Why I'm Now Obsessed with Sharp Kitchen Knives

[Wurstmeister]

Wurstmeister,
As long as you're not prepping liver w/ fava beans you should be okay I guess.

I was actually thinking about using a sheep's or calf's offal for a good Haggas and a stomach added in for a Pennsilfaanisch Deitsch (PA Deutsch) Hag Maw?!

 

[bakerman]

Just as a follow up. Due to this thread I purchased the Work Sharp Mk2 this past weekend. Within 2 hours of unboxing every knife in my kitchen is the sharpest it has ever been since new. Loving this sharpener. All my Henkel's are razor sharp even the sandwich knife.

 

[noboundaries]

I thought I might resurrect this thread as the gift giving season rolls around. After 2-3 stone sharpening times on my old "tri-edge" electric sharpened knives, the cutting edge has been reshaped by the stones. They now hold their edge MUCH longer with light honing on occasion.

The last time I sharpened anything was June, and that was to fix a Cleaver edge from a sink drop, and several cheap kitchen knives we found in boxes my dad left me. Prior to that, it was April for knives I use daily.

Whether you want stones, or a stone-type system like the Work Sharp Mk2 mentioned above, now's the time to let Santa know!

Happy Holidays. They're heeeere!

Ray

 

[G8trwood]

Just be careful with the electric sharpeners (especially with fine grits) they can remove the temper at the edge. A manual sharpening or two will usually remove it. Dip it in water often or use a misting system.
Don’t want to mess up a fancy edge!

Now we can get into the politics of how fine of a grit edge does a kitchen knife need, and stropping ;)

 

[noboundaries]

Now we can get into the politics of how fine of a grit edge does a kitchen knife need, and stropping ;)

Ah. I do a homemade wood-mounted leather strop after a few light honing rod swipes.

As far as grit, so debatable with steel type and hardness. The hardest kitchen knife I have is descibed as 56+/-2. Most are 52-56 and German, Spanish, Chinese, or vintage inexpensive Made-in-Japan stamped knives.

When I stone my better knives, I'll restore the edge with the 1000, then hone with a 5000 and the leather. I hit my cheaper knives with a 320 or 400, then the 1000 and the leather.

Learning what worked for each knife is fun...as long as you have the time.