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How to sharpen a knife

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Step #1.

Do not do this.

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bx_PkNIfK4[/YOUTUBE]
 

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Step #1 was pretty easy, as I doubt you would have someone sharpen your knife on a converted bicycle in South America. But it gets tougher. What about a handsome chef on American televison?


Step #2.

Do not do this.

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWS1qHWfTnk[/YOUTUBE]
 

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Easy, eh? What's that you say? Todd English is a public tv nobody? You want to follow the advice of a well respected "expert" on a major food network? Okay.

Step #3

Do not do this.

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hKXQHGwzAw[/YOUTUBE]
 

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That's right. Alton Brown has just given some of the worst possible advice, for the simple reason that he doesn't know any better. He's a great guy with a compendious knowledge of food, but he can't cook without a clock and a thermometer, and his advice on knives should be avoided.
 
Waiting on pins and needles...


Stones vs. gizmos to hold knife at correct angle.


I sharpen my chisels with a gizmo from Veritas and sandpaper all the way to .5 micron, works great. Tho I've found anything over 1200 to 2000 is overkill for woodworking.
 
Mr.Ouch you have shown us how not to sharpen knives . now will you be showing us how we should sharpen them??



Nick
 
M

modern man

That's right. Alton Brown has just given some of the worst possible advice, for the simple reason that he doesn't know any better. He's a great guy with a compendious knowledge of food, but he can't cook without a clock and a thermometer, and his advice on knives should be avoided.

SO don't take my knife to a pro?

Well I was going to pay you 500,000 Bhat to take care of my knives but well not anymore. :tongue:
 
I am still confused, so how are you supposed to sharpen a knife.
And what is your opinion of Henckels & Wusthof brand?
 
I am still confused, so how are you supposed to sharpen a knife.
And what is your opinion of Henckels & Wusthof brand?

High quality. But one thing that was nailed to a T in teh Alton clip was that the best knife is the one that feels the best in your hands. Of course, there is a minimum floor of quality required. It is difficult to beat that cold german carbon steel, though the japanese can be competitive.
 
The japanese steel is hard to beat, holds an edge longer, blade is usually thinner, making the knife lighter, etc. The downside is that they can be hard to sharpen at times as the steel is very hard (depending on the steel used).It comes down to what you like, can afford and can get.The german knives are good, but there is a reason the pros are slowly going japanese.
 
The japanese steel is hard to beat, holds an edge longer, blade is usually thinner, making the knife lighter, etc. The downside is that they can be hard to sharpen at times as the steel is very hard (depending on the steel used).It comes down to what you like, can afford and can get.The german knives are good, but there is a reason the pros are slowly going japanese.

Hmmm. I like the German knives because they are heavy.

Tim
 
The japanese steel is hard to beat, holds an edge longer, blade is usually thinner, making the knife lighter, etc. The downside is that they can be hard to sharpen at times as the steel is very hard (depending on the steel used).It comes down to what you like, can afford and can get.The german knives are good, but there is a reason the pros are slowly going japanese.

I too am a fan of Japanese steel. All of my knives are custom made, some form a guy in Quebec and the others (and best I have ever used) come from Shinichi Watanabe in Japan.

Now...if we can get him to make a straight razor, I my just become a convert from my DE shaving.
 

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Mr.Ouch you have shown us how not to sharpen knives . now will you be showing us how we should sharpen them??
Nick

Well not for nothing the topic is called "How to sharpen a knife" not how not to sharpen a knife :tongue:
Nick

Patience, friends. Remember, it's just as important to know what not to do, especially since incorrect technique may result in damage to your blade (same as with razors).


SO don't take my knife to a pro?

Well I was going to pay you 500,000 Bhat to take care of my knives but well not anymore. :tongue:

I thought a bhat was worth less than a lira, but let's round down to an even 15 grand and we'll call it a deal. I'll even throw in a free knife. :lol:
 

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SO don't take my knife to a pro?

The trouble with taking knives to a pro is finding one. Two quick examples-

The local Chef Central by me is having a knife sharpening demonstration next Saturday, conducted by representative of Chef's Choice. Do you really need to attend to determine that this will be nothing more than a sales pitch for their machines?

At the same store, a few years ago, I watched in horror as they were sharpening some poor customer's knife. He dropped it off (for about $2 per inch, if I'm correct) for sharpening, and no doubt would be delighted to learn that their "senior" sharpener (who bore an uncanny resemblence to the guy in the espresso machine section :wink2: ) was teaching a new hire how to sharpen. He used a waterstone bone dry :w00t: , and just about everything he did and said was wrong, not the least of which was this despicable fact: they were practicing on the customer's knife! :cursing:

As for the Alton "we're smoking salmon today so let's go to a hardware store and build a smoker from scratch" Brown video, I'm surprised he made no effort whatsoever to sharpen a knife. His expert in a truck was "grinding" the knives, and he seemed to make no attempt at a precision finish. This may be fine for rendering a score of Dexters useful for a commercial kitchen, but wasn't in the spirit of his otherwise remarkably informative show.

I will attempt to collect some good information in the coming days (and probably weeks), and possibly create some videos covering at least the basics. Stay tuned.
 

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And what is your opinion of Henckels & Wusthof brand?

Henckels and Wusthof make good products that will provide many years of service. The best of the Germans is probably Messermeister, and all of these may be found in kitchens everywhere. They are rugged and tough, but their steel is fairly soft. I have drawers full of them that don't see much use anymore.

High quality. But one thing that was nailed to a T in teh Alton clip was that the best knife is the one that feels the best in your hands. Of course, there is a minimum floor of quality required. It is difficult to beat that cold german carbon steel, though the japanese can be competitive.

Absolutely spot on advice. Everyone's hand is different, and nothing is more important than finding a knife that balances perfectly for you.
As for the German/Japanese steel, you have it a bit backwards. The steel used is even less expensive Japanese lines is much harder than German steel, and although the high end Japanese brands may not be household names, they have no competition.

The japanese steel is hard to beat, holds an edge longer, blade is usually thinner, making the knife lighter, etc. The downside is that they can be hard to sharpen at times as the steel is very hard (depending on the steel used).It comes down to what you like, can afford and can get.The german knives are good, but there is a reason the pros are slowly going japanese.

True, but since you'll have to deal with sharpening any knife, why not go for something good? I doubt that many straight razor fans, to draw an analogy, would say, "Gee, I have to sharpen my razor, so why should I bother to get a good one?"

Sharpening is not completely easy, but it's a learnable skill like many others. We learn what we learn because we want to. If you want to use a straight, you want to learn how to hone it. Same with knives.

Hmmm. I like the German knives because they are heavy.

Tim

It's generally true that a Japanese blade will be lighter (and more nimble) than its German counterpart. An 8" (200mm) German chef's knife will probably weigh as much, or more, than a 240mm (9 1/2") Japanese knife of a similar style. The Japanese steel may also be tempered to such a high degree of hardness and sharpened to such a thin profile that its thin edge will be delicate and brittle.

Not to fear- the Japanese have some designs for the harder tasks. Anyone who thinks a German knife is hefty has never held a yo-deba.
 
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