Hi everyone,

I just wanted to comment about something that is really important. If you've been using a dull knife for some time, or forever :-), you need to take extra care when first using your newly sharpened knife. The reason is that you have likely become very used to applying more downward pressure on your knife than is necessary, just to get through the food, without worrying too much about slipping (because you likely can't do much damage). But remember how that sharp knife in the video cut paper.

So please review your other knife skills lessons:
http://rouxbe.com/school/sections/104 (slicing safely topic in particular)

Remember:
1. Stabilize your ingredient
2. Anchor your knife
3. Make sure your hands are safely positioned so that you can't nick yourself - ever.

If you sing this mantra each and every time, it will soon become second nature to you and you'll be cutting safely with your eyes closed (you know what I mean). Cheers.

I wrote something about this yesterday, but it seems to have disappeared. One of the questions asks if the knife should be cleaned when the black slurry forms on it during sharpening. I said no. That was marked wrong, but the explanation said that the slurry aided in sharpening the knife. If that is so, why should it be removed from the knife during the sharpening process?

Paul, I answered that question "False" as well and it was counted correct:

During knife sharpening, when a black, pasty slurry forms on the stone, make sure to wash it off and wipe the blade?
--> b) False
Explanation: During sharpening, a black pasty slurry will form. This actually helps to sharpen the knife. Moisten the metal slurry with a bit of water to help create a finer edge on the knife more quickly.

Apologies for any confusion. We had contacted Paul directly. There was an error for that question which was corrected yesterday. The quiz is now functioning properly. The answer is, in fact, b) False. During knife sharpening, you do not need to wipe or remove the black slurry from the stone or knife. Happy cooking!

http://www.amazon.com/W%C3%BCsthof-4473-10-Inch-Sharpening-Steel/dp/B00009WDT8/ref=pd_sbs_hg_1

Indeed it is, I have one of these myself!

I didn't have time to check in earlier this week. I did my first TV voice over and well that speaks for itself; I didn't have the opportunity to write on the site. Anyway, I found a kitchen supply store in downtown NYC which had whetstones and purchased a "rough" one and a "polishing" one. I went over the tutorial again before I tried sharpening my knives, first testing to see which ones were in need of sharpening even though I hone them regularly. After going through all the preliminary procedures, soaking, etc., I started sharpening. It did take quite a while, but the results were simply fantastic and unbelievable. I am so pleased with the results. And I got a workout for my arms doing it as well. Thank you so much. I just adore this site.

I was out shopping for my wife today (she'll never ask me to do that again) and found an 8" 800 grit diamond whetstone. It is nickel coated steel with diamond dust impregnated on the surface that is mounted on a plastic block. Water lubrication only.

It is a dream to use and takes very little pressure or time to reach a very fine edge. Also available is a 1200 grit polishing diamond whetstone. And . . . it's relatively inexpensive.

I saw those also; may add them to my collection, we shal see. I'll start as recommended and proceed from there.

I think anyone who is considering learning to sharpen knives should have a look at Murray Carter's videos. One in particular to watch is "Sharpening a knife on a concrete block" Just search the phrase on google advanced video search.

Not that I am suggesting that anyone should actually do this with their good kitchen knives. It just that kind of deemphasizes the whole tendency to think you have to spend a lot of money to get the job done.

Regarding technique, I was very impressed with this particular series. There are a lot of demonstration videos out there that show you the techniques that will cause you to ruin your whetstone. (eventually)

This series shows the proper way to do it. Bravo!

there is just taking them to a professional knife sharpnener and having it done beautifully and properly sharp and not injuring (or exposing to potential injury) to ones self or other damage. But it is lovely to know how to do it and have the tools to do it with when necessary.

Mmm... something that was said in this lesson, I heartily disagree with.

Sharpening knives and edges in general is an art form all to itself... I send my knives to Bob Kramer... or, at least I used to... I now send them to some friend of his in Oregon because Kramer is too busy forging perfect blades to be bothered with sharpening knives anymore.

