Knives for fresh food

[bradmacmt]

Ken (and Dale and Doug) point out that you don’t need a point. I hadn’t considered that.

As the other guys have pointed out, Opinel already does it for you, in a more compact, easy to carry knife… I really can’t stress enough, despite a few grams, a folding knife makes far more sense.

 

 

 

[David Thomas]

Two different views:

Folding knife pivot: noun, a needless complexity in a knife adding weight, a weak spot, and a location to capture food, dirt and blood.

Folding knife pivot: noun, a simple mechanical joint which allows a knife’s handle to double as its sheath while also shortening the length of the knife the stored.

I’ve tended towards the first perspective, but, yeah, a folder can so be easily stored in one’s pocket, versus a rigid knife which has the “where am I going to safely put this?” issue during both storage and use.

If the knife is stored 23.78 hours of the day and comes out only to cut salami, cheese, bread and spread peanut butter, then you’re not otherwise going to bring a sheath and a folder stores more easily.  While if a knife is used for hours a day (butchering multiple animals, cutting bait and lines on a fishing boat) or needs to be ready available (whitewater boating, fishing, dog sledding), then I have a sheath on my belt anyway to keep it handy while in use.

I do like the dishwasher-safe aspect of rigid paring knifes with polypropylene handles, but salmon, halibut, caribou and bear guts are messier than parmesan cheese, fruits and vegetables.

So I’m sticking with the Little Vicky for the hook & bullet activities, but maybe I’ll pick up a Opinel for trips with the wife.  Especially if I can find a Grranimals model like Doug’s!

[Ethan A.]

Jonathan, I spent a month backpacking in Switzerland and France with a girlfriend in uni from Geneva to Zurich, with lots of hiking and side trips in the Haut Jura, Bernese Oberland and Entlebuch. Every morning we bought supermarket baguette, yogurt, muesli, fruit, veg, sometimes trockenfleisch (jerky) for the day and enjoyed occasional splurges for good beer, inexpensive wine and the rare cafe lunch. We had a fairly slender Victorinox folder with about a 3 in. blade and corkscrew + two metal spoons. We always tore the baguette with our bare hands. We survived.

There’s a lot of overthinking here, but it’s fun.

I got the stainless No. 7 rounded My First Opinel on Ken T’s suggestion and it has an honored place in my lightweight but crazy well-equipped picnic set and sometimes backpacking. Sharp blade, works great for spreading and also decently well for scooping spreads out of a container. My grandfather was a butcher in a store and in younger years in wilderness, and I wouldn’t use the Opinel for butchering, but you don’t plan to use it for that.

Doug’s rounded No. 7 is hands-down the most beautiful one I’ve ever seen. Almost looks tailor-made for the Swiss City of Bern, which has a bear as its symbol (there’s a bear pit in the center of town where sadly bears were kept for many years and fed scraps from tourists, a tradition which was thankfully ended many years before I was there).

I’m a huge fan of the Victorinox Little Vicky Paring Knife, straight edge, 3 1/4 in. blade (there is a longer version as well). Very sharp, light and maintains an edge for a surprisingly long time.

You’ll do well with any of the knives mentioned + a light spoon + perhaps a small light peeler (yes you could use the knife but it will waste more of the veg/fruit).

My preference would either be for a simple folder like ones you see here or the Little Vicky.

[Ken Thompson]

23.78 hours. Pretty spot on,lol.

[Opogobalus]

Again, great great comments.

The spreading of the round tip seems nice. I don’t butcher stuff, so a point is probably not a biggy, though when a knife gets a bit blunt, I will use the tip to pierce a tomato (or similar soft-flesh fruit) before slicing, instead of squishing it. Not important if keeping a knife sharp, but on a long trail it’s probably not going to be. Of course, probably not using it *enough* to be a concern.

And Ethan, you’re right – I did more or less the same thing recently. I was fine without knife most of the time. I did spend about a month on this trip with a French friend, who of course had an Opinel 6. I do have to say we ate a lot better with her knife (even at my protests of pack weight but this just furthered my status as the strange uncultured antipodean). Of her more traditional packweight a decent knife was the thing that improved my life the most. My pack this time is even more spartan and minimalist, so this is my luxury item. There isn’t a lot in the way of vegan-friendly dried food in the mountain villages, so fresh stuff is important for my sanity – I haven’t been able touch cous-cous since my last visit there:)

[Nick Gatel]

Normally I take a SAK or Derma-safe,  but when I take fresh food it’s a serrated Little Vicky. This is great for cutting bread and salami. In the Sierra I often stop in Bishop at Schat’s Bakery to score a loaf of Shepherder’s bread, which doesn’t need cutting. The Little Vicky does a good job spreading peanut butter but a rounded non-serrate blade would probably work better.

