If you have ever used a knife before, you probably know how important it is for them to be sharp. A sharp knife can prevent injuries, because you don't have to use as much force, or saw back and forth with it. Dull knives are the ones that hurt people, and I'm not talking about knives with no personality.
Before we discuss sharpening knives, I think I should define a couple of words. Sharpening a blade means you are actually putting a new cutting edge on the metal. Honing a blade means you are taking an existing sharp edge and re-dressing it so it works well again.
Let me explain the difference. When a knife is sharp, the point is shaped sort of like a "V". It comes to a nice sharp point. As you use a knife, the point begins to curl a little. At this point, the point can be realigned to be a nice straight point again using the same edge. This is where honing comes in.
If you have ever been to a carving station at a banquet or a restaurant, you have probably seen the person in the chef's jacket sliding the knife down and across a ”sharpening steel". The tool is called a "sharpening steel", but it is probably more accurate to call it a "honing steel", because that is what is happening, the steel is honing the blade. Honing a blade can keep it very sharp for a pretty long time. Frequently, they are steel with some grit in it to keep the edge honed, but a nice alternative is a ceramic "wand" or stick. Ceramics are similar to steels, but can yield a very polished surface for razor sharpness.
Eventually, a blade will get dull enough that it can no longer be "sharpened" by honing it. That is when a new edge will have to be cut into the metal of the blade by sharpening it. There are a number of different tools available on the market today to put a new edge on a knife.
Whet stones are one of the simplest ways to sharpen a blade, and they come in a great variety of sizes, shapes and grits. I'm not sure the proper word is grit, but it is a lot like sandpaper, whet stones come in varying degrees of roughness.
Whet stones are the more traditional way to sharpen knives. There are many different types of whet stones, but they can be roughly divided into Western and Japanese styles, both of which come in natural and artificial varieties.
American style whet stones tend to clog easily, which can make it harder to sharpen a blade. To avoid this problem, Japanese styles wear away more quickly to reveal a fresh sharpening surface. Because Whet stones wear away, they sometimes need to be resurfaced. They also need a lubricant, and may be used with either water or oil, but If you use oil, that whet stone will always have to be used with oil.
To use a whet stone, start on the knife edge next to the bolster, and slide it down and across ending at the tip of the cutting edge. While doing this, the blade should be held at about a 20 degree angle to the whet stone. I used to work in a restaurant that had a nice whet stone with three different grit stones on it, so you could get a rough edge on a blade, and get it smoother and shinier. It was pretty cool, because as you rotated the stones, they would pass through the oil, and it would be ready to use.
A step up from a whet stone is diamond plate. Diamond plate is a steel plate with small bits of diamonds in it. They vary in grit, and are used much the same way as the whet stones are used. I’ve also seen some diamond plate on a stick or wand, which is a good format for sharpening kitchen knifes.
Another very accurate tool for sharpening knives is an electronic sharpener. Basically, these have a ceramic wheel mounted in them. The wheel spins, and you draw the knife across the wheel in the guide slots. It’s hard to mess these up.
Regardless of what you choose to use to sharpen your knives, only draw the knife across it enough times to sharpen the blade. Otherwise, you are wasting perfectly good knife by wearing it down too soon.
Follow these tips, and you should be well covered:
• Keep your knives sharp!
• Draw knives away from body parts whenever possible
• Buy the best sharpening and honing tools your budget can afford. (Most are designed to last a lifetime)
• Hone more often, sharpen less often.
I hope you have found this article useful. Keep your eyes peeled for more in my culinary basics series. Until next time, be safe!
About the Author:
Jim Waller is a corporate trainer in the food and beverage business at one of the theme parks in Orlando, Florida. He is the webmaster at Share4wealth.com. Born in Buffalo, NY. Raised in New Port Richey, FL. Lived in Magny Le Hongre, France for a year and worked as a waiter. over 20 years experience in the restaurant business.
Keeping Knives Sharp - Culinary Basics 2
