I have never owned a non-stainless steel chef's knife and have been looking at some to buy recently, but all of them have various degrees of wear and use. They say that the wear is normal for non-stainless steel knives, but how can I tell if it is too much wear, or if the blade is clean?
Carbon steel chef's knives out perform stainless in every aspect except 1, care. You can't put them in a dishwasher. Wash, rinse and dry off. Do not keep them in a drawer filled with other kitchen stuff, rather, keep them in a cabinet or block. If it starts to rust you can use steel wool to clean them up, or fine grit sandpaper if you want to retain a fine finish. For your viewing pleasure, a chef's knife I forged from crane cable.
cold rolled steel waers as you carve meat. If the blad if to thin you may want a better one. Utica knife in utica N.Y. made them up to about 10 years ago and i still buy them at auctions.
