The Joy of a sharp knife

I remember as a line cook, one of the many facets of the job was to learn which knife to use, how to use it, and when to use it.

It made a difference to know which knife was the best for the job. It made my life easier.

Once I became more skilled with my knives, the possibilities were endless as to what I could accomplish in the kitchen and the speed at which I was able to finish each task.

I was learning which boning knife was for chicken and which was better for breaking down pigs. Which of my knives allowed me to effortlessly glide through whole fish and which knife was better for delicate garnish work.

Now, that was many years in the making. Even though my knives progressed in dollar sign$ They weren’t performing as I expected.

They were getting dull…

How Do I get them sharp again? what angle? what method? All we had back then was a steel and a really dirty and messy triple oil stone from Norton.

Nobody really knew how to use this thing. What the heck is a burr???
I purchased some books at the local Borders and B. Daltons to try and find what I could in order to learn how to maintain my knives. Nothing really jumped out at me that made practical sense.
Even our culinary books had much on this subject.

So I began a journey that still continues today (over 25 years later) and I still find joy in sharpening and using those sharp knives.

The blades are pretty much the same, the knife shapes haven’t changed much. But my tools and techniques for sharpening have certainly improved.

There really isn’t a feeling quite like slicing through the skin of multiple bell peppers, slicing through scallions with ease and knowing I won’t get ‘accordians’ because the heel of the knife is actually touching the flat cutting board. Effortlessly cutting through tomatoes without crushing them is amazing. Just as much as using my heavier chef’s knife to split open some butternut squash for a winter-time soup.

Each knife has its own way of making our food fabrication lives easier. I have come to understand that and know how to put the correct edge on each type of knife.

I created Chef KnifeWorks to share that knowledge and the skills I have developed over the past two decades.
We sharpen your knives and set in new bevels that make sense for your task and your knife.
Start enjoying meal prep again by bringing your knives Back2Sharp with Chef KnifeWorks Sharpening.

Make an appointment now!