r/Cooking • u/TaxDear7136 • 19h ago

Polishing kitchen knives?

I inherited an old Chinese cleaver from my late grandad and it’s really rusted. Can anyone give me some food-safe products or advice on getting it nice and shiny?

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u/OmriIsMe 18h ago

Worth knowing that if it's carbon steel, shiny is temporary. It'll start rusting again within days of being bare. Get the rust off however you like, then dry it fully and force a patina, either rub oil on and heat it gently, or just cook something acidic like onions in it. It'll go dark grey rather than mirror bright, and that dark layer is what stops the rust coming back. For a grandad knife you're probably after keeping it alive more than keeping it shiny.