Knife Shapening 101

My awesome family recently gave me a gift that was a set of J.A. Henckels Synergy 16-pc Knifes (Amazon link).

I passed our previous (still nice) knife block set to my in-laws who were discovered to be knife-less in the kitchen after their recent downsizing move.

I had also been gifted a set of high-grade japanese whetstones in four different grades along with a diamond-embedded whetstone leveling tool.

So, no more using the cheap little grindstone wheel kept in our cutlerly drawer; although it does do a great job on our “regular” kitchen knife.

My first attempt to use the new whetstones wasn’t a total failure. But as I learned from my pre-attempt studies, it takes a LOT of practice and patience to do right.

Here are some of the best links I found for my skill development.

• How to Sharpen a Knife – ChefSteps
• Sharpening Knife on a Whetstone with Master Sushi Chef Hiro Terada – YouTube
• Knife Sharpening Tip From a Master Bladesmith: Apply Adequate Pressure – Lifehacker
• 9 Knife Care Tips We Learned from a Master Bladesmith – Food52
• A Three-Step Routine to Keep Your Knives Sharp and Safe – Lifehacker
• Using a Tri-Stone Sharpener - Wüsthof USA

I’m still refining my technique, though it is a surprisingly good exercise in stress reduction; especially since it is almost a ritual getting all the items prepared for the activity at hand.

Cheers!

--Claus Valca