They use a Tormek and have decades of experience... and will get you the PERFECT angle on your blade every time...

Here is Bob Kramer's website:
http://www.kramerknives.com/

And the site for Zen Blades, the people he steers me to to get my knives sharpened now:
http://www.zenblades.com/

Well, I have to heartily disagree with your disagreement. Why? Becasue quality knife sharpening craftsman are hard to come by - a lost art for some time. Maybe in your neck of the woods they exist...but not in mine. Here I have to take my edge in my own hands. And its great when you can do it yourself when you need it. I like people to know they have an option to do this. Just like a good stock, I can get it from others or do it myself.

Almost every master bladesmith takes in knives for sharpening via mail. I mail mine off and have them returned within 3 days. Yes, it's more expensive than doing it yourself ($5/ knife) but you get what you pay for.

I send my blades off once/year for sharpening in bunches, so I always have the tools I need at my disposal even when I have some off getting the razor's edge.

As long as the home cook are getting their knives sharpened and done well, and one would rather go that route, ít's great. However, as a cooking school, I have to teach people to be able to grab the horns with their own hands. My professional students cannot graduate from my school without knowing how to sharpen a knife themselves a la minute, and ever since I emphasized this skill and criteria the results speak for themselves. So much depends on what you are willing to do for yourself, or what is convenient for you. I sharpen my knives every 3 months at home, once a month at school, so it's convenient for me to do it myself. Thanks for the links, though. Info is always key here.

Matthew, this is a lesson on knife sharpening... so ok since you choose to have it done professionally, maybe that lesson is not for you, but... well it wouldn't make much sense for the lesson to say "you should go see a professional"!? I am in an area where there are professional knife sharpeners, but personally I don't want to have to pay $5 every time I want a knife sharpened - and I like to do it myself anyway.

Thanks a lot for that lesson, it's invaluable.

I don't know why there is such a phobia out there when it comes to learning to sharpen knives. Even Alton Brown has it, and tells people they won't be able to learn to sharpen their knives properly, and that they should go to professionals. I ordinarily agree with Alton, but not this time.

I get stubborn at times, especially when people tell me what I can't do. So I learned. It's actually pretty easy once you get the whole rhythm of the thing down.

Of course it takes practice, so start with an inexpensive blade like a pocketknife, if you are worried about ruining your good culinary knives. This will give you confidence in your abilities, and a sharp pocketknife as well. :)

Sure, it's easier to send your blades to someone else to have them sharpened, but it is also a good deal less convenient. Also, a "Tormek," eh? Sorry, but I would never even consider sending my blades off to someone who uses a grinding wheel, no matter how fancy and how many bells and whistles it has.

There are far too many ways to ruin a good blade using a grinding wheel. Real professional sharpeners use the method shown here; send your lawnmower blades off to people who use machines and charge five bucks a pop for "professional" sharpening.

Meanwhile, don't let people discourage you. You CAN learn to sharpen your own knives.

Amen, Kelly - sharpening by yourself is not that time consuming and is very satisfying

Well, I just took the test, and I got marked wrong, as I expected, on the question "Steels are used to sharpen knives."

Until very recently, I subscribed to the myth that honing and sharpening were different things, and, by the way, wondered why the major knife companies call their steels "sharpening" steels.

I wish the distinction were actually correct, as it makes things so easy and convenient. I used to say "I hone my knives using a honing steel, but when they need actual sharpening, I use..."

Then I had a conversation with a certified master bladesmith, and he politely pointed out that I was wrong to make this distinction. To back it up, he didn't quote a bunch of blade lore at me, he just invited me to look the terms up. So I did. And you know what I found? He's right. Honing, stropping, whatever, they are all defined as methods of sharpening.

So, while I suppose you can call the use of a steel honing, and the use of a whetstone sharpening, you can't, technically, say that using a steel is not a method of sharpening. Well, you can say it, but you won't be right. :P

Sure, in using a steel, you are mostly knocking an already sharp edge back into alignment, but there is also a reason that most good steels are magnetized, and this is because they actually do remove some material from the blade, as well. In any event, you are changing an effectively dull blade back into a sharp one, therefore, you are, by definition, sharpening it.

