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Just realized a lot of cooks are way too rough with their knives on the steel.
I watched a new hire at the bistro on Maple Avenue try to sharpen a chef's knife last week, and he was basically slamming the edge into the rod. That's how you chip a blade, not hone it. What's the gentlest method you've seen that actually works?
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lindag332mo ago
Saw a guy at a butcher shop once who made it look like he was barely touching the steel. Just light, whisper-thin passes, maybe two or three on each side. The key was the angle, he kept it super steady. It was more like guiding the edge than any real force. My old head chef called it "letting the steel do the work." That slow, careful drag always gets a better edge than any frantic hacking.
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victorh811mo ago
Yeah, that butcher shop method is spot on. I read an article by some knife maker who said most people press way too hard and actually roll the edge over. It's not about grinding, it's just straightening out the tiny bends from use. A few light touches at the right angle is all it takes, anything more and you're just making it worse.
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marksanchez2mo ago
Honestly, the whisper method is the only way to go. You just need a couple light passes at the right angle. Tbh, forcing it just wrecks the edge.
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