Knife Blade Materials

Importance Of Knife Blade Material

The first consideration of any knife should be the blade, and the steel that it is forged from. After all, as a knife it will be expected to be able to cut, and if you buy a knife from us you will expect it to cut very well indeed.

420 Series Stainless Steel

Typically found on presentation, display knives, and some hunting knives. Sharpness is okay which justifies it's entry into the surgical grade category. Easy to sharpen

Boye Dendritic

Boye Dendritic is a cobalt alloy. These blades are completely rust-resistant and still perform well as knife blades although they are expensive. This type of material is often found in knives that are used in and around salt water.

Branded Stainless Steels

Good levels of sharpness with acceptable levels of edge retention, so it's a good job they're easy to sharpen. Hard compound steel found primarily on folding knives. Very tough and easy to sharpen

Carbon Steel

Carbon steel is an alloy of iron and carbon, often including other alloys such as vanadium and manganese. A typical carbon steel blade is very inexpensive, and can be very sharp, and hold its edge well. Carbon steel is normally easier to re-sharpen than most stainless steels, but is vulnerable to rust and stains. Some professional cooks, particularly those in Asia, are partial to carbon steel blades because of their reasonable cost, cutting power, and edge-holding ability; others find these advantages outweighed in the kitchen by the extra maintenance required, as these blades must be cleaned, dried, and lubricated after each use or they will rust. New carbon-steel knives may also impart a metallic or "iron" flavor to acidic foods, though over time, the steel acquires a dark patina of oxidation which acts to block this process. Some people find patina a charming sign of age, while others find it unsightly. Very sharp, great edge retention and easy to sharpen

Ceramic

Ceramic is not a steel at all, they are made of zirconium oxide and aluminum Although they are much more delicate than steel knives, they tend to hold their edge up to 10 times longer. These blades are so hard that they will maintain a sharp edge for months or years with no maintenance at all. Like titanium, they do not impart any taste to food and are immune to corrosion. On the other hand, although ceramic blades can be sharpened on silicon carbide sandpaper or many grinding wheels, it is difficult enough that they are usually professionally sharpened. Also, they are hard enough to cut through glaze on dinnerware so should not be used as tableware. Further, although they are hard, ceramic blades are also very brittle, and will chip if struck against hard objects, or even sharpened improperly. Ceramic blades should only be used on wood or plastic cutting boards. Ceramic blades must never be used to pry or lever foods or other materials apart, as they may snap.

Damascus Steel

Damascus steel blades today are generally pattern welded steel, which is made of layers of steel and iron which are welded together. Japanese katana are made with Damascus steel. It is a folded mix of two types of steel, either Carbon or Stainless and combines the properties of the two individual blades. Excellent edge retention, Very sharp edge, and easy to sharpen

Hard Compound Steels

Very hard compound steels offering reasonable sharpness, but excellent strength and edge retention. Perfect on survival type knives and often found on military collectables. Can be unusually expensive and will rust if not cared for. Very Tough, Excellent Edge Retention, Easy to Sharpen

High Carbon Stainless Steel

High Carbon Stainless Steel normally refers to higher-grade, stainless steel alloys with a certain amount of carbon. Knives made from high carbon stainless steel offer a combination of the best attributes of carbon steel and stainless steel blades. High carbon stainless steel blades do not discolor or stain, and maintain a sharp edge. Most of these 'high-carbon' stainless blades also feature higher quality alloys than less expensive stainless knives, often including amounts of molybdenum, vanadium, cobalt, and other components intended to increase strength, edge-holding, and cutting ability.

High Carbon Steel

High carbon steel is actually the best performer providing more toughness and the ability to take a very sharp edge with less overall effort. However, high carbon steel is not stain resistant. It can rust and will discolor from use. After much use, high carbon steel kitchen knife blades will actually become black. This discoloration is purely cosmetic and does not affect the performance of the knife in any way. An example of this kind of knife is the Sabatier Au Carbone.