It is also somewhat of a relief to me to realize that my favorite knife manufacturer isn't merely calling their steels "sharpening steels" because they are too stupid to know the "difference" between sharpening and honing.

Yeah, I'd want to argue with me, too. :) However, I invite you to look these terms up before you do.

Having visited many blade forges in Japan while I lived there, and having met several Master Bladesmith's here in the US... and that ALL of them use a classic grinding wheel instead of a whetstone... I'm inclined to agree with the thousands of years of practice.

As for honing vs sharpening on a steel, a lot of that depends on the steel you're using. Yes, a rough steel, diamond steel, ceramic steel, etc will remove some of the metal... smooth steels will not at all. It all depends on the desired effect and the application of your steel. I use a rigid steel for honing beat up blades in the restaurant, but a smooth steel for my most prized sushi/sashimi knives.

At a blade forge, of course they will use a grinding wheel to initially shape the blade edge, but we are talking here about final sharpening, and re-sharpening.

As to the terms "honing" vs. "sharpening," you really should look them up.

I have not been as lucky as Matthew to have visited forges in Japan or have met several Master Bladesmith's in the US, but I have been fortunate enough to get to know Murray Carter. Murray is a 17th Generation Yoshimoto Bladesmith (after 18 years of bladesmithing in Japan) and a Certified Master Bladesmith. Murray would never use a belt grinder for sharpening. He might use a traditional Japanese Water Wheel Grinder to repair a blade that has been severely damaged, but to get a razor sharp edge, he uses whetstones. Murray said that some forges and Bladesmiths do not use whetstones, because it is one extra step in the knife making process that adds an additional cost to the knife. Murray always hand sharpens his knives with whetstones before sending them out to customers.

If you want to read what other knife enthusiasts think about whetstones and their advantages over grinding wheels, check out the discussions at http://www.knifeforums.com or talk to Dave Martell at http://www.japaneseknifesharpening.com/index.html. Dave has an excellent reputation around the country for his expertise in sharpening knives.

Personally, I prefer sharpening my own knives using whetstones. I have control over the end process, and I am always assured of getting a razor sharp edge without grinding away my blade.

This was a response from Dave Martel at http://www.japaneseknifesharpening.com/index.html about grinding wheels.

"Hi Ted,

The Japanese do not use wheels to sharpen on, this is a common misconception. The wheels seen in knifemaker's shops and knife stores are for rough grinding in the shape of a bevel or for doing repairs and in almost every case followed up with hand work on a stone.

On the Tormek specifically, this uses a very small (10" or smaller as it wears) wheel that produces a deep hollow ground edge bevel which many within the pro knife sharpening world view as weak. Also, this hollow ground edge can not easily be followed by the end user during sharpening/maintenance since the bevel is ground so differently than the flat bevel that a stone would provide. This is where the large (3'-5') diameter wheels used in Japan make a big difference since they grind near flat bevels which can be easily followed by the knife user as need be.

As for steels, it'd true that grooved steels remove metal and are to be avoided, however no steel should be used on a sushi/sashimi knife (aka - yanagiba) as these knives are very delicate single edge and may easily be damaged as a result. While on the subject of single bevel knives, these should also be kept away from the Tormek and machines like it as they can not do the work as needs to be done. I know this because I tried to use one for years before selling it off and turning the money over into bench stones.

As for ABS knifemakers (master bladesmiths) using grinding wheels for applying edges I would have to disagree here. I've never once met a single mastersmith that uses a grinding wheel to put an edge on a knife. I would venture to guess that 90% use a belt grinder/buffing wheel combo with the rest using a DMT bench stone. There might be a small fraction using waterstones but I wouldn't expect that to be more than one or two at the most.

I hope this information helps. Please feel free to reprint it and to post any links to my sites that you might want to.

Take care,
Dave

Yay, Ted! Very well said (and quoted). Thanks. And Murray is the man! I'll have to check Dave out now, as well.