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Knife Sharpening

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allenlondon | 21:20 Fri 01st Jan 2021 | Home & Garden
16 Answers
How often do top quality chef’s knives (Damascus, for instance) need sharpening?

Some say daily, others say once a year!

What is the truth?
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When cutting performance reduces?
I'd agree with first answer...when the person using them thinks they need sharpening.
(I've had some ceramic knives for several years and they've never been sharpened...because they've never needed it).
Agree....when needed.
Question Author
Hmm. I tend to go by the soft tomato test - if they will thinly slice a soft tomato, they’re sharp!
believe it or not I was once a butcher and that is a complex question. The no 1 issue is the quality of the edge, a good quality knife will be hard stay sharp and also have flexibility. There is no fixed time to sharpen a knife. First get a good edge with a grinder then give it a thorough steeling, then steel it before and after every usage, sometimes during. A new grind should not be necessary for several weeks if you know how to preserve and use a knife properly. We used only swiss victorinox.
Depends on the amount of use. When I worked in a fishmongers / poulterers we would have to sharpen our knives on a steel frequently during the day. Then the 'knife grinder' would come round once a week in his van to grind the knives down a bit more, ready for a new edge, taking out any rough bits.
Question Author
I’m confused by the terms.

Sharpening I thought was a ‘big’ operation, involving whetstones or grinding wheels.

Steeling I thought was both the old fashioned metal ‘stick’ that you run your blade up and down, or those drawthrough devices.

Put me right!

A
On a really good blade steeling may be enough. My Scandinavian knives have never been resharpened but do get a few swipes of the steel every so often. They were 10 years old this Christmas. My previous set needed serious attention on a whetstone about every six months. Metal technology means knives tend to hold an edge better now unless they are hitting bone, or the carving fork too often.
er is that to cut thin slices of beef
or to stab people on AB

clearly one has to be sharpened more often .....
Question Author
Well, leading a bone-free vegetarian existence should protect our knives then!
Double edged blades are more of a problem, they tend to lose their point. Then you have to put in a whole new edge to keep the shape
The type of chopping board has an impact too, wood or plastic is best, never glass or marble.
yeah dont do the choppy choppy bit with veg
shool-iennes or whatever they are called
too afraid of cutting the tips of my fingers off ( vincristine neuropathy)
07:26, yes correct.
I take my knives to my butcher a couple of times a year. He does a great job sharpening them for me
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What’s the knack of using an old-fashioned steel?

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