My uncle told me to always keep a separate knife for game meat

He ran a shop in Boise for 30 years and swore by it. I thought it was just an old habit and used my main boning knife on a deer last fall. Cleaned it well, or so I thought. Next week, I was breaking down pork and a customer complained about a weird taste. Took me three days to figure out the fat had picked up a faint, wild flavor from my knife. Now I have a dedicated Victorinox just for venison and elk. Anyone else run into this with cross-contamination of flavors?

2 comments

2 Comments

jesseb201d ago

That "wild flavor" transfer is so real. I've had it happen with fish oils getting into a cutting board, then everything tastes like trout. It's not about being dirty, it's those tiny fat particles that soap just doesn't get. Your uncle was right, some tastes just stick around forever.

evanfox23h ago

My grandpa had a rule about his old cast iron. One pan for bacon, one pan for fish, never the twain shall meet. I thought he was nuts until I made pancakes in the fish pan. Tasted like I was eating them off a dock. Some flavors just weave themselves into the material and never leave.