Food-Grade Mineral Oil: Keeping Your Knives Looking Their Best
2 MINUTE READ
BY: DAVID OLKOVETSKY
Ensuring that your kitchen knives last forever is all about building good habits. There’s nothing complicated or fancy about it, just some basic principles that will keep your blades in superb working condition. Our first two tips are designed to help you keep your knives looking great.
In our prior edition, we learned how to properly wash and dry our knives. For a refresher, click the link below.
The Nuances of Washing and Drying Your Knives Correctly
In this edition, we’re going over food-grade mineral oil, and why applying it to your blades will prevent patina.
Apply food-grade mineral oil to your blade and handle.
Food-grade mineral oil plays a major role in great knife care, yet it’s one of the most overlooked maintenance steps. We recommend applying a few drops of food-grade mineral oil to a towel, ideally one designated specifically for this task, and rubbing it into the blade and handle, taking care not to cut yourself on the edge.
The mineral oil will create a physical barrier between the steel and everything else. If your knife was properly cleaned and dried, this guarantees your blade will look its best for generations to come. Food-grade mineral oil prevents patination and corrosion.
One of the reasons we like storing our knives in leather sheaths, is that over time, the inside of the sheath will build up a modest layer of mineral oil, helping keep your knives lubricated and protected from the elements. Food-grade mineral oil is also particularly useful for handle materials such as Richlite®, wood, and micarta, so don’t forget to apply a drop of it to your knife handle. The oil impregnates the fibers of the material that make up the handle and fills in the intercellular gaps so they can’t fill up with water and bacteria. This reduces shrinkage and expansion due to moisture/humidity changes. Some additional tips:
Don't use cooking oils: It’s important to note that you should not use other oils, like olive oil, canola oil, coconut oil, etc., because they will quickly oxidize and go rancid.
Have a designated oil towel: We recommend having one dish towel set aside for mineral oil. You’ll use this same towel for your knives, your butcher blocks, anything in your kitchen that is steel or wooden.
Food-grade or food safe: Use mineral oils labeled “food-safe” or “food-grade”.
What Is Food-Grade Mineral Oil & Where Can I Get It?
Food-grade mineral oils are highly refined mineral oils that are tasteless, hydrophobic, and chemically stable. Importantly, they do not support bacterial growth and are inert. In other words, they won’t change the taste of your food, they repel water, they won’t react to acids or bases, and they create a protective barrier that protects the steel from patina. This essentially means that they’re a perfect belt and suspender protection tool for knife blades and handles.
You can find inexpensive food-grade mineral oil at Target, hardware stores, Amazon, and sometimes your local pharmacy, and it should cost under $10. You can find food-grade mineral oils here.
Go ahead and pick up some food-grade mineral oil to guarantee your knives keep looking their best. And, if you’re ready for an upgrade, join us, as we improve the quality of knives across America.
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Customer Reviews
As I've gotten older, I've begun to recognize the importance of eating handmade food from fresh ingredients. Not only is the food healthier, it tastes tremendously better.
However, a good knife is one of the areas I've neglected in my pursuit of crafting handmade food. For some reason, I've held the perception that a knife is a knife is a knife. I was wrong.
Before Christmas, I decided that I wanted to treat myself and invest in my last knife. To support my efforts in finding the right knife, I use the following prompt in ChatGPT:
== BEGIN PROMPT ==
You are a master chef who specializes in US independent knife makers.
I'm in the market for a new chef's knife. I am looking to spend less than $400. I want a knife that is known for flexibility, retaining its edge, and durability. Give me some of the best options from US independent knife makers.
Create a table with the top ten options with links to their sites.
== END PROMPT ==
Artisan Revere was one of the companies listed. After following up with other prompts to refine what I was looking for, everyday use retains its edge and ease of maintenance, it was clear that Artisan Revere was the best option for me.
Although I spent more than I initially planned, having used my Artisan Revere chef's knife for the past three months, I couldn't be happier with my investment and feel it was worth every penny.
Having such a good knife pushed me to invest in a better cutting board and has encouraged me to push my already fanatical passion for cooking even further, which has had a corresponding impact on my enjoyment of the entire cooking experience.
And while I could go on and on about the tremendous attributes of my knife, what I appreciated even more was David Olkovetsky, the CEO, calling me to understand my cooking style and confirm I had what I needed to take care of my knife. This level of hospitality, combined with a tremendous product, has made me a fan that will only ever use and gift Artisan Revere knives.
If you're on the fence about investing in a knife. You'll never regret investing in an Artisan Revere knife.
We bought 2 chef's knives for a couple of our customers as an end of project gift. It was awesome to find such high quality knives, they look and feel amazing. David the owner of Artisan Revere was very helpful and even helped us get the customers names engraved on the leather sheath and knife.
The Artisan Revere chefs knife cuts with ease, is super well balanced, and keeps a sharp edge for longer than any of my Wustofs or other European knives. The edge is perfect and the knife is dulled in the exact areas where your fingers might be exposed. The leather sheath is a more plus for protecting the knife. The materials are top notch and are lightweight allowing for fast and easy cutting. You simply are less tired after using this knife compared with others.
Being somewhat of a knife geek, I have a multitude of knives, including ten chef's knives and Santukos of German, Japanese, and American steels in both German and Japanese knives. I researched this and other premium American made blades before purchasing this knife, mainly based on steel technology, but also its light weight. I also appreciated a 1:1 conversation with David to discuss the technology and craftsmanship before I ordered. After using this knife for six months, it is now my favorite knife for most all tasks that don't involve cutting foods that are prone to sticking to the blade, e.g., potatoes, (Glestain specialty Santuko for that unique task), or butternut squash, bones, etc. (Henckles and a rubber mallet for that).
It excels at precision cuts, like brunoise cut veggies, and prepping meat and fish. It is as light as the best custom Japanese knives I have, but sharper and better balanced. It is very well made. It maintains an edge significantly better than any other knife I own. In fact, I haven't sharpened it once in six months and it's still a razor. Its blade and handle geometry is superb. It fits my hand perfectly.
My guests may be impressed by some of the beautiful Japanese knives I have displayed in the block, but this is the one I use all the time and appreciate the most. I keep it in its handsome sheath in my drawer away from curious guests who might otherwise cut themselves, or god forbid, drop it. Well worth the money!
This is the ultimate knife. You will never need to buy another knife in your lifetime. A one-time forever purchase. Nothing even remotely comparable out there.
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