Important Tech Facts & Tips

Most people ask us how to maintain that razor-sharp edge that we produce at Edgemiths, and how to make it last longer.  You'll find valuable information in this area that will help you "keep the edge" longer.

 

The Cutting Board

First and foremost, use a wooden cutting board. The best (and most expensive) are the so-called “end grain” wood boards, also known as butcher blocks.  The better ones are made from specially selected and treated hardwood blocks, cut and glued together in such a way as not to dull knifes.  When using end grain wood boards, well sharpened knives may only need to be re-sharpened once a year, with a few honing sessions in between.

 

Bamboo

Bamboo is quickly gaining popularity and becoming more widely available as a cutting board material.  If you prefer to go with bamboo, once again make sure to get end-grain board.  While being more expensive, they will be much easier on your knives than the less-expensive cross-grain boards.

 

Don't Use Plastic Or Stone

Nothing dulls a knife edge faster than cutting on a stone or even a plastic board.  We’ve heard from many people that they choose such cutting boards out of hygiene concerns, but a university study actually has shown hardwoods to contain natural anti-bacterial substances, and therefore to be better for use in the kitchen.  If you insist on using a plastic cutting board, expect having to re-hone your knife before every use, and re-sharpen once every couple of months.

 

Proper Storage

Knife storage is another important factor in keeping edges sharp.  The best ways to store knives are to use a wooden knife block, an in-drawer knife block, or a magnetic strip that attaches to the side of the cabinet.  Storing knives loose in the drawer is both dangerous for you and bad for the edges.

 

Proper Cleaning

Washing your knives should be done by hand with soapy sponge, and immediately followed by hand-drying with a towel.  Despite the name “stainless”, steel is prone to some degree of corrosion, and so a constant exposure to water (e.g., soaking in a sink) will corrode the most important part of your knife – the edge!  Washing knives in the dishwasher is one of the worst things you can do to them, as the harsh chemical environment attacks the delicate edge and the handle material, while the shaking and rattling will produce nicks and dents.

 

Honing and Touchup

Regardless of what you use for your cutting board or how well you care for your knives, they get dull and need to be maintained.  If your knives have already been sharpened by Edgesmiths, we recommend using ceramic steel for periodic honing and touchup.  Do not, by any means, use serrated steel that most likely came with your knife set!  Regular serrated butcher steel is a 10”-12” long rod with a handle, with many tiny grooves cut into its surface.  These steels were created a long time ago, when the alloys used for knife blades were relatively soft, and edges had to be straightened / re-sharpened often, almost daily.  The tiny grooves in the steel created micro-serrations in the knife edge, making the knife a more aggressive cutter – until the “teeth” wore away, and the process got repeated.  Such technique has no place on modern knives, for a couple of reasons.  First, the alloys used for the knives are almost as hard as the butcher steel material.  The edges no longer “fold” – they wear out, or chip away, due to their hardness.  And while you may be able to cut “teeth” into the edge – think about where those “teeth” end up when they wear away!?...  That’s right, they end up mixed into your food.

 

On high-end laminated Japanese knives, where steel hardness exceeds Rc62 (Rockwell hardness scale), serrated steels will cause cracks and stress fractures which, after some use, will propagate into the edge in random directions and cause chip-outs.

 

Honing with Ceramic Steel

Correct technique for honing an edge with ceramic steel:

 

•  Step 1:   Create an angle guide by folding a small piece of paper, such as a 2”x2” Post-It note.  Fold the paper at the corner once –
  this will give you a 45-degree angle.  Fold it again – this will give you a 22.5-degree angle.
•  Step 2:   While holding the ceramic steel vertically, with its end resting on a cutting board, use the paper angle guide to position the knife
  at the top of the steel.  Then draw the knife gently across the steel with a downward slicing motion, as if you were to peel a layer from
  the steel material.  Repeat the strokes, alternating sides, about 5-6 times.
•  Step 3:   Test the edge on a sheet of paper (see above).  You may repeat again, up to 10-12 strokes.  If you cannot restore the blade
  this way, it may by time for a complete re-sharpening.

 

Safety and Basic Knife Skills

Any edge tool can be potentially dangerous, and therefore has to be handled and maintained properly to avoid injury.

 

The first safety rule is keeping your tools sharp. Yes, as un-intuitive as it seems, dull tools are more dangerous than sharp tools. The physics behind it is simple, however: dull tools have thick edges, and require much more pressure to cut than a sharp tool. This extra pressure often causes the tool to slip from its intended path, injuring the user.

 

The second safety rule involves using correct cutting techniques, specific to the tool being used. While this website is not intended to teach users the basics of knife, scissor, chisel, etc. handling, there is one simple rule that we can offer. Before attempting a cut, with a tool in your hand, imagine in what direction the tool would end up slipping – if it were to slip accidentally under pressure. If the tool path points towards any part of your body (or someone nearby), reconsider your cutting technique!

 

For cooking knives, specifically, do all of your chopping, dicing and slicing on a cutting board, while guiding the side of the blade with your bent knuckles. Fillet and boning cuts should be done sideways, with food laying flat on a cutting board. Paring and peeling cuts should be done while holding the knife with four fingers, with the thumb helping to support and guide the food, but out of the blade’s path.