Caring for AS Clad knife?

[ChefKnivesToGo]

Hello,

I’m thinking about getting the Dojo Hayashi AS Gyuto 180mm. I’m scared tho because I only own stainless steel knives and I’m afraid I will ruin this knife. I know the sides are stainless cladding but the edge and core is A super. How long can it stay wet before it rust and can you cut lemons and acidic foods with it. Just wanna get some info before I commit.

Leo

[Cutuu]

What is your main intentions of use for the knife? AS can be a little less reactive than some, but its carbon steel and will react initially, especially with something like a lemon. It will quickly patina and that will allow you to use the knife pretty normally, especially since it is stainless claddind. Often, iron cladding is more reactive than the carbon core steel. You will want to make sure to dry very well before putting it away. If you leave even a drop of water sitting on it, it can rust there. Honestly, if you get avrust spot you can scrub it off. I wouldnt stress about it. If you care, caring for carbon-especially with stainless cladding is not that difficult. If you are going to use it basically as a fruit knife, i personally would prefer all stainless (but thats a personal preference not a rule). There are guys that use carbon as their main fruit knife. Dont be to intimadated, jump in there and get to cutting.

[Cutuu]

Concerning length of time being wet: dont walk away and just leave the knife laying their wet.

[Carlo]

I was super concerned about the same thing but when I finally got a knife with carbon core steel I found it was a total non-issue -at least for me. I typically let the knife sit for 5 minutes if my hands are full, have not had any problems.

Fussing with the edges (“just how sharp can I get it?”) is a much bigger issue for me. And now I’m hooked on the white and blue steels.

[Jeff B]

Just wash and dry it after you use it and don't let it sit until you've finished eating and you will have no problems at all. You can use it on anything acidic just wash it right after using it.
It's nearly impossible to ruin a knife. Even if it gets left out dirty and forgotten about it can always be cleaned back up.

[lsboogy]

I have learned over the years to keep a towel on the countertop and one on my shoulder. I wipe my knives frequently. If you ar worried about rust, force a patina on the exposed AS using vinegar or lemon juice. Once the steel gets a nice blue/black color, it will be okay for a few minutes without any care. You can't just leave a carbon steel knife on the counter with acids or water on them and go eat a meal, but they don't rust immediately either. If you wipe the blade down every few cuts, the knife will be fine. And as stated above, unless you really mistreat a knife, they can be brought back to near new easily. I own several carbon steel knives that are closing in on 70 years old, and a few over 100. They are all in very good shape and have had no problems, even living in Minnesota with ultra high dew points in the summer (highest dew points in the USA). Btw, I cut a box of lemons into slices a couple weeks ago, after 2 boxes of onions, all with a clad carbon blade - wipe the thing down every onion or lemon or two, and good wipe down after a box - no problem.

[btbyrd]

I was freaked out about this coming from stainless knives at first. It's really not much of a problem if you have good working knife habits. And those aren't too difficult to come by. As a home cook, I can usually do most of my cutting in less than 20 minutes (easily) and AS isn't very reactive under those circumstances. High-sulfur or acid items are different. Save your onions and lemons until to the end, or just give the blade a quick wipedown with a damp cloth (and then a dry side towel) before moving on afterwards.

Stainless clad reactive carbon knives are awesome. They're super easy to maintain, as they just patina on the edge. I have five or six fully reactive blades, but the vast majority of my gyutos are stainless clad reactive steel because it sharpens well but doesn't patina unevenly and look gross along the whole blade face. Don't be scared... you'll be fine. Just wipe it down every once in a while and make sure your blade is fully dried when you're done, at least along the edge.