how to sharpen a knife

[code monkey]

i was taught that the steel is not used to sharpen a knife but rather to smooth out irregularities along the edge. steel first and then a whet stone.

my favorite knife was no longer sharp and i decided to check techniques on youtube. imagine my surprise to see a celebrity chef teaching that one uses the steel!

so, how do you sharpen your knives?

[brite]

Depends on how much time I have... If I'm in the middle of something... the steel... if I have time -- the whetstone...

BUT -- that all being said -- in class, just before we start... we all sharpen our knives on a steel, to make SURE that they are sharp. You are more likely to cut yourself on a dull knife than you are on a sharp one. (And do more damage... I have scars on my left thumb that prove that...)

[geonuc]

Yes, it is said that the steel does not sharpen, it only re-aligns the edge. However, that has the effect of making the knife sharper.

It's good idea to run your knife on the steel everyday prior to using it. Can't hurt, after all. I use a King 6000/1000 waterstone for sharpening. But in truth, the 6000 grit half is kind of useless. I'd recommend a King 250/1000 for kitchen knives.

http://www.amazon.com/Kotobuki-Compact- ... B00ARUDQXQ

[FZR1KG]

I have a proper knife sharpening kit in Australia for my hunting knives.
That gets the best edges and can form a new angle for different purposes.
It takes a long time but I've reformed the edges with a new angle.

Sharpening is all about correct and consistent angle.

The smaller the angle the sharper it is but the more often you will need to sharpen it and the more fragile it is.
Filleting knives for example can be really low angles. Some go lower than 15Deg.

Hunting or general purpose knives are set to a higher angle.
In the case of my Buck knife (Buck Special 119) it's about 30-35 degrees.

Then there is the material of the blade to consider. Some need carbide or diamond as they are too hard for ordinary stones.

My favorite trick is to form the angle then get a sheet of 1200 wet paper and place it on a sheet of glass.
Use that to hone it. Go only forwards, don't try and sharpen a knife by going backwards.
Do that after its been re formed or sharpened and you get an edge that is like a razor.

If you want to try shaving though, you also have to run it backwards on either your hand or a leather belt.
It gets rid of the little rough ends that tend to grab hair and pull instead of cut.

I usually test my knives on my forearm. If they clean shave they are sharp enough.

For the real quick stuff, this is a good setup if the edge is already formed to the right angle: global

Easy, cheap and very effective. Just add water each time and rinse it afterwards.