You know that bar that’s included in your knife set? That’s called a honing steel and it should be the first, or second, item you pull from your knife block every time you turn to it. There are two things you must do to keep your knives as sharp, and as safe, as possible. The first is to regularly hone the blade of the knife before every use. The second is to sharpen them every three months using a whetstone or electric knife sharpener.
Honing Knives
The edge of the blade is made of microscopic cutting teeth that will flatten out over time with continued contact with metals, ceramics, Formica, glass, and other hard surfaces (such as your cutting boards). A honing steel, which is often magnetized, will help restore the edge by smoothing out and aligning the teeth.
To use the honing steel properly, you want to draw the knife in one smooth motion, lightly, at a 20 degree angle five or six times on each side of the blade. You want to keep the number of draws for each side the same. How quickly you do this won’t matter, so you can do it as slowly as you want, but maintain that 20 degree angle. Then wipe the blade. Do this before each use.
Sharpening Knives
Sharpening is something you will do at most four times a year and this is a more hardcore version of honing. You can use a whetstone or an electric knife sharpener, though the electric knife sharpeners have the added benefit of being able to do the job of honing as well. With the whetstone, moisten it with water or oil according to the instructions, and then draw it at a 20 degree angle 6 times on each side. Much like honing, it’s not about speed, it’s about steadiness and evenness. With an electric knife sharpener, just stick it in and it will shave a new edge.
That’s it, honing and sharpening in a nutshell!
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