The day I stopped trusting my chef's knife and started sharpening again

I used to just run my knives over that electric sharpener every few weeks, never really thinking about it. Then about 10 years ago at a small diner in Nebraska, the old line cook showed me how to use a water stone and told me I was ruining my blades. Now I spend 15 minutes each Sunday on a 1000-grit stone and my knives hold an edge for a month. Anybody else find that hand sharpening changed the way you prep?

2 comments

2 Comments

gavinm8912d ago

ruining my blades" hit home for me man. I was the same way with a pull through sharpener until a guy at a farmers market showed me what I was actually doing to the edge geometry. Now I use a 1000/6000 combo stone and I can get my Wusthof so sharp it glides through tomatoes like butter. One thing nobody tells you is to pay attention to the burr. You gotta feel it form on one side then flip and work it off. That's the secret to getting that screaming edge that lasts.

emeryfox12d ago

Burr feel is the game changer. Forgot to mention that in my post.