My parents insist that carbon steel knives are far better than stainless steel ones – is this true?

Not that long ago almost all kitchen knives were made from carbon steel. It’s very easy to sharpen a carbon steel knife to a superb edge but sadly they don’t stay that sharp for very long. Carbon steel knives go rusty quite quickly so they need careful cleaning and gentle oiling before you put them away. Modern stainless-steel knives, particularly Japanese kitchen knives can be sharpened to a finer, sharper edge than carbon steel blades. A stainless-steel knife will hold its edge for much longer too. We appreciate that many people are still devoted to their carbon steel knives which is why we carry a selection of them at Divertimenti.
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