Ranchi’s Daily Market and its fish knives
Where our fish knife pattern came from, and how the fishmongers of Ranchi use it.
Will a carbon steel knife rust in the monsoon?
A common worry, answered: what humidity does to carbon steel, and what to do about it.
Every June we get the same message: “I love the knife, but will it rust now the rains have started?” The honest answer is that it can, if left wet, and it will not, if kept dry.
Rust needs water and air on bare steel. In Ranchi’s monsoon the air is damp, but damp air alone does very little to a clean, dry blade. The problems come from a knife left on a wet board, put away damp in a drawer, or kept in a closed block where moisture cannot escape.
So in the rainy months, dry the knife straight after use with a cotton cloth and hang it on an open rail, not in a closed drawer. If you will not use it for a week, wipe on a thin film of coconut or mustard oil.
The patina helps. A knife that has turned grey and blue from use rusts far more slowly than a shiny new one. Some cooks force a patina by wiping the blade with vinegar or cutting a lime with it.
If small orange spots appear, they are surface rust and come off easily with a cork and a pinch of wood ash. Deep pitting only happens with weeks of neglect. Stainless steel is not rust-proof either; it is only slower.
