jeffma@teklabs.UUCP (Jeff Mayhew) (10/12/83)
Anyone who thinks stainless steel knives are harder than high-carbon steel ones ought to compare a well-honed Japanese Sushi knife against the best German stainless. The latter comes out looking like a butter-knife. If you want a razor edge and don't mind having to take special care of the steel, Japanese chef knives are an attractive alternative. The best ones are composite blades, built in a manner roughly equivalent to Samurai swords. Besides being vulnerable to rust, two other problems are their tendency to be slightly heavy, and their tendency to chip in the hands of the uninitiated. However, if you want a razor edge (as required, for example, for many Japanese fish and vegetable dishes) that'll last, you simply can't beat 'em. Gives a whole new meaning to the word "sharp." Oiling is undesirable, but in some environments a necessary evil. The best way to take care of quality high-carbon steel knives is simply to clean and dry them well after use, and store them in a dry place: a sealed box with desiccant capsules is perfect. A historical note on maintaining blades: the samurai method of cleaning sword and knife blades involved dusting the surfaces with a fine, almost imperceptibly abrasive chalk-like powder using a small lollipop-shaped device called an uchiko. A piece of special tissue paper was then softened by crumpling in the hand, and used to briskly wipe the blade clean. The result was an almost surgically clean blade, free of oils, moisture, and whatever else the samurai happened to get on it in a day's work (!). Jeff Mayhew Tektronix teklabs!jeffma P.S.: NO, I'm not talking about "Ginzu" knives!