Sharp Knife Tips

A sharp knife is a pleasure in the kitchen. Here's how to maintain your knives with very little trouble.

First, you want good knives. They don't have to be expensive. Here is an article on how to select and buy knives: Nice Knives

The secrets to sharp knives with minimal hassle are:

• Religious use of a steel
• Occasional sharpening using a Chef's Choice sharpener.

Sharpening

Many experts recommend regular sharpening by a professional. It's probably true that a professional sharpener will deliver a -slightly- better edge. You can do pro-level sharpening yourself if you are willing to get the right gear and develop the right techniques. But here's the thing: How many people will send their knives out and take scrupulous care of them between times? If you're not that meticulous, then you won't do better than regular use of the steel and the Chef's Choice. It's a question of an A+ edge for a lot of money and trouble vs. an A edge for a lot less hassle.

Use a Steel

Every time I use the knife, I use a sharpening steel. It doesn't matter whether you do it before or after you use the knife. Make it a habit. When you cut, the very fine edge (at a scale smaller than you can see) is bent and the fine edge compromised. The steel tunes the edge by pushing the microscopic burrs of metal back into place. It takes off very little metal.

Then Sharpen Monthly

Then every month or three, I use the Chef's Choice. It's the only home sharpener I have seen that delivers an excellent result without some practice and technique and is consistently top-rated. They make several models. I believe that all would work well.

I have a Shun Santoku, a Henckels Chef knife, a couple of paring knives, a boning knife, all of which are in top shape thanks to the above routine. I even use the Chef's Choice on my small, 2" pocket knife.

Testing the Edge

How do you tell if a knife is really sharp? Most people use a finger (possible ouch) but better is to use your fingernail. Using very little pressure, scrape the edge along the fingernail, as if you are trying to scratch paint off the fingernail. A sharp knife will grab the nail a bit. A dull knife will slide with little resistance.

This doesn't work so well if you are wearing nail polish.

Protect the Edge

One more tip with regard to sharp knives: A common practice when cutting is to sweep the board with the blade of the knife, to gather whatever you're chopping. Don't use the sharp edge for this. Instead, develop the habit of using the back of the blade.

I was skeptical when I first heard this and tested it. Sure enough, just a few sweeps dulls the edge enough to detect. It took very little time to build the habit of flipping the knife when I sweep material across the board.