How do you keep your kitchen knife sharp?

[hsa]

Chef's Choice #4643. Has asian and european angle plus hone. Wirecutter recommendation. It's as good as I'll ever get it. If I do it by any other way I will make it duller. The thing works great though.

 

[ikanode]

I'm not a knife or sharpening Geek. I just want fast, reasonably good results that I can't screw up. The first stage converts knives from 20° to 15°, the second stage is used for routine sharpening and the last stage polishes.

After at least 10 sharpening on my knives, I haven't noticed significant blade-removal. In between sharpening, I use a diamond steel every few days. At $160, it's not cheap but has turned out to be fast and hassle free. I take it along on visits to friends and family and sharpen their knives.

Chef'sChoice Trizor XV EdgeSelect Professional Electric Knife Sharpener with 100-Percent Diamond Abrasives and Precision Angle Guides for Straight Edge and Serrated Knives, 3-stage, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0018RSEMU/?tag=cpf0b6-20

 

[3_gun]

I don't run'em into the cutting board or tabletop & I surely don't cut things on ceramic plates. By not being hard on the blade I usually get 6 or more months between sharpenings. When I do touch up an edge it's with a Lansky kit if it's bad or just diamond paste.

If you use ceramic blades the Lansky diamond kit can help recover from damage but sharpening really needs to be done with diamond paste on a buffing wheel. I get much better results hand held rather than powered.

I pick up great knives poorly treated at estate/yard sales for pennies on the dollar. I prefer high carbon over stainless steels unless I'm cutting garlic, onions or something high in acidity.

I have WAY more knives/cleavers than I do lights. Some dating back to the civil war era & well over 14". Watermelons don't stand a chance

 

[Texas75]

Get a Spyderco sharpmaker or a Lansky turnbox. Have your knives professionally sharpened and then maintain the edge with the system of your choice. Use a wooden cutting board, and never put your blades in the sink or dishwasher.

 

[Texas75]

I recently got the Idahone and like it very much...

 

[vicv]

Get a Spyderco sharpmaker or a Lansky turnbox. Have your knives professionally sharpened and then maintain the edge with the system of your choice. Use a wooden cutting board, and never put your blades in the sink or dishwasher.

While I agree that this can work, I always try to encourage people to get a benchstone and do this themselves. After some practice you are the professional knife sharpener. It's very easy. It just takes practice and dedication. You are not going to be amazing at first at it

 

[Chauncey Gardiner]

I have WAY more knives/cleavers than I do lights. Some dating back to the civil war era & well over 14". Watermelons don't stand a chance

Please post some pictures. This thread really needs some pictures.

 

[knucklegary]

+1 Let's see that civil war clever in action 🇺🇸

 

[Chauncey Gardiner]

I recently purchased these for my mother.

I'm going to need to sharpen them sooner or later. They weren't really expensive - less than $200 each - however, they're the nicest knives I've ever purchased, which gives me pause to use them to learn on. I've never used anything more on the Lovely Mrs Gardiner's kitchen knives than the rod that accompanied them. We tend to be very easy on our cutlery.

Both knives were purchased here - https://store.burrfection.com/

 

[xxo]

I recently purchased these for my mother.

View attachment 18389

I'm going to need to sharpen them sooner or later. They weren't really expensive - less than $200 each - however, they're the nicest knives I've ever purchased, which gives me pause to use them to learn on. I've never used anything more on the Lovely Mrs Gardiner's kitchen knives than the rod that accompanied them. We tend to be very easy on our cutlery.

Both knives were purchased here - https://store.burrfection.com/

It's pretty hard to damage knives on a Sharpmaker, about the only thing you need to watch for is not rounding the tips on the corners of the stones - to avoid this always leave the last 1/4 inch of the tip and sharpen it on the flat side of the stones, keeping the tip in full contact without drawing it across the stone.

 

[fuyume]

IMO, the important part of sharpening is not so much what abrasive you use, but the consistency of the angle at which you use it.

And for kitchen purposes, it's not really necessary to use the absolutely finest grade of abrasive. The microserrations produced by less fine grades of abrasive are often conducive to easier slicing.

