Lettuce Knives

[Shawn]

Amazon sells Lettuce Knives.  These are plastic.  I am sure other places sell as well.  I had one a long time ago, I should get one again.

[campingcorgis]

May 29, 2019 10:11:32 GMT -5 Shawn said:

Amazon sells Lettuce Knives.  These are plastic.  I am sure other places sell as well.  I had one a long time ago, I should get one again.

I've had a lettuce knife for many years.  Recently, I've tried ceramic knives and must say they are a great improvement, with similar benefits.  I've enjoyed my little ceramic paring knife so much that purchased a ceramic vegetable cleaver...if is great!  I do use the paring knife to harvest lettuce in the AG.  If find it easier than clippers for scissors.  But I may pick up some small ceramic scissors too.  

[Quantum]

May 29, 2019 10:11:32 GMT -5 Shawn said:

Amazon sells Lettuce Knives.  These are plastic. I had one a long time ago, I should get one again.

And yet another thing to purchase from Amazon.   My lettuce knife arrives tomorrow 

[elainev]

I found an interesting article on the net:

"If you believe your lettuce stays fresher longer when you cut it with a plastic knife, the truth is, it produces the same outcome as using a metal knife. The enemy of lettuce is time plus oxygen, not metal. Exposing the inside of a head of lettuce to oxygen is going to hasten its breakdown, whether you cut it with plastic, metal or a laser beam. It's going to turn brown.

Personally, I blame Tupperware parties for founding this myth. Back in the 1970s, the company came out with a little plastic knife, or "corer," that it included with its Lettuce Crisper. The instructions were to cut out the heart of the lettuce head, insert a plastic pointy thing where the heart used to be and then store it in the crisper.

Tupperware dealers were instructed to tell party attendees that cutting lettuce with metal would make it turn brown, and that to combat this horrible waste of money, they needed this plastic coring knife-like gizmo. I believed; I bought it; and so did millions of others. And here we are, all these years later, many still believing this vintage piece of culinary lore. I'm convinced it was nothing more than a brilliant marketing ploy."

More here:
findanyanswer.com/goto/213509

[Shawn]

Apr 28, 2021 12:00:17 GMT -5 elainev said:

I found an interesting article on the net:

"If you believe your lettuce stays fresher longer when you cut it with a plastic knife, the truth is, it produces the same outcome as using a metal knife. The enemy of lettuce is time plus oxygen, not metal. Exposing the inside of a head of lettuce to oxygen is going to hasten its breakdown, whether you cut it with plastic, metal or a laser beam. It's going to turn brown.

Personally, I blame Tupperware parties for founding this myth. Back in the 1970s, the company came out with a little plastic knife, or "corer," that it included with its Lettuce Crisper. The instructions were to cut out the heart of the lettuce head, insert a plastic pointy thing where the heart used to be and then store it in the crisper.

Tupperware dealers were instructed to tell party attendees that cutting lettuce with metal would make it turn brown, and that to combat this horrible waste of money, they needed this plastic coring knife-like gizmo. I believed; I bought it; and so did millions of others. And here we are, all these years later, many still believing this vintage piece of culinary lore. I'm convinced it was nothing more than a brilliant marketing ploy."

More here:
findanyanswer.com/goto/213509

I think it also depends on the type of metal. I know in the past I used a knife and things browned.  But then used a better quality of knife and it did not brown as much.  I still believe (I guess I am one of those believers) that the plastic knife works best .. even if it just lessons the rust colors edges.

[campingcorgis]

I've seen the copper edges too!  But, as mentioned before, I really love ceramic knives for veggies and lettuce!  

[Quantum]

Apr 28, 2021 12:00:17 GMT -5 elainev said:

"If you believe your lettuce stays fresher longer when you cut it with a plastic knife, the truth is, it produces the same outcome as using a metal knife. The enemy of lettuce is time plus oxygen, not metal. Exposing the inside of a head of lettuce to oxygen is going to hasten its breakdown, whether you cut it with plastic, metal or a laser beam. It's going to turn brown.

And here we are, all these years later, many still believing this vintage piece of culinary lore. I'm convinced it was nothing more than a brilliant marketing ploy."

 
Perception is reality until we learn otherwise. Many, including well known chefs believe when a salad is prepared, you don’t cut the lettuce with a knife but break it up with your fingers.

Me? I’m happy to have a plastic knife dedicated to my indoor gardening. 
🤷‍♂️🙂

[Sher]

My experience is that metal knives make the lettuce discolor faster when the cut lettuce is stored in the refrigerator.

I prefer to break my lettuce with my hands.

Different strokes....

[campingcorgis]

I'm with you on that, Sher!  Well, mostly.  I like using the ceramic knife to "harvest" my lettuce and...if I'm making something like tacos, I do like the lettuce to be "chopped" as opposed to torn.  So, I'll use the knife for that too.  I rarely make a "chopped" salad, but if I do, it would be with a ceramic knife.  

[Sher]

Oh yes, I shred lettuce with a knife for immediate use, campingcorgis. But never for refrigerator storage.

But I am so behind the times I don't even have a ceramic knife.

I did have a green plastic Tupperware lettuce knife way back when, though.

[Shawn]

Apr 29, 2021 6:41:18 GMT -5 Sher said:

Oh yes, I shred lettuce with a knife for immediate use, campingcorgis . But never for refrigerator storage.

But I am so behind the times I don't even have a ceramic knife.

I did have a green plastic Tupperware lettuce knife way back when, though.

I used to have a ceramic knife but it broke years ago.  Never did get another.  As for the Tupperware knife I too had one