When chefs sharpen a knife before cutting into veggies and meat, shouldn’t we be concerned of eating microscopic metal shaving residue from the sharpening process?

Question

I always watch cooking shows where the chefs sharpen the knives and then immediately go to cutting the vegetables or meat without first rinsing/washing the knife. Wouldn’t microscopic metal shavings be everywhere and get on the food and eventually be eaten?

In: 5225

Answer 1

Honing a knife would **not** be be expected to cause much metal to be liberated, but even if it did, **the metal would be harmless**.

“Fortified with iron” breakfast cereal literally puts tiny iron filings in the cereal. Literal specks of the metal iron. This is a commonly shown in school experiment meant for 6th graders.

If the acid in your stomach breaks it down, you’d absorb the iron content. if it didn’t, the metal dust would pass through you.