KITCHEN KNIVES DON'T HAVE TO BE DULL

I have a confession to make. See if this sounds familiar. I take meticulous care of the knives I use for everyday carry, hunting, and general woods wandering. I wipe them down with an oily cloth after use and I never let them get too dull. Seldom do I have to restore a damaged edge. Most of the time I simply touch up the edges of my pocketknives with a few careful strokes across the rough bottom of a ceramic coffee cup. That’s usually all that’s needed. I don’t use my knives as screwdrivers or pry bars. As a matter of fact, I still have the very first knife I ever owned, an old Boy Scout knife that was handed down from my older brother. The blades have a deep patina that comes with using carbon steel over the years, but the knife is very usable still.

- Steven Paul Barlow

So, what’s my confession? In this issue, we have a special section on knives for food prep, covering blades you might use in camp or the kitchen. That led me to assess my own kitchen knife drawer and immediately I felt embarrassed. There I was confronted by a jumble of neglected, mostly cheap knives, including a couple I had as a bachelor a lifetime ago. Some of the blades were bent and most were so dull, there was little difference between the cutting edges and the spines.