Laminated Blades

Laminated blades attempt to use the best of multiple materials by creating a layered sandwich of different steel alloys (there are no laminated blades made of plastic or ceramic.) Such knives are a modern descendant of the ancient Japanese San Mai sword-making process. Frequently a harder, more brittle steel is sandwiched between two softer, tougher steel alloys, so that the blade combines the attributes, to some extent, of both metals. A laminated blade's edge can often be made harder than an ordinary stainless steel knife, in turn facilitating a more acute grind on the cutting blade (thereby increasing the knife's cutting abilities).

Pakistan Steel

Pakistan steel - no ideas what's in it - iron ? - and that's about it. Dreadful levels of sharpness, no edge retention to speak of, and once it's blunt you'll never get an edge on it again.

Plastic

Plastic blades are not very sharp at all. Their primary use is for cutting through vegetables such as lettuce without causing them to discolor. (A steel knife will cause the cut edges of lettuce to turn black.) Plastic knives can cut skin, especially wet skin, but will not penetrate far into flesh, a boon for cooks. They cannot scratch dinnerware or cutting boards. They can be re-sharpened, but they are cheap enough that they are regarded as semi-disposable. They cannot be made as sharp as metal or ceramic blades, but since they are typically serrated, they may perform adequately for their intended purpose.

Premium Grade Stainless Steels

Premium grade stainless steels have impressive edge retention, corrosion / rust resistant and quite pure in compound form. They are very sharp and easy to re-sharpen. Nice choice for top quality hunting knives.

Stainless Steel

Stainless steel replaces some of the carbon in the steel alloy with chromium to make it resistant to corrosion. These steel alloys normally produce a steel that is less stain resistant than typical cutlery stainless steels but also hold an edge for a longer period of use or provide additional toughness or other characteristics. There is a tradeoff. As stain resistance increases, the ability for the blade to hold an edge decreases. Conversely as stain resistance decreases, the overall performance of the blade increases. These steels are very popular with knife makers and provide a good balance between performance and price.

Stainless Supersteels

Stainless Supersteels have world class edge retention and sharpness. They are extremely corrosion resistant and very pure in compound form. Stainless supersteels can be tricky to re-sharpen due to blades toughness, but by no means impossible. Knives made from stainless supersteels are very forgiving, a joy to own and use.

Stellite

Stellite is closely related to Talonite. Knives made with stellite resist wear and corrosion. Stellite blades resist heat well, and do not oxidize easily in any condition.

Super-grade Stainless Steel

Super-grade stainless steel offers the edge retention and sharpness of old fashioned carbon steel without the corrosion tendencies. On the downside, it can be very difficult to sharpen.

Superstainless Damascus Steel

The new breed of blade - superstainless damascus steel is the best you can buy - irrespective of price. It's very rare, hard to get hold of and expensive too, but it still offers value for money and exclusivity as the edge performance is light-years ahead of regular steels.

Supersteel

Supersteel is the best of all World's: incredible sharpness and edge retention, with ease of sharpening and servicing too, very corrosion resistant. Supersteels are typically a folded mix of two types of stainless steels. Expensive, but worth the extra money if you can justify the expense

Surgical Grade Stainless Steels

The benchmark for many knives now, and used extensively by most manufacturers. Very good sharpness, edge retention is acceptable but the steel is easy to service and sharpen. Corrosion resistance is good.

Talonite

Talonite is made of a cobalt-chromium alloy that forms carbides, so it tests soft by most hardness tests even though it's very hard and wears extremely well. These blades are completely rust-resistant and still perform well as knife blades although they are expensive. This type of material is often found in knives that are used in and around salt water. Boye Dendritic is another example of a cobalt blade.

