Not the Sharpest Knife in the Drawer
The question I am asked most frequently as a Chef is “Who sharpens your knives?” The answer is, I do. Usually this is followed by “How?” That answer is a little more involved. Many people just don’t bother to sharpen their knives, perhaps because they don’t realize how important it is to work with a sharp knife for safety reasons, or perhaps they don’t know how. My guess is that its a little of both. I’d like to help change that.
To begin, I’d like to give you a good reason to stop using dull knives. It is much more likely you will accidentally slip and seriously cut yourself with a dull blade. Why? Simply because you have to exert more force on the item you are cutting to get a dull blade to go through. The more pressure you use, the greater the chance the item will move, causing your blade to slip and cut something other than the food. (like you!) Aside from that, using properly sharpened knives allows you to chop, slice, and dice much more quickly and easily, taking the monotony out of those tasks.
I will discuss three methods home cooks can use to keep their blades in condition. First is a whetstone. They are the hardest of the bunch to use, but give you the most control and great results. They are available online and in larger cookware stores starting from about $15.00. Stones come in many numbered “grits”. I would never use less than 600 grit, and for fine blade or *Japanese knives, not less than 1000. You can get double sided stones with two different grits, which I have. The important thing in using these stones, once you soak them in water for about 15 minutes, is to hold your knife at the right angle. Each stone comes with instructions on how to use it, but a good trick is to stack 3 pennies on top of the stone and lay your knife on them, blade to stone. This should give you about the right angle. Run the blade across the stone, from bolster to tip, in one direction only. Do this about ten times, then flip the knife over and repeat. Wash and dry the knife, then steel it (discussed below).
The next two are easier to use. There is a manual sharpener, which has two slots, one for sharpening and one for honing. The electric works similarly, but with a lot less elbow grease needed. Some electrics also sharpen serrated knives and come with an extra slot for just a light sharpening. The manual runs around $20.00, while the electric is considerably more, as much as $200.00. Use the manufacturer’s instructions for both.
After you sharpen, and also between sharpenings, it is important to steel you knife. I’m sure you’ve seen TV Chefs stropping their knives across this steel pole with a handle. What this does is re-align the blade after sharpening, and also after use. This needs to be done to smooth out the burrs that occur on the blade, to give you a nice, smooth, sharp cutting edge. Some Chefs steel their knives toward their hand, and some do it away from them. Either requires care and focus. Hold your knife in the hand you cut with, and the steel in the other. At a 20 degree angle, run the blade over the steel in one direction several times. Turn the knife over and repeat. Wipe your blade, and you’re ready to go!
*some Japanese knives have blades that are not even. In other words, one side may have a stronger angle, which needs to be considered when sharpening.
Yorktown’s own Karen Symington Muendell is Chef/Owner of Serves You Right, Culinary LLC in Westchester. She caters, teaches and does public cooking demonstrations at area farmers’ markets.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