[Gregory Allen]

I found this guy at IKEA a couple of months ago. Can’t beat the price. Handle is comfy, but maybe a bit long. 

[John S]

Hey all new here so hope you don’t mind me jumping in here.  I would say for this purpose a Mora, whether a Companion or Kansbol, here is my reasoning.

1. I always like a tool to be multipurpose.  I use my Kansbol not only for food prep but also to process wood for fire starting and it weighs 4 ounces.  The Sandvik stainless steel is also really good on durability and edge retention as well as sharpening.  I prefer the Kansbol because of it’s blade profile.  It makes it multipurpose.

2. I have an Opinel as well but I am not a fan of folders for food prep, especially in the field.  Debris can get in mechanism and that can cause bacteria/health issues.  Also most of the Opinels have beechwood handles.  If you really want to clean the mechanism you should take the knife apart.  If the beechwood gets wet it can swell and cause issues with folding and closing.

[Matthew / BPL]

I still prefer my Opinel but I just noticed a similar (and lighter) folding knife at Litesmith. I thought it might be interesting to someone here although the fact that it doesn’t lock in the closed position is a negative in my book.

[Russell Lawson]

Ag russell has nice knives. Their hunter scalpel is .5oz +sheath so maybe 1oz, aus10 steel keeps a edge for a long time too. I own a ag woodwalker with kydex and use it on trail and at work and will never go back to a folding blade. Folding blades are hard to clean and accumilate crud in the fold groove, same could be said about sheaths too but using a finger nail to pry open a seizing opinel hinge is the pits.

https://agrussell.com/knife/A-G-Russell-Hunter-Scalpel–RU-T914-10A

 

[DAN-Y]

@lawson, that brand has been around a looong time. I think I’ll get the hunter scalpel. You’re right about folders being hard to clean and accumulate crud in the fold groove.

[Matthew / BPL]

The internet says this is how old French guys open their sticky Opinel knives.

[DAN-Y]

Another choice, price is right, does a good job on fresh food, weighs 7.6 grams:

[David Thomas]

I was searching on “Russell Hunter Scalpel” and these popped up:

Replaceable-blade knives like Havalon’s but instead of being $25-$40 each they’re $15 for three plus $1 shipping from Walmart.  I just ordered a set.  I’ll give them a try on caribou next month.

[Richie S]

A rounded opinel has just been ordered to join my car camping / actually cooking kit.

[Ken Thompson]

Let’s see you slice a bagel and spread some smear with that Dermasafe Dan.

[MJ H]

I don’t like to cut bagels with any knife that isn’t serrated, though a longer knife with a decent handle would be much easier to use than a razor blade.

Maybe I could use my saw?

[DAN-Y]

Ken, I use Thomas Beagle Thins which are pre-sliced ;)  and the smear stuff is just smeared not spread :-))

Time for breakfast 

[DAN-Y]

While if a knife is used for hours a day (butchering multiple animals, cutting bait and lines on a fishing boat) or needs to be ready available (whitewater boating, fishing, dog sledding), then I have a sheath on my belt anyway to keep it handy while in use.

I do like the dishwasher-safe aspect of rigid paring knifes with polypropylene handles, but salmon, halibut, caribou and bear guts are messier than parmesan cheese, fruits and vegetables.

So I’m sticking with the Little Vicky for the hook & bullet activities, but maybe I’ll pick up a Opinel for trips with the wife.  Especially if I can find a Grranimals model like Doug’s!

 

 

Now this is a knife for caribou!!!

 

[MJ H]

I use Thomas Beagle Thins which are pre-sliced ;)

I’m calling the ASPCA.

[DAN-Y]

 Beagle!!! why did I do that  Nice catch MJH 

[Link .]

I sliced a couple of my fingers wide open using one of those derma (not so)safe knives while out on a trip several years ago, it closed on them while I was using it, I will never use again!

[Ken Thompson]

The rounded Opinel is marketed as a child’s knife. That’s my speed.

[Link .]

+1 Ken;)

[DAN-Y]

For Link and Ken no sharp edges, non folding, spreads butter.

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