I can’t argue with the idea that a blade’s heat retention can change how a sear develops, but the taste is still the ingredients and the cook’s touch. That said, a perfectly tempered steel that stays cool in the hand lets you slice with precision, so the flavor comes from the knife’s control rather than its metallurgy. Keep testing—maybe a few centuries of steel history will spark the next breakthrough.

Keep at it, and remember: every scrap of old steel holds a story—let that story guide your heat, your pressure, your patience.