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But even with the rise of disposable utensils, a niche community of knife enthusiasts is thriving, and its members have an opinion on the idea of a hardened wooden knife.
Yao-Fen You, senior curator of Cooper Hewitt at the Smithsonian Design Museum in New York, said he’s picky about his knives. He learned to use a row around age 5 and now owns about 10 kitchen knives, one of which is Miyabi Koh stainless steel blade. it costs him about 130 dollars.
“I doubt it,” said Miss You, about a blade made of wood that contracts and expands. “This tends to be the problem with wooden handles. I like the way they feel, but they will degrade over time.”
The University of Maryland professor who helped create the hardened wood, Dr. Li has heard of such concerns. Natural wood utensils, such as chopsticks, spoons, and cutting boards, are commonly used in kitchens and can last a long time while they spoil, he said. He said that with proper care, he expects hardened wood utensils to outlast natural wood items. Hardened wood knives can be resharpened just like steel knives.”
Which is better for the environment?
Complicated.
Dr. Li argued that the production of metal and alloy-based hard materials is energy-intensive and leads to a heavy carbon footprint. However, a typical knife uses less than a pound of stainless steel, according to Chris Pistorius, assistant director at Carnegie Mellon University’s Iron and Steel Manufacturing Research Center. He said that the impact of the steel blade on the climate is very small and its ability to be recycled is a big advantage.
Jesko von Windheim, a professor in Duke University’s Nicholas School for the Environment, said it would take a “life-cycle analysis” to truly assess whether a hardened wood blade is better for the environment. He said there’s a “cradle-to-grave analysis” that does carbon accounting along the way.
Sometimes products seem more environmentally sustainable on the surface, but may not actually depend on the manufacturing processes and how they are disposed of, he said.
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