Let's assume you're committed to keeping your kitchen knives sharp by learning how to hone (or steel) them. That you've studied up on the best type of honing steel to use, understand the angle you should hone at, and have practiced the correct technique. Is there anything else you should be aware of to help you succeed?
Absolutely! I recommend you 1) establish a routine, 2) store your hone in an easy-access nook, and 3) create a Honing Cheat Sheet.
Get On a Schedule
You need to be consistent when honing (or steeling) your knives. Believe it or not - ideally - you should hone them every time you use them (a serious session, like prepping a meal). Seems a bit obsessive, doesn't it? But you'd be surprised what you might be able to train yourself to do, once you reap the benefits (i.e. perpetually sharp knives). Remember, it only takes about 60 seconds.
At a bare minimum (if you're cooking 3 or 4 times a week), you should hone once a week. Less than that and you're greatly diminishing the effect. It will still help, but you'll need to get your knives sharpened sooner than necessary and you'll needlessly deprive yourself of working with sharp knives.
When should you do it? Technically speaking, it's better to hone right before using a knife than after - the reason being that if a large amount of time has elapsed between honing and use, the knife can regress and the edge bend back out a bit. But it's no biggie. If honing right before is too much hassle, then do it later when you feel less pressured. The main thing is to do it!
Ergonomics
Be sure to store your honing steel in an easy-to-get-to place. Somewhere in the flow of your kitchen work and close to your knives. Don't make yourself have to dig through the back of a cabinet, scattering whisks and spatulas, every time you need to use it. You'll never last. Make it handy - this will support you in doing what you need to do. And it's OK if it doesn't fit in your knife block - mine doesn't - store it in a convenient drawer, or hang it on a hook near the action.
Honing (or Steeling) Cheat Sheet
And finally, even though it may seem nerdy, I highly recommend printing out a cheat sheet - a short list of instructions to keep with your honing steel. In the beginning, at least, it will prove invaluable for reminding you of the key points. Otherwise you will either 1) waste time over and over again trying to find the instructions you need every time you hone and then simply get sick of it and quit, or 2) simply not hone at all because you can't deal with looking up the instructions, or 3) try to remember what the instructions said, and probably not get it right and hone incorrectly, and make your knives duller instead of sharper.
Sooo, here's the Honing Cheat Sheet I once used. Copy it into your favorite word processor and print it out small and compact. Nerds rule!
Honing/Steeling Cheat Sheet
- hone/steel after every other use
- at same angle, or slightly steeper, than sharpened angle (20-22 degrees for Western knives, or 11-15 degrees for Japanese)
- remember the two tricks for finding the correct angle
- always better to err being too shallow, then go steeper
- best on low table, at the level of your hips
- lock wrist and elbow to keep angle consistent
- avoid letting tip of knife slide off of edge of steel
- use barely more pressure than the weight of the knife itself
- alternate side to side
- 2 or 3 strokes per side - 7 or 8 max
- test sharpness - if not improved, tweak angle
- hand wash honing steel occasionally and wipe dry
When to steel?
- ideally, right before using, just a couple of strokes
- otherwise, once a week
- create a routine
If you can teach yourself to hone regularly, you'll have sharp knives at your fingertips all the time. You'll begin to get addicted. And depending on 1) how much you cook, 2) how dutifully you hone, and 3) the quality of your knives, you may be able to go a year or longer before having to even think about sharpening.
No comments:
Post a Comment