how to sharpen chefs knife

Although it may seem like a simple act, if we want to cut effectively and, in turn, not mistreat the knives. For this reason, Hideki tells us his secret trick from him to get a perfect sharpening.Before starting sharpening with the stone, the stone must be wet and allowed to absorb the water.In addition, the stone with which we will sharpen the knife must always be slightly inclined. This inclination should be at the same angle as the bevel of the knife. Calculate the approximate angle we will achieve by placing the bevel parallel to the stone.

Sharpening a knife correctly has a significant difficulty

The ultimate secret trick to get an optimal cut when sharpening the knife is to first test with a piece of wood to find the right angle with which to sharpen and then replicate it on the stone.

When sharpening the knife we manage to scratch the wood, it means that we have found the perfect angle. Next, we just need to move to the sharpening stone and replicate that angle.

If you want to know which stone you should use for each type of metal according to the knife or the different cutting techniques and advice for cleaning fish and the different preparations of sushi and sashimi, you will be able to learn all this knowledge and more in the new course The keys of sushi and sashimi with Hideki Matsuhisa , renowned oriental chef with a Michelin star.

How to know if your knife needs sharpening

There are a few ways to see if your blade needs sharpening. One is the paper test: simply hold a piece of paper in one hand and slice it across the blade with the other hand. A sharp blade will effortlessly cut through the paper. Another way is to slice a tomato: if your knife has a hard time cutting through the thin skin and soft flesh of a tomato, it probably needs sharpening as well.
Otherwise, go by the frequency. For normal home cooking, we recommend sharpening the knife every 30 to 40 uses. Some professionals prefer to sharpen their blades before each new culinary project.

The difference between grinding and sharp

In fact, there are two processes involved in maintaining knives: sharpening and grinding. What is usually called sharp is actually grinding. Any blade can become dull, which basically means that its fine edge gets bent from use, and needs frequent grinding. Grinding realigns the edges of the knife, restoring the full effect of its super-sharp edge. You can do this yourself at home with an emery steel.

Sharpening

Sharpening, on the other hand, is a process by which small pieces of the blade are forged and broken off to produce a new sharp edge. This can be done with a knife sharpener.or with an electric sharpener. And you don’t need to do it as frequently as grinding, just a few times a year, or after every 300 uses or so. Don’t forget to always use a grinding steel after sharpening. This is because sharpening removes material from the blade and then grinding smoothes the new sharp edge, so it should always be done in this order.
Over years of use and re-sharpening, the cutting edge of a knife blade will thicken, making the re-sharpening process more difficult. In this case, we recommend a professional sharpening service. Our stores also offer this service for all those who do not wish to grind or sharpen their own knives.

Which sharpening tool to use

We offer a variety of sharpening and grinding tools, so how do you know which one is right for you? First, you need to understand the difference between grinding and sharpening, so you can choose your tools accordingly. A combination of grinding and sharpening tools should be part of your kitchen kit, even if you will only use the sharpening tools two or three times a year.

Grinding tool

You should also choose the grinding tool that is best for your knife. Stamped knives are made with steel of a slightly lower hardness level which makes grinding easier, then it can be done with a homemade grinding steel. The harder steel of a forged knife means you don’t have to sharpen it as often, but you will need a ceramic or diamond grinding steel to get the job done, because the hardness level of grinding steel should be significantly higher than that of sheet itself.
Smaller kitchen knives can be easily sharpened with our Sharpy tool . Serrated edge knives like bread knives need to be sharpened by professionals, but if you are an experienced sharpener you can also use Sharpy for smaller serrated edge blades. For most people, however, we recommend a professional knife service for all serrated edge blades.