TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

The Thing About Knives: Keep 'Em Sharp

Photo by JADEN HAIR

A good quality knife is worth the expense, but is worthless in your hands if it is dull.

ADVERTISEMENT

By JADEN HAIR

Tribune correspondent

Published: November 7, 2008

It took me 12 years of spending money on different knives before I finally found my soul mates and fell into a steady groove with the collection I now own.

In college, I got sucked into the magical world of infomercials and bought the super-duper Ginsu knives that can decapitate a soda can in one swift motion and the scissors that can cut a penny in half with just the power of your pinky. Well, those lasted for three months, and then the only way to cut a chicken breast was to stab it repeatedly with all six knives in my hand, Edward Scissorhands-style.

As a working girl, to celebrate my becoming a useful member of society, I splurged on an expensive knife block that held something like 22 knives, each one designed to complete a specific kitchen task most efficiently.

Need to carve a tomato into a butterfly? There was a blade shaped just for that task.

But I hated those knives - they were too big for me and felt like I was shaking hands with an electric saw. Twenty of the knives in the block went totally unused.

I finally decided to save my money and just get one good knife that felt right in my hands. It was expensive, but it was the Ferrari in my kitchen, and I loved using it so much that I went around the house every day looking for things to dice.

It has been eight years and I still grab for that same 8-inch Shun chef's knife ( www.kershawknives.com).

My latest love is a New West KnifeWorks Fusionwood Santoku ( www.newwestknifeworks.com). This baby feels like a dream in my hands; it's sturdy and balanced, and the wood handle is a piece of art.

But a good quality knife is worthless in your hands if it is dull. Can you imagine force cutting through a butternut squash with a putty knife? If your blade is dull, the more work YOU have to do and the greater the chance that the blade will slip and cut your precious fingers. Ouch.

I spoke with Chad Ward, author of "An Edge in the Kitchen" ($34.95, William Morrow Cookbooks), and he taught me a few things about maintaining knives.

Every kitchen probably has that steel rod used to "sharpen" knives. But really, that rod is used for honing the edge, not sharpening it. So the first step is to get your knives sharpened, and for most home cooks, that means once a year. Ward suggests buying a $40 sharpening tool (advice and directions are in his book), but I would rather take my knives to a professional sharpener for $2 to $4 per blade. To find a professional sharpener, ask your local chef, butcher or hairdresser where he or she gets knives and shears sharpened.

Many supermarkets and Jo-Ann's Fabrics & Crafts ( www.joann.com) also have professionals on-site once a month.

If you use your steel rod to hone the edge regularly, you'll keep a safe, sharp knife in your kitchen. But most people don't know how to use their steel rod properly and end up dulling their knives even further.

Ward says you want about a 22.5-degree angle, and the easiest way to get that is to hold your knife edge flush against the steel. Now rotate your wrist inward to get the knife perpendicular to the steel - that's a 90-degree angle. Cut that in half, and it's 45 degrees. Cut that in half again and it's 22.5 degrees. If you're lucky, your steel rod will have a lip that will give you exactly 22.5 degrees (like in the photo), so you just have to line up your blade against that lip.

If your blades are sharp, all you need is a stroke or two on each side once a week (or for heavy users, each time you use your knives) to maintain that razor-sharp edge for up to a year. That's it.

I know you're going to ask me how to choose the best knife. Ward and I will be giving you our recommendations based on budget levels in another column. But for now, get your knives sharpened and practice honing correctly!

Jaden Hair is a cooking instructor and author of the blog Jaden's Steamy Kitchen at steamykitchen.com. Jaden Hair is a cooking instructor and author of the blog Jaden's Steamy Kitchen at steamykitchen.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT