Why is tool steel not used for chef's knives?

L.A. Saiga

L.A. Saiga

Gold Member
Joined
May 18, 2021
Messages
1,321
pls excuse my rookie question :cool:

Why is tool steel (or higher grade steel) not used for kitchen/chef's knives? Almost every kitchen knife I see is high carbon stainless.

Ease of sharpening?

Thank you kindly
 
You do get tool steels in kitchen knives if you look around. They are used fairly commonly in Japanese knives.

As mentioned though, stainless makes more sense for the average western home cook.
 
Ask and yea shall receive.

Store5.2.jpg
 
There are many, many carbon/tool non-stainless steel kitchen/food prep knives out there. The high end custom/handmade chef knife market probably has more non stainless knives than stainless.

52100, w2/w1, 80crv2 and pattern welded blades are extremely common.
 
Crag the Brewer said:
Some people are afraid of rust
Click to expand...
I should make mention I said SOME.
I love non-stainless steels. Almost prefer them.

Recommend me an EDC food knife

My serrated spyderco salt 2 is the best steak knife I've ever used. It cut my sister's pot roast a few Christmas' ago. I've used it to cut limes for guacamole 🥑 and don't have to think about cleaning it anytime soon. Even though it's a folder, the whole thing gets soap and water and a pat...
www.bladeforums.com www.bladeforums.com
 
The question is, genuinely, what are the advantages of using Carbon steel in the kitchen compared to similar behaviour SS.

I have several decent knives, Japanese, Swiss, Thai, Portuguese, German, Brirtish, French and so on ,in the kitchen, all SS, and have never considered getting a Carbon steel kitchen knife, though I commonly use my Carbon steel traditionals in the kitchen, or for kitchen prep work.

(Edited to add the word traditionals)
 
Last edited:
calm said:
The question is, genuinely, what are the advantages of using Carbon steel in the kitchen compared to similar behaviour SS.

I have several decent knives, Japanese, Swiss, Thai, Portuguese, German, Brirtish, French and so on ,in the kitchen, all SS, and have never considered getting a Carbon steel kitchen knife, though I commonly use my Carbon steel in the kitchen, or for kitchen prep work.
Click to expand...
You will get a sharper knife with tool steel. Which appears to be a big deal with those cheffy folks.

Some of those folks wipe their knife after every cut and they're not worried about rust.
 
I will see if I can get something reasonably priced but decent to try
 
calm said:
The question is, genuinely, what are the advantages of using Carbon steel in the kitchen compared to similar behaviour SS.

I have several decent knives, Japanese, Swiss, Thai, Portuguese, German, Brirtish, French and so on ,in the kitchen, all SS, and have never considered getting a Carbon steel kitchen knife, though I commonly use my Carbon steel in the kitchen, or for kitchen prep work.
Click to expand...
They sharpen easier and if maintaining thin/fine edges they are tougher/less prone to chips. I have both and prefer stainless for all around use. It also depends on the knife itself, between my Sab carbon and Zwilling cooks knife the latter is better but the same two brands when it comes to the small paring knife the Sab carbon is surprisingly better....but not for cutting citrus.
 
Just looked at the Murray Carter line from Spyderco. Canadian prices pretty much at par with USD so time to try a Bunka Bocho.
 
I've made a few kitchen knives from A2, which literally is a tool steel by definition, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Production knives are a different thing; as someone already mentioned, stainlessness is probably more important to the majority of people than edge holding or even a decently keen edge in general
 
A2 is similar to Chromax steel and D2 is close to the SKD or SLD Japanese steels, too and get rave reviews and are considered semi stainless due to the Chromium in them. Lots of people use carbon steel blades, which may or may not be tool steel as well for kitchen knives.

Most people use softer stainless blades for easier maintenance and sharpening/steeling. I prefer better steels that are much harder (low to mid 60's HRC) that have edges that don't roll over constantly.
 
calm said:
The question is, genuinely, what are the advantages of using Carbon steel in the kitchen compared to similar behaviour SS
Click to expand...
One reason is that carbon steels will develop a patina, which can be aesthetically pleasing for some folks. So even when comparing equal-performance carbon / stainless alloys, some folks will gravitate towards carbon out of simple enjoyment.
 
Pro chefs maintain knives differently than home cooks. Maintenance is built into the pro's work day. When he is done cooking, he cleans his tools, it is part of his job. When home chefs are done cooking, they eat the food while it is hot, and let the knives sit, sometimes overnight.

I've cycled through a few sets of very good quality stainless kitchen knives over the last few decades, and the vast majority of users would be absolutely thrilled with their performance. Unless you are building rocket ships or industrial cutters, the differences between mid line modern steels and the highest priced modern steels are barely distinguishable outside of a lab.

The home chef is well served with modern stainless.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top