The way I hold the knife, my thumb and forefinger are both on the blade. This makes it really easy to hone, because you take the tip of the steel, put it on your thumbnail, and then have the edge of the blade touch the steel. This gives you the best angle for honing, because all honing is doing is bending the blade, not wearing away at it.
Then, keeping that same angle you created with your thumb, using only your wrist, slice the knife down the length of the steel. Give it a decent amount of pressure, and you will hear a very satisfying "shing!" when you go the entire length of the blade.
Do the same thing on the other side, with the steel hitting the nail on your forefinger.
Over time, your knife will dull not because the edge is wearing away, but because it becomes less true, or the edge is tilted. Honing straightens the edge. Wood cutting boards are best for knives, because there it actually cuts into the wood, where plastic and especially glass beat up the edges of the knife. And you shouldn't have to ever put your knife in the dishwashwer because it really shouldn't get that dirty. Even if you're cutting meat, just rinse it in hot water, wipe it with a soapy sponge, and it will be perfect. Even if your meat has bacteria in it, the stainless steel will not absorb it, and the handle is wood, so it should have a finish over it which will also keep bacteria out.
1 comment:
So, what about those knife sharpeners that you simply run your knife through? My current knives are not great, but decent, and I'm skeptical whether Mr. Andy actually sharpens it correctly. My parents (not culinarily inclined whatsoever) just said I should get a knife sharpener.
Your thoughs mr chef??
ps. happy christmas!
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