Pocket knives and food

G

guitar1580

Joined
Nov 5, 2012
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I was just wondering how careful you all are with cleaning your carry knife before you spring it open to use at dinner or around the grill when a sharp knife is not handy. I've been known to flip open the Buck 112 to peel an apple or slice a tomato or pepper in the garden. I mostly wipe my blade with alcohol if I plan to slice some food, but I'm sure there have been times in the past when I've used it when it was not as clean as it should be. I guess I'd be more concerned about some chemical in the penetrating oil I use to clean it, than germs in general, but I'd also be careful about using it for food if it had been used to open a package from the mail, etc. Anyone else guilty of using your carry knife at dinner?

JT
 
Yeah, I try to give a quick wash with soap and water when I can. However, I don't sweat it too much. I stay active and eat healthy which will do you so much more than ingesting the odd germ. I use mineral oil as a lube
 
I'll use my knives for personal food usage. I don't use oils (they collect dust, dirt, lint, etc) so I don't have to worry about such chemicals. But it's a good idea to make sure you're not using a toxic lube on your knife if you are going to use it on food.

As far as germs, unless you're using your knife to cut raw meat or skin animals or remove a dead animal stuck in the undercarriage or in the grill of your car, then I would think you are quite safe (after any usage on raw meat a knife should be sterelized before using it for food agin). We are constantly surrounded by germs, not to mention all the germs that are already in our mouths. I don't imagine that there are any germs on an otherwise clean knife that we would need to worry about. Germs like wet places, they don't live long on dry surfaces.

On a related note- As a matter of courtesey I won't use one of my personal knives on other peoples food without their direct consent. Ones knife, particularly a knife being carried in ones pants pocket, is a very personal thing. I figure other people might not like it if I cut their food with a knife that I just pulled out of my pants. I know that I'd be a little hesitant for someone else to pull a knife from their pocket and start cutting/preparing MY food.
 
Sometimes I wash it off with hot water (if it is available)
but most of the time I just wipe it off on my pants, I let my immune system deal with the germs.
 
I usually wipe my blade off on my pants leg but I don't peel apples of cut food with it either. I really gross out when people use spit on their sharpening stone, just personal I guess.
 
I honestly don't ever give it a thought. I figure working as a mechanic for about 20 years I have so much grease and oil in my system that what ever oil that may be on my knife won't matter one way or the other.I would just wipe the knife on my pants but that would just get it more dirty.
 
I wash my knives at the days end to get them clean, I only carry one folder and that doesn't touch food.... my fixies will get a quick alcohol rub before touching edibles.
 
i have a dedicated folder for that task that i wash before hand then again i carry three knives though when i edc a blade( i would use a fix blade but CA out lawed conceal carry of fix blades)
 
I dont use any oils on my folders.

I use my folders on food all the time. If the blade looks visibly clean, then i have no qualms using it regardless if it just opened a package, etc. After use on foodstuffs, i rinse or wipe it clean and its ready again. If ive cut something questionable, then i wipe it with alcohol wipe or wash it with soap.


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I don't......
I try not to cut toxic things (Windshield washer fluid foil seal, oil jug seals, or any other chemical).
My knife usually cuts straps and foods, so after I periodically use my toxic Rem-Oil, I remember that, and don't cut food with it until about a week or 2 of using it normally. The stuff has been "used off" by then.
 
It's an odd day that I don't use my carry knife for some food prep. I'm pretty old school and far from a germophobe. I typically just wipe the blade on my shirt tail. I'm pretty good at cleaning my knife after every task though. Personally I worry much more about chemicals than germs. Tape adhesives and solvents can be very toxic and difficult to remove from a blade. That's one of the biggest things I look out for.

When I lube my folders I prefer a high quality long lasting substance. I really like Miltec1 & currently also have a little bottle of MMC (Molecular Metal Conditioner) which I think is the same thing. BUT I REEELY DON'T WANNA EAT ANY! ...just my preference. My full service lube involves way less than a drips worth. I use a toothpick for any/all lube apps. One outta ten times I'll actually lube the pivot. I usually only lube the detent ball and its "race" on the blade tang. Extra lube does not mean extra longevity! It actually just attracts more dirt, lint, ect and gives the lube job a less effective lifespan.

If I'm out and about and I feel that my knife could use a touch up I find that the problem area is in the closed detent system of any particular knife. Rubbing a pencil in that area works very well.
 
