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Questions tagged [sharpening]

69 questions
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How to maintain my knife? What am I missing, and what am I doing wrong?

I've been cooking for a long time now, and I've been the proud owner of entry level chef knives for the better part of a decade now. Last month I've ordered a new knife, a KAI Saki Magoroku Redwood, which is not their cheapest knives, but also not…
Ink blot
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How can serrated knives be sharpened, without the serration being eroded?

This post recommends having serrated knives sharpened by professionals, and not an amateur. I ask about whetstones, steel rod, and pull-through sharpeners. But wouldn't sharpening efface and remove the serration? Or can the professional recreate the…
user24882
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Japanese knives for someone who can't sharpen freehand?

Long story short: I horribly suck at sharpening the traditional way, so I got a Lansky sharpening sytem and I'm very pleased at the results. Now I want good knives, and a friend of mine is traveling to Japan soon and I'd like to give him a shopping…
malaverdiere
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Steel honing rod vs ceramic honing rod

I got a fairly expensive Kramer/Zwilling knife as a present and so now I am forced to learn how to at least hone a knife (or keep it on a shelf and never use it). I think for now I'll let a pro actually sharpen the knife since the knife sharpening…
merk
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Using a ceramic honing rod for Global knives?

I just bought a Global knife (GF-33) and the literature that came with it suggests using a ceramic honing "steel" rather than a steel one. Apparently steel could be too abrasive for the type of metal Global uses. First of all, does this assertion…
Usagi
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What's wrong with if you only sharpen, and never hone, your knives?

Pretend that whenever a knife feels dull (even if it isn't), you sharpen it on a whetstone, and never hone it. What do you squander if you only sharpen, and never hone? What are the drawbacks? I'm guessing that only sharpening curtails or docks your…
user24882
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Should sharpening nicked knives with whetstones leave the nicks in the blade?

This question is somewhat similar to How to sharpen knife with chunk missing?, but the knives I have are not ruined like the one in that question, and I doubt the answer here would be to just throw away the knives as in that question. I have three…
Janus Bahs Jacquet
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How do I identify a bad sharpener?

I have a cheap plastic board with an in-built pull-through sharpener, metal and ceramic. I have have trouble believing that this can be any decent, but I have tried it on a bad knife. The knife is now noticably sharper. Does that mean this is…
DottyPhone
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Why does Wusthof call Honing Steel 'Sharpening steel'?

I know that honing differs from sharpening. See this also. My grandparents must buy a Honing Steel for their WÜSTHOF 4596-7/20 Classic Ikon 8-Inch Cook's Knife. On Wusthof Canada's website, they selected 'Honing steels (18)' on the left as you can…
user24882
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Who would I take my knives to, to be conditioned?

I would like my knives all to be sharpened by a professional. Some knives I cannot sharpen because they have an intricate serrated edge that I would ruin if I used my own stone. Several of my knives also have stains, whether they be rust stains or…
Jason P Sallinger
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Can I use the same kind of tools to sharpen my knives as I do my chisels?

I'm not sure if this would be better suited for here or the woodworking stack, so please migrate if needed. In order to sharpen my woodworking tools (chisels and hand planes), I currently use a DMT diamond plate (the fine and extra-fine, what they…
mmathis
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Am I unwittingly damaging my knives with amateur sharpening?

I had a bread knife that took a trip through the dishwasher and was frustratingly dull. I bought a cheap sharpening rod to attempt to salvage it (this one specifically: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001910FOA). It was a bit tedious to get…
Casey
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How to know if I am stopping sharpening too early?

I'm having trouble sharpening my knives, and I'm wondering if it's just that I haven't put in enough time. I've tried spending ~5 minutes per knife at one stroke per ~3 seconds, following all the advice I could find online, but no one seems to give…
mwlon
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What is the best knife/sharpener setup for an active cook?

There are several posts that get close to this but I am looking for a specific knife(ves)/sharpener(s) combo(s) that can be used routinely and that work(s) well. My opinion is in this answer.
nicorellius
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Sharpening a knife

Lets say I sharpend my knife starting with Grit 400, then 1000 up to 3000 and 6000 but its still is too dull. If i want to sharpen the blade again do I restart with grit 400 or 1000 ? And is there a way to tell where to start again?
Herrsocke
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