–Perfecting your edge!How to use a sharpening or honing steel
Let's talk about the unsung hero of kitchen tools: the sharpening steel. A sharpening steel is like a trusty sidekick to your knives, keeping them in prime-cutting condition for all your chopping adventures.
Before we dive into the nitty-gritty of sharpening, let's differentiate between sharpening steels and honing steels. While both are essential for knife maintenance, they serve different purposes. Look our for the material to determine which steel is right for the maintenance you'd like to perform on your knife.
Sharpening steel
- Typically made of ceramic or steel with a diamond coating
- Effectively sharpens and realigns the knife's edge
- Removes a considerable amount of metal to create a sharper edge
- Used less frequently than honing
- Suitable for regular knife maintenance
Honing steel
- Typically made of high-carbon steel, sometimes coated with chrome or other alloys for durability
- Pushes any irregularities in the blade straight without removing metal (at most very minuscule amounts)
- Used more frequently than sharpening
- Suitable for using before or after each knife use
Most popular Sharpening & Honing Steels
–Your step by step guide
Mastering the art of using a sharpening steel is a journey of precision and patience. With practice and the right technique, you'll breathe new life into your knives and keep them sharp-as new.
Step 1: Hold the steel firmly in your one hand at a 45-degree angle, and hold your knife in your other hand (use your strongest hand as this hand will be doing most of the work).
Step 2: At a 15-20 degree angle to the steel, work the knife from the top to the bottom and draw the blade down the steel. For Asian knives, you can reduce the angle to 10-15 degrees.
Step 3:Do the same on the other side of the blade and repeat.
Repeat several times until the blade is feeling restored. You can also try this with the steel resting on a tea towel, on a table, as shown here.
If left unmaintained, a knife will become blunt and a sharpening steel will not be sufficient to bring the knife back to sharpness. In those instances, you'll need to use a whetstone or pull-through sharpener for more comprehensive sharpening.
