# What task takes the edge off?



## wbusby1 (Feb 25, 2016)

Just curious what jobs you use your jknives for at work that are the hardest on your edge? And what jobs will make you put away your carbon gyuto and reach for a beater?

I have to [super]finely chop up large amounts of parsley and sometimes other herbs at work and I've started to avoid using my jknives and only use my kiwi and steel after every few bunches just because it quickly dulls my jknives (which I can't immediately steel back to life, like my kiwi) and then I just get frustrated any time I have to cut anything else afterward. I feel a little guilty about NOT using my jknives for herbs though:surrendar:


----------



## skewed (Feb 25, 2016)

Large amounts of tomatoes. They seem to dull my carbon knives quickly. Also, the few stainless knives I have (Tojiro DP) are usually finished with a coarser end grit, so lots of bite. If I need to do a touch up then a few strokes on a Idahone ceramic works great.


----------



## panda (Feb 26, 2016)

Smoking a cigarette and glass is whiskey takes the edge off


----------



## spoiledbroth (Feb 26, 2016)

panda said:


> Smoking a cigarette and glass is whiskey takes the edge off



good call

a case of hard carrots will take the edge off generally


----------



## Bill13 (Feb 26, 2016)

panda said:


> Smoking a cigarette and glass is whiskey takes the edge off



Whiskey or other libation and the Grateful Dead does it for me.


----------



## Benuser (Feb 26, 2016)

Sand, acid, poly boards.


----------



## spoiledbroth (Feb 27, 2016)

Oh yeah leeks can be really bad if you're working with lots and they can be quite sandy. Those type of leeks will also really tear up soft stainless cladding.


----------



## cheflarge (Feb 27, 2016)

I'm with Bill & Panda! :bliss:


----------



## Benuser (Feb 27, 2016)

In addition only: Apium graveolens var. rapaceum, AKA celeriac. Especially when sandy. Remembers me why I do need a microbevel on soft carbons. Keep the blades thin to limit damage, so less force is involved.


----------



## stevenStefano (Feb 28, 2016)

Cutting cabbage for coleslaw used to dull my knives super quick


----------



## superk17 (Mar 24, 2016)

My wife trying to cut on a glass plate - she doesn't do it anymore thankfully. I second carrots and tomatoes or foods with a skin for me. A quick much up and it is back to nice and sharp.


----------



## ecchef (Mar 25, 2016)

Letting a bartender use your knife.
Almost as bad as sandy leeks.


----------



## panda (Mar 25, 2016)

Or a dishwasher wanting to cut up left over meat to cook well done, they'll use it right on metal counter. Keep a German knife on hand for those moments.


----------



## spoiledbroth (Mar 26, 2016)

Just started at a place where all they have is hi-soft (it's a japanese restaurant)... Good fun except the line is made of marble and the people who train me have a habit of putting my knife in the three inch gap between the cutting board and cooler with the edge facing the SS mise cooler (I'm _absolutely not_ working behind the sushi bar... yet )... spent some time today working a god damn half mm chip out of my line knife. So, that'll take the edge off :razz: and more


----------



## joshsy81 (Mar 29, 2016)

A case of green onions and a poly board.


----------



## wbusby1 (Mar 29, 2016)

Ok, some good answers here and some lame puns. 

Question: I thought acid dulling knives (esp carbon) was a myth. Is it real? Is this what's behind tomatoes dulling knives?
Question: Why do scallions/gr.onions trash an edge so fast!? Because I agree, they do.


----------



## skewed (Mar 30, 2016)

wbusby1 said:


> Ok, some good answers here and some lame puns.
> 
> Question: I thought acid dulling knives (esp carbon) was a myth. Is it real? Is this what's behind tomatoes dulling knives?
> Question: Why do scallions/gr.onions trash an edge so fast!? Because I agree, they do.



10-15 minutes of slicing/dicing tomatoes will often take the bite off of my carbon knives. Drives me nuts! I am pretty careful with being sure I have a sharp stainless knife at my station to handle tomatoes. IMHO, scallions don't really degrade carbon edges that quickly but more a factor of crappy poly boards that aren't flat that tick me off.

Oh- have to add a crappy pun: being able to whip out a quick backhanded compliment to a member of the waitstaff.


----------



## ryanjams (Apr 7, 2016)

Negi chiffonade, +1 on carrots


----------



## spoiledbroth (Apr 7, 2016)

And here I was hoping to be allowed to cut negi some day soon...


----------



## Cutting_Edge (Apr 19, 2016)

Here in Ecuador the sweet potatoes are like rocks. Seriously, I often have to split them with a machete. My best knife gets stuck 1/3 of the way. I bought a Chinese made Ecuadorian handled 14 inch pos and I get it razor sharp and it still can't hack it. They are the most dense vegetable I have ever encountered.


----------



## Chef_ (Apr 23, 2016)

Reading the title of the post, i thought you were talking about which tasks are stress relievers for the other work in the kitchen. I was going to say thin-slicing watermelon radishes or purple daikons on a mandolin...so damn satisfying .

As far as when i put away my jknives and take out the old mercer, anything that is going to make my knife particularly messy, like chopping shrimp for shrimp salad, or anything that i know has a risk of damaging an edge, such as cutting a block of parm cheese.

Or when the old prep ladies need to use a knife, i hand them the mercer. Watching the way they handle knives will make me lose my s*** if they even start to reach for the miyabi. Which is exactly why i dont keep my ginga on my line anymore.


----------



## brainsausage (Apr 23, 2016)

wbusby1 said:


> Ok, some good answers here and some lame puns.
> 
> Question: I thought acid dulling knives (esp carbon) was a myth. Is it real? Is this what's behind tomatoes dulling knives?
> Question: Why do scallions/gr.onions trash an edge so fast!? Because I agree, they do.



1: It's not a myth.
2: They're made of many layers of fibrous material. 

As to taking the edge off- I find that copious amounts of beer coupled with tequila, and late night rendezvous'es with the fairer members of the wait staff works quite nicely. Call me old school.


----------



## Keith Sinclair (Apr 26, 2016)

Used carbon Masamoto's to dice 25# of tomato's on regular bases for lomi salmon. It would lose some of it's edge by the end of the case but still worked. Never even thought about certain foods dulling my carbon blades. To me it worked better than my forschner stainless for the job. Cut a lot of cases of pineapple with carbon blades too. How do you think everything got cut up before stainless steel was invented?

I feel that acidic foods dulling carbon knives is exaggerated. Any knife cutting large amounts of prep. on plastic boards is going to lose edge retention. 

Using bone cleaver takes off edge both ways. Chopping birds for Ginger Chix platters one of my favorite jobs good for aggressive tendencies.


----------