Timascus

Timascus is a new twist on Damascus steel. Timascus is a Damascus blade made with Titanium as the metal. These knife blades will closely resemble steel Damascus, and vary widely in color due to the particular alloy used. Knife blades of this material will hold a highly polished finish, which will be brightly colored; or they can have a pearly finish, which will show off the ripples in the metal nicely.

Titanium

Titanium is metal that is lighter, anti-magnetic, more wear resistant, and more flexible than steel, but also less hard and it will not take as sharp an edge. But carbides in the titanium alloy allow them to be heat-treated to a sufficient hardness. Titanium does not impart any flavor to food. It is typically expensive.

Zirconium Oxide

Zirconium Oxide is a very hard ceramic material that is also used in knife blades. Ceramic blades hold an edge longer than any other material and are completely corrosion resistant. The downside to these blades is that they are brittle and can snap or chip in use. They cannot be used for prying at all and are difficult to sharpen.

6 Important Knife Blade Properties

STRESS AND STRAIN

All materials have a stress and strain relationship. Stress is the force applied to a member and strain is the distance that the member moves (deformation) under the applied force. Imagine a rubber band stretched between your two hands. The force applied to move your hands apart shows up as a resistance force (stress) in the rubber band. The distance the band moves under the force is the strain. If the stress and strain for the band are plotted on a graph a line is drawn representing the behavior of the band from the initial load to the time it finally breaks. This is called a stress/strain curve. This curve is unique for all materials and gives a vast amount of information on how the material acts under applied force.

TOUGHNESS/ DUCTILITY

When a material can absorb forces from many different load types with out breaking then it is very tough or ductile. Steel company data sheets refer to toughness in terms of "Charpy C Notch" values. This is a measure of the ability of a notched test piece to resist breaking under an impact load.

STRENGTH

The ability of a steel part to withstand force trying to pull it apart is called tensile strength. The ability of the part to withstand force trying to push it together or compress it is called compressive strength. Strength is a very important consideration for a knife blade because we like to make the cutting edge as thin as possible for cutting efficiency.

HARDNESS

The tensile strength of steel is proportional to its hardness. The harder it is the more is resists deformation forces. In other words the edge will resist bending or breaking while cutting some very hard materials. Hardness is the most critical property for a knife blade because it is an indication all the other properties. The normal range for knife blades is HRC 50-63.

WEAR RESISTANCE

Abrasive wear resistance (most important type for a knife blade) is a measure of the tool to resist being worn away by contact with other materials. Wear resistance correlates with hardness of the material in general. Even mild steel in contact with an abrasive surface will wear much longer than brass for example. In that case mild steel will make a better knife blade than brass.

CORROSION RESISTANCE

Plain carbon steel has very little corrosion resistance. Alloys are added to the carbon steel to reduce corrosion.

Knife Storage

Knife Storage

Proper knife storage extends the life of your knife.

Our favorite way to store blades is the knife block. We also like the magnetic strip for homes without children, pets, and the accident prone. Sheaths are fantastic for drawer and mobile storage for the chef on the go. Then of course there are the cases and bags for the portable culinary cutlery experience.

Knives should not be stored loose in a drawer. When knives are stored loosely they have a chance to strike against the blades of the other knives causing nicking and damage to the blades beyond what is considered normal wear.

Rubber banding your blades together to keep them from moving around is not a good form of storage. The rubber as it ages causes damage to the blades, and having yor blades pressed in together bows the blades, also causing damage.

If you do not have the counter space for a knife block, the wall space for a magnetic strip, nor the money to purchase individual sheaths for your blades try some flattened out paper towel rolls. Instead of letting your blades knock against each other keep the cardboard tube to store each knife. Use a sturdy scissors and cut the tube to it's needed length. Wrapping paper tubes, also, work rather well. Where the make shift sheaths are not all that pretty they still do the job.

The point here? Store your knives where the blades don't hit against each other or destructive surfaces while not in use, or really in use for that matter.

Knife Blocks

Knife Blocks come in many shapes, sizes and materials to match any kitchen decor and use.