For the most part, my knives are fairly light use and I don't live in a climate where much oiling is necessary. I use my knives quite a bit to cut food. I'll rinse them off beforehand, and wash them after, but I don't get fanatical worrying about it. When I know that I'm going to go for steak, I always take my Boker Excalimoor I, which gets a good bath afterwards.
 
Thx folks. Good to know we have similar habits. I usually avoid the full soap & water wash until I sharpen, which also means I dont have to re-lube until then. A drop or two of Hoppes 9 gun oil always lasts, but I'm interested in trying the nano oil. In between sharpenings, I mostly just wipe the blade & bolster with alcohol and a clean paper towel.

On a related note- As a matter of courtesey I won't use one of my personal knives on other peoples food without their direct consent. Ones knife, particularly a knife being carried in ones pants pocket, is a very personal thing. I figure other people might not like it if I cut their food with a knife that I just pulled out of my pants. I know that I'd be a little hesitant for someone else to pull a knife from their pocket and start cutting/preparing MY food. .
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Kilg I agree with that, but, if you eat at restaurants, I'm sure you know that you're getting alot worse than a knife that was in someone's pocket. Maybe it's not as bad when you don't know about it, but I could tell some true horror stories about a very popular upscale eatery where I knew several kitchen employees. Back in my day, employees skipped washing their hands after using the bathroom due to laziness. Today they do it for spite. Either way ..........

JT
 
guitar1580 said:
Kilg I agree with that, but, if you eat at restaurants, I'm sure you know that you're getting alot worse than a knife that was in someone's pocket. Maybe it's not as bad when you don't know about it, but I could tell some true horror stories about a very popular upscale eatery where I knew several kitchen employees. Back in my day, employees skipped washing their hands after using the bathroom due to laziness. Today they do it for spite. Either way ..........

JT
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Yep, I know what you mean. I spent an unpleasant portion of my life working in restaurants (for the record, I always treated the customers with the utmost respect). Sometimes we're better off not knowing what goes on behind the scenes. Eating out is always a risk. ;) :barf:
 
I'll rub my eyes sometimes after petting a dog that was probably rolling in poo earlier in the day.
I'll buy a coffee from the barista with the enormous herp sore on her mouth.
I'll shake hands with the homeless guy that hasn't showered in a month.
Unless my blade was just exposed to glue, caulking, moldy wood or just something really questionable a simple wipe on the pants is all I do to clean my knife before I cut food.
Life is dangerous... no getting around it.
Other than looking both ways to cross the street I pretty much let the cards fall where they will.
 
Since I don't lend my knife to other people, I always know exactly where my knife has been, and thus I am comfortable eating with it. That said, it is *extremely* rare that I eat with my pocket knife. In fact, the only time I can recall eating with my EDC knife was a few weeks ago, when I was at a friend's house and we had barbecue brisket. He only had butter knives, and the brisket was a bit tough. I had no choice, so I opted for the comfort of using a good, sharp knife (my knife). :D :D :D But since we were eating on ceramic plates, I was very careful not to cut through to the plate and touch the ceramic with my edge. I cut halfway through the brisket, flipped it over, and then cut the rest of the way through. And I was extremely careful not to get barbecue sauce past the blade and into the pivot... because that would have sucked.
 
I really do not worry about it its no worse than the germs we come in contact with in the air, water and things we touch. I do lots of home remodeling and I use my knife for lots of things and just wipe it off and move on. Since im too busy most days to stop and eat lunch most of my meals are made in my kitchen when im home using the best tool for the job the good Ol Chefs knife. I never really got the "this folding knife is great for food prep" thing that's why we have kitchen knives. That might because I make 90% of my own meals im cheap and most restraunt food is not real healthy. And when im on longer fishing and hunting trips I just use my fixedblades. That tiny little bit of oil you use on your pivot that might be toxic is not going to kill you until you eat like 3 gallons of it. Unless you oil your blades with Arsenic but that's just silly.
 
I'm the odd one out..I will never use my edc blades to cut food..For some reason, I've never been in a situation where I wasn't next to a kitchen knive when preparing food...When I kayak camp I have a small packable "kitchen bag" that has a fixed blade in a plastic toothbrush holder specifically for food..We keep a little kitchen set-up in our pop-up as well...I even keep a tiny kitchen set-up in my BOB with a dedicated small fixed blade for food....

I have used my EDC to put a small slice in a orange..Then I peeled the rest by hand..If I "had" to use my EDC for food I would but I don't go out of my way too..
CD
 
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