Cooking Stack Exchange
Cooking Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [sharpening]

69 questions
8
votes
3 answers

How can I tell if a steel rod is for sharpening or honing?

I bought one of those rod tools before I fully understood the process. Now I'm not sure if the steel rod I bought is meant for honing or for sharpening. Is there a way to tell the difference simply by the look/feel of the steel?
o_o_o--
  • 183
  • 1
  • 3
8
votes
3 answers

What coarseness of japanese waterstones is ideal for cooking?

Depending on the grit coarseness you can sharpen very blunt objects or refine an already sharp edge. Generally speaking, one can expect that a kitchen knife is much less heavily used than say, for example, carpenter tools or a pocket knife used to…
Omar Kohl
  • 295
  • 2
  • 7
8
votes
1 answer

Does a sharpening steel ever need to be replaced?

Possible Duplicate: Do honing steels wear out? I've been using my sharpening steel for several years. The tiny little ridges that run along its length seem to be somewhat worn, although they're still visible. I'm wondering if I'd get a better…
eigor40
  • 81
  • 1
  • 1
  • 2
7
votes
3 answers

How to properly sharpen Santoku and any other knife using a water sharpener/Japanese whetstone?

I've recently bought a really nice Santoku knife from Wüsthof along with a Japanese water sharpener, and since then I've been watching a lot of videos and reading a lot of guides about how to use the sharpener. I've come upon many various ways to do…
Boehmi
  • 173
  • 1
  • 1
  • 4
7
votes
6 answers

I'm not looking to learn a new skill; how do I make my knives better at cutting?

I am a reasonably proficient casual kitchen user and I have a set of kitchen knives I bought from a (British) supermarket a few years ago. Recently I've noticed they've become less good at cutting things than they were before. (I am purposely…
dbmag9
  • 11,730
  • 2
  • 41
  • 50
6
votes
1 answer

First time sharpening, do I sharpen on the coarse or fine side?

I have a Japanese Shun chef's knfve, and I've been bad about sharpening it. I haven't sharpened it since buying it in August and now it takes a bit of effort to slice through a potato or carrot. I just bought a Japanese Water stone on…
AfterWorkGuinness
  • 403
  • 2
  • 5
  • 14
6
votes
3 answers

How can I best select a knife to purchase for learning how to sharpen?

I want to buy a good all-purpose Chef's knife and also sharpen it myself. But I have no experience sharpening with a waterstone so I'm a little afraid of spending much money and then ruining the knife. What is the most basic type of knife in terms…
Omar Kohl
  • 295
  • 2
  • 7
6
votes
2 answers

How to convert knife edge angle "ratios" into degrees?

European-style Japanese knives seem to be described (also here and here, and in my most recent post) in terms of "ratios" that always add up to 100. It's not exactly clear what this means in terms of angles off the center plane of the blade. It…
David Bruce Borenstein
  • 1,237
  • 2
  • 13
  • 21
6
votes
5 answers

Can a blunt knife be sharpened?

The knives I have just come from a second hand shop, and are quite blunt. Is it possible to sharpen them using an ordinary sharpening stone/steel, or is there a point that they are 'too far gone'?
dwjohnston
  • 513
  • 4
  • 9
  • 18
6
votes
1 answer

Why does oil reduce the effectiveness of Japanese waterstones?

I've read in several places that oil should not be used on Japanese waterstones, but none of the sources explain the reasoning behind this. What, if any, damage would using oil cause and would it be reparable?
cyang
  • 289
  • 2
  • 5
  • 10
6
votes
3 answers

What type of whetstones are you using for sharpening stainless steel knives?

What type of whetstone should I use for sharpening knives made of VG-10, A2, D2, S30V? More specific, for each step (grinding/sharpening/honing): what kind of whetstone: natural or artificial? If artificial, what type of material? what kind of…
alexandrul
  • 201
  • 3
  • 9
5
votes
1 answer

What to look for when purchasing a honing steel?

I currently don't have a honing steel. Since I have just started experimenting with cooking I bought a cheap IKEA santoku to learn to care about it. I am planning to buy a better knife (not necessarily santoku) after some time and experience. I…
styrofoam fly
  • 163
  • 5
5
votes
3 answers

How can I troubleshoot unsuccessful knife-sharpening?

I wanted to sharpen my knives, so I took a cheap whetstone, watched a YouTube video for guidance, and got to work. The results are unsatisfying. Is the next step to buy a better whetstone (if there's no point trying with the cheap one I have) or to…
crmdgn
  • 1,572
  • 3
  • 18
  • 31
5
votes
1 answer

Combining whetstones from different manufacturers

I recently received two whetstones for my birthday, this chroma and this naniwa. The chroma stone feels very "hard" and heavy, while the naniwa stone is considerably "softer" and lighter. I am a beginner in sharpening knives, so I started practising…
elmo
  • 153
  • 4
5
votes
3 answers

Damaged knife blade repair

I've got a set of knives I've been using for roughly 12-13 years, which I've never had sharpened since the day they came home. They also haven't always been the best cared for, and occasionally abused. As a result of these treatments, the blade is,…
Hugo
  • 151
  • 1
  • 4
1
2
3 4 5