Squash: The not so silent killer of knives

[ChefKnivesToGo]

We’re entering prime squash season people. Be careful out there.

[ex1580]

Wüsthof sharpened and ready to go!

[taz575]

[trancher]

I've been growing a crooked neck yellow squash for a number of years now. I can only speak to this variety, but it's very interesting how quickly a young squash growing on the plant can go from tender and moderate internal density to a very hard exterior shell, body armor almost, and large and heavy enough to be used as exhibit 'A' in a murder trial.

The young baby squash on the plant I have no problems with cutting them. They are a bright yellow, about a week old and in length are about 8 inches or less, and would guess width is under 2". Within about a 5-7 day period after this stage is when they complete a morphing into something sinister (length/ width/ weight increases significantly, light yellow skin turns to a darker yellowish/orange and hardens) and becomes a problem. Battle ready indeed, even grow a built in easy grip handle.

My thought on all of this is it's quite possible that with the fast growing nature of squash it's possible that from squash to squash there could be a massive difference in just how tough they are, how easily they will wedge a knife, and how much damage they can do to that knife. And this is one of the reasons why some J-knives escape their clutches undamaged. Choose your knife wisely.

[ChefKnivesToGo]

Another squash victim…

Should be an easy fix.

[XexoX]

Another squash victim…

Should be an easy fix.

Have you thought of including an info sheet with that picture with each knife sold, telling the buyer what happens when they use it on squash?

[ronnie_suburban]

Another squash victim…

Should be an easy fix.

Have you thought of including an info sheet with that picture with each knife sold, telling the buyer what happens when they use it on squash?

Probably better for business if he just includes a squash with each knife!

[Kekoa]

Here is one that makes me a little ill. First use and he decides to hack through a big blue fin tuna. I offered to fix it for him for no charge since it’s brand new. It’s definitely getting a wider bevel on it.

Woah! Do you fix something like that just on stones, or do you have a grinder to deal with that?

[STPepper9]

Check this one out.. This is why you don't let people borrow your knife

[stevem627]

STPepper9 I am sorry to see that…it looks pretty major. I had one bad incident with my Takamura Chromax 210 when my son spatchcocked a turkey while I was sleeping when trying to help out. Lots of chips and one fairly large one. I got rid of several small ones, but I am constantly reminded since I’m letting time pass on the knife with the last remnants of the biggest one…it will eventually be gone with regular sharpening.

Is that a full crack in the blade?

[ChefKnivesToGo]

Another squash victim…

Should be an easy fix.

Have you thought of including an info sheet with that picture with each knife sold, telling the buyer what happens when they use it on squash?

I should make a sticker and include it on hard steel knives. If I get bored I'll play around and try to come up with something.

[ChefKnivesToGo]

Here is one that makes me a little ill. First use and he decides to hack through a big blue fin tuna. I offered to fix it for him for no charge since it’s brand new. It’s definitely getting a wider bevel on it.

Woah! Do you fix something like that just on stones, or do you have a grinder to deal with that?

I start with a bench grinder and work on the side of the stone so I don't impart a concave grind. Then I move to my hoyo machine, then to shaptons and finally to strops. I'm guess this one will take me 15 minutes using that process as long as there are no cracks.

[ChefKnivesToGo]

Here we go.

[eddiesalita]

May I ask what wheels you are using on the bench grinder?

[ChefKnivesToGo]

The white bench grinder wheel is 220 grit US rating system. It came with the grinder. The bench grinder has a slow rpm too. The faster they spin the more dangerous they are. Notice I’m outside and there is nothing within a 100 feet of me that could get damaged (besides me). I worry some kid will read this and hurt himself trying this.

[eddiesalita]

Yes you have a nice touch. But it is very easy to not think and have a nasty accident on the bench grinder. Also very easy to blue the edge without a feather light touch.
I assume the other disc is a cloth polishing wheel....

[Radar53]

Check this one out.. This is why you don't let people borrow your knife

That must be pain in the proverbial. I bought a Shibata 185 bunka some 5+ years back for my wife and talked her through all the key points. She understands knives pretty well. So imagine my surprise a couple of years back, when I found her cutting pumpkin & squash with it. With discretion being the better part of valour here, I didn't comment. Don't know how long she had been doing it and she's continued to use it for cutting these veges since. Still no chips to the blade, so her technique must be really good. Colour me surprised.

[taz575]

Slow and steady helps! If you try to force through it, your knife will hit the board hard when you get thru it and you have a better chance of torquing the knife too with the more pressure applied. If you work through it more gently, it won't be bad. When it's in smaller sizes, it's a bit easier, too. Thinner, narrower blades may have an easier time slipping through the product and not cracking/wedging as much, too.

You can rotate the squash/pumpkin, so you are cutting into the product instead of trying to cut through it in one pass. Some of the hard seeds will wreck havoc on an edge, too, especially if you hit the board hard when you get through it. Hard, slippery seeds are a bad thing between a thin knife edge and cutting board! Outdoor chopping knives can chip very similarly (half round chips) when chopping branches, and it's usually due to what is being chopped moving when struck and not being stable. The little movement/torque (usually laterally) is what causes those half moon chips. The movement in kitchen knives could be the food/seeds slipping out from under the edge or from hitting the board hard and the blade tips slightly. to introduce lateral stress.

[jmcnelly85]

Don’t try this at home…

[ChefKnivesToGo]

This one wasn't squash it was a drop on a tile floor.