carbon steel will develop a distinctive and not particularly pleasant taste/smell when used on food.
I notice it with fruits and vegetables.
 
I have several old knives that have dressed a lot of game over the years and you can taste the coppery metalic hint of blood on them.
 
What Esav said. This is the biggest reason I do not use carbon steel knives in my kitchen. I grew up with them and grew to detest the taste and smell of them.
 
We have seveal old carbon steel butcher knives that have been used for scraping hogs for years. Wanna guess how they smell,LOL..BUT, they also have wooden handles that have soaked up a lot of hog juice over the years too..
 
I only notice this on new carbon knives. Once they build up a decent patina it seems to go away. Either that, or I'm just getting used to the taste.
 
Yeah, SS tastes better but it's real hard your teeth. Your dentist will thank you if you stick with softer carbon.
 
Hmmm... i just tried this on my Old Hickory knife my mom gave me, no smell, verrry faint taste. It is 1095 carbon steel. My wife uses it all the time, its her favorite kitchen knife because it actually stays sharp. I have not noticed any effect on flavor on anything she cuts. And my mom used this knife for as long as i can remember (its older than me! I was actually thinking about getting a new set since Ontario still makes them! But i digress...) Maybe it depends on the kind of carbon steel?
 
Kentucky said:
We have seveal old carbon steel butcher knives that have been used for scraping hogs for years. Wanna guess how they smell,LOL..BUT, they also have wooden handles that have soaked up a lot of hog juice over the years too..
Click to expand...

Mmmm... hog juice... i got an achin for some bacon!

Brad Greulich said:
Yeah, SS tastes better but it's real hard your teeth. Your dentist will thank you if you stick with softer carbon.
Click to expand...

Well, doctor says i'm anemic...
 
dannyp said:
I only notice this on new carbon knives. Once they build up a decent patina it seems to go away. Either that, or I'm just getting used to the taste.
Click to expand...

exactly. Or, at least, this has been my experience to a T. My moras, opinels, and Case CV knives all were this way. I noticed it most on the Opinel. The first time I cut up fruit I noticed the smell about a minute into it having juice on the blade, quite strong. But it was also discoloring very quickly. Once the knife has seen a good amount of use (or a forced patina) it will not stain like it used to, and I'm just taking a guess, but I'd wager that the chemical process that produces the stain/rust is what gives off the odor and taste. So once you slow this process down, you're good to go.

just don't try and keep a carbon blade "pristine". that's my biggest word of advice to people new to carbon blades. For the most part, the only people who complain about rust issues in every day use, are people who try and keep it spotless. If you let it discolor a bit, which doesn't even have to look "ugly", it can actually just turn the shade of the whole blade a bit darker, then it won't pop rust spots up quickly, or make fruit taste funny.

Even my CPM M4 blade, it discolored so slightly that most people wouldn't notice, but this really made it resist quick forming rust/stains much better than when it was brand new.
 
goodeyesniper said:
Once the knife has seen a good amount of use (or a forced patina) it will not stain like it used to, and I'm just taking a guess, but I'd wager that the chemical process that produces the stain/rust is what gives off the odor and taste. So once you slow this process down, you're good to go.
Click to expand...

I expect that its not only the byproducts of the process of patination that you are tasting, but also a small electric current as you introduce your tongue as a participant in a chemical reaction. The acidic fruit, steel and your tongue are forming a battery with your tastebuds acting as a voltmeter. Lets see if you can jumpstart my car...
 
That's how we metallurgists tell the composition of the steels !! LOL
 
I enjoy my carbon steel with just a tuch of caspian sea salt with a vodka chaser tastes just like oysters,mmmm...
 
Just let it darken up--don't baby it. If you get a nice thick patina on it you won't notice much taste unless you use it on highly acidic fruit like pineapples and the like.
 
If I stuck my Sodbuster blade in my mouth I would taste blood.:D CV steel takes a wicked edge.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Just let it darken up--don't baby it. If you get a nice thick patina on it you won't notice much taste unless you use it on highly acidic fruit like pineapples and the like.
Click to expand...

Good advice. I have and use carbon steel knives in the kitchen. I avoid acidic foods like you mentioned and have no issues with any odd tastes.
 
It was for exactly this reason that a lot of old (ie. pre stainless steel) pocket knives had a sterling silver blade specifically for fruit.
I imagine that the edge taking/holding properties of silver must be pretty terrible.
The bad taste problem must have been considered serious enough that it was worth the trade off in cutting ability.

I had this problem using an Opinel to cut limes for gin & tonics. Cutting this very acidic fruit amplified the problem, and I could actually smell it happening as I was cutting the limes.
Looking at the cut surface of the lime, I could actually see some discoloration of the flesh of the fruit.
The knife was new, so it hadn't had a chance to build a patina, but I only ever use stainless steel on food nowadays.
 
Last edited:
There are also glass knives that you can find in most antique shops (most of them with the edges chipped to hell) that were popular during the 30's called "cake and fruit knives." These were sort of the predecessor of the ceramic knife, and were used for cutting things that would taste funky if cut with carbon steel. :p
 
Glass knives? Wow.
I've never seen one, but it certainly makes sense.
I presume the glass ones are not of the pocket/folding variety?
Just goes to show that carbon steel was considered undesirable for cutting fruit, even before stainless was invented.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top