FTR, my kitchen knives are JA Henckels Five Star, and I sharpen them with Dia-Sharp diamond stones and touch them up with the Henckels steel that was part of the set. Somewhere around, I also have a Kyocera ceramic rod, but I haven't bothered using it in a long time. And I have a couple of Kyocera ceramic knives that I use sometimes, as well as a cheap ($11) SBZZ stainless Chinese caidao, which does just fine, so long as you maintain the edge.

 

[Fird]

I had a professional chef recommend a diamond knife hone in place of a steel, "for when you have no time to sharpen, and no time for a dull blade either." Can confirm it works wonders, a few strokes and its ready (unless the blade really needs a stone). Likely wears out the blade quicker but I don't care on that front.

 

[vicv]

IMO, the important part of sharpening is not so much what abrasive you use, but the consistency of the angle at which you use it.

And for kitchen purposes, it's not really necessary to use the absolutely finest grade of abrasive. The microserrations produced by less fine grades of abrasive are often conducive to easier slicing.

FTR, my kitchen knives are JA Henckels Five Star, and I sharpen them with Dia-Sharp diamond stones and touch them up with the Henckels steel that was part of the set. Somewhere around, I also have a Kyocera ceramic rod, but I haven't bothered using it in a long time. And I have a couple of Kyocera ceramic knives that I use sometimes, as well as a cheap ($11) SBZZ stainless Chinese caidao, which does just fine, so long as you maintain the edge.

Agreed and I'll take this one step further. Untill you're very good at sharpening, don't go to a fine stone. A lot of people claim a 1k and 6k stone. That 6k stone is useless to a beginner sharpener. The 1k is plenty fine and really too much so. Start with a 300 or so. Don't go beyond that until you've gotten everything you can out of it. That's why many feel an edge loses its bite when given a high polish. That's not the case. You've just rounded the edge due to bad technique.
If you can shave hair off a 300 grit stone, then move finer if you feel it will give you what you want.

 

[Modernflame]

I recently purchased these for my mother.

I'm going to need to sharpen them sooner or later. They weren't really expensive - less than $200 each - however, they're the nicest knives I've ever purchased, which gives me pause to use them to learn on.

Do my eyes deceive me or is that chef knife chisel ground? If so, sharpening will require a specific technique. Those are beautiful knives, either way.

 

[Chauncey Gardiner]

Do my eyes deceive me or is that chef knife chisel ground? If so, sharpening will require a specific technique. Those are beautiful knives, either way.

I don't think it is, but can't really say for sure. I purchased the petty about a week back, but the chef was a few months before ..... maybe six or more. Time is flying much too fast.

Dad was always frugal .... and it occurred to me mom had never had the pleasure of using a higher quality knife. The chief's knife was a factory second. When it arrived from Hong Kong I was unable to discern the issue.

Thank you for the compliment.

Sooner or later I'm going to have to man-up and start learning to sharpen a knife.

 

[Modernflame]

Dad was always frugal .... and it occurred to me mom had never had the pleasure of using a higher quality knife.

Well done.

 

[3_gun]

Not all are ready for use & not everyone is razor sharp yet but these are a few I had at hand. The solo cleaver was used in town at the stock yards & tips in at about 4lbs. Not in the pic are the ones from the kitchen or under 8" except for the glass one. Most have not been taken care of, many had been used as garden tools & quality wise, the best knife in the house. Total cost OOP is under $35 in the pics

 

[Poppy]

SO how do you fix that cleaver in the first picture? The middle of it is worn away.

 

[knucklegary]

It would take major re-contouring to fix that worn low area

Maybe just put an edge on it. Other than that, the cleaver has character, I'd leave it alone

 

[Chauncey Gardiner]

SO how do you fix that cleaver in the first picture? The middle of it is worn away.

It would take major re-contouring to fix that worn low area

Maybe just put an edge on it. Other than that, the cleaver has character, I'd leave it alone

There are some very informative and fun-to-watch restoration videos on Youtube. The varying skills these restorers possess is nothing short of remarkable.