Sharpening knives

panthro said:
What about something like this?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...f_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=283803207&pf_rd_i=11052681

Any good?
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That's identical to the two-stone Minosharp that I had. It's ok. It will bring a blunt knife back up, but the stones are very weak and don't last long. You can replace them but they are almost as expensive as a whole new unit. I complained that my first set only lasted 3-4 times for my knife set before they snapped in the middle, and had them replaced, but when the second set did the same I just decided to bin it and look for a different sharpener.
 
panthro said:
What about something like this?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...f_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=283803207&pf_rd_i=11052681

Any good?
Click to expand...

That's pretty much the sharpener I have which I use with my knives (a cheap sabatier set which my gf uses and a set of expensive, professional knives - which electric sharpeners don't manage to get any type of edge on) and it does a great job of all of them.

I've not had any of the problems Jonny69 had with the wheels breaking and I've used it loads of times.
 
Mine were a lot broader than Sabatier blades which I think didn't help. I couldn't get them to maintain an edge for very long once I'd reground them so I replaced them (with Sabatiers as it goes). I think they did me 12 years and I really use and abuse my kitchen knives, so I can't complain too much.
 
Jonny69 said:
They are ok, those Minisharp sharpeners, but they don't last long. I got about three to four uses out of mine (on my main 3 knives) before the stones broke in the middle. After the second set I threw it in the bin. I was quite gentle with it, it's just not a very durable piece of kit.
Click to expand...
Don't take this as anything other than a gentle ribbing, but you do strike me as being incredibly heavy-handed when it comes to kitchen equipment.

You've knackered a set of Anolon pans, which I thought to be previously unknackerable, and now you've told me that you've broken a set of Minosharp wheels in half - and not just one set, two of the bloody things!

I've just tried to cut through my old, discarded, Minosharp using the largest, bluntest knife I could find, but I failed miserably to make even a scratch in the surface of either wheel.

I don't know whether to admire you or fear you. Possibly both!
 
Hi, chef of 25 years here.

To keep your knives sharp, do what chefs do, Always have a steel to hand, a good quality steel is worth it, I have many steels but after a while they loose the ability to actually sharpen. I like diamond steels, I believe they are coated with fine dust particles of diamonds, anyway, they always keep a good edge on my knives.

Also when you have sharpened your knife, wipe it on a cloth or something before cutting food as there will be dirt/sharpening residue left on the blade.

if you always keep your knives very sharp, you will hardly ever need to use a wet /oil stone to being back the edge.
 
40p an inch http://sharpknives.co.uk/ good service if your knives are past steeling and you aren't sure about using a stone. I'm not confident that I'd do a good job with a stone. Might get one one day and some cheap knives to practice. The only problem is that my decent knives will most likely need a different technique anyway.
 
Seems that the consensus is to go for steel to sharpen knives.
I have some Prestige knives. They are amazing quality or anything but they do the job. I stupidly chopped some herbs on a marble chopping board and the edge is slightly blunt now. Whats a decent steel to purchase that doesnt cost too much?
 
Was about to quote the exact same bit. I was all like "interesting, but I'm not sure I agree" (Steels and Whetstones have different roles to play, even Globals need both) then I spotted that bit and I was like "WTH?".

Steels are for honing the blade. They are designed to straighten the edge out again after use and you should own one before you've even started using your knives. A steel is used every day that you use the knives in order to maintain the edge. The rougher the steel the easier it is to use, but the more damage it can potentially do to the blade.

A Whetstone is for sharpening the blade once it has dulled. Depending on how much you use your knives and how well you look after them, you shouldn't need to use one of these more than once or twice a year. Bare in mind that they remove a significant amount of metal from your knives; maintaining the edge with a Steel is vastly preferable to having to use a Whetstone regularly.

Get the Steel first, learn how to use it (practice on some old knives). There's plenty of videos on YouTube.
 
Magic_x_uk said:
Hi, chef of 25 years here.

To keep your knives sharp, do what chefs do, Always have a steel to hand, a good quality steel is worth it, I have many steels but after a while they loose the ability to actually sharpen. I like diamond steels, I believe they are coated with fine dust particles of diamonds, anyway, they always keep a good edge on my knives.

Also when you have sharpened your knife, wipe it on a cloth or something before cutting food as there will be dirt/sharpening residue left on the blade.

if you always keep your knives very sharp, you will hardly ever need to use a wet /oil stone to being back the edge.
Click to expand...

As an ex butcher (well, apprentice butcher), I can only agree with all of the above. I never put my steel in a drawer - it's always on the kitchen worktop. Every time I pick up a knife, I give it a quick sharpen on the steel. I don't wipe mine on a cloth, I do it on my apron (if I'm wearing it) or my trousers :o

As Magic says, if you give your knives a quick rub on a steel every time you use them, you should have little or no use for a stone.
 
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