Knife blocks, like the magnetic knife strip and sheaths are one way to properly store your knives. It is important to take good care of kitchen knives since they can last for years if they are properly maintained. By using a knife block, cooks can ensure that blades are not damaged by being knocked around. It is also important to ensure that knives fit all the way into a knife block; if part of a blade protrudes, it can be very unsafe.

If you are purchasing a block for your countertop, remember to get one with feet so that the block will not sit in puddles of sauces, grease, or other spills.

A basic knife block simply consists of a piece of wood with slots of varying sizes to insert knives securely. The knife block can also prevent warping of blades while they are stored, and it makes knives convenient and easy to access. A knife block can also be a great safety tool, as it gets knives out of drawers and off of counters and into an organized location.

Knife Block Safety and Design

For people who are especially concerned about safety, some knife blocks have child locks which need to be opened before a knife can be removed. These locks also prevent knives from falling during earthquakes, and they ensure that curious pets cannot injure themselves on knives either. Some kitchen suppliers also sell blocks which can fit into drawers, which can be convenient in a kitchen with limited space. This can also be safer, as the drawer can lock or tightly latch to prevent unauthorized access. Cooks who prefer a leaner design can purchase magnetic strips which are designed to mount to walls or cabinets; the magnet holds knives against the strip and they can quickly be removed when they are needed. The block may be designed to sit on the counter, or mount to the kitchen wall. Such knife blocks can also be built into kitchen cabinets or kitchen islands. Other materials may be used as well, although wood is a good choice because it will not nick blades as they are inserted.

Edge Up Edge Down

How do you store the knives in your knife block? Do you store them cutting edge up or cutting edge down? I believe in edge up knife storage. With many knife blocks being made of materials other than wood nicking of blades is much more prevalent. We have knives that are now 3rd generation in use; and this is due in part to edge up knife storage. Where edge down knife storage is much more optically pleasing, (which is why photographers use edge down for sales), with the curve of a nice handle it is not good for the knife blade’s edge. Think about it with edge down knife storage you are hitting and storing the blade’s edge on the knife block’s surface. This is one reason many people choose wooden blocks, like wooden cutting boards – there is less nicking on the blade’s edge.

Knife Sharpening

Knife sharpening

All knives will need to be sharpened at some point in time. Yes, all knives dull. Even knives that are not used will dull with age – metals corrode from moisture in the air.

For safety you should keep your knives at their sharpest. A sharp knife does not roll off of the surface that it is cutting. A sharp knife does not need extreme force to slice, dice, or chop through an item. Rolling edges and forcing blades has been the cause of many a kitchen accident. Cut with ease and safety - always keep your knives sharp.

Using a Sharpening Steel

These directions are intended for use with a plain or straight edge blade.

You need a cutting board, a kitchen towel, sharpening steel and knife or knives to be sharpened.

Place folded towel on cutting surface.

Hold Sharpening Steel straight down. The tip will be in the towel and touching down to the cutting board. Like a pole with the handle at the top.

The movement is as simple as the swing of your arm. You start by placing the heel, or back end of the cutting surface against the steel it’s width plus ¼” down from the handle bottom. Make sure that the heel and blade are comfortably away from the hand holding the steel. Now simply pull the knife downward and toward you with the blade sliding down the sharpening steel. A knife may need only 4 to 10 of these strokes on each side of the blade.

To get the best edge on your knife you need to try to match the angle of the original edge. However, unless you are protractor happy it is not quite possible. Luckily for us kitchen knives are mainly cut with the same edge bevel. So, to match as closely the industry standard we’ll use a 22 ½ degree angle. Place the heel of the blade at the appropriate space on the steel – now hold the blade at a 90 degree angle from the steel. Okay, now eyeballing it bring the spine of the blade half way closer to the steel handle. You now have a 45 degree angle from the steel. Get that trusty eyeball ready – we are cutting the angle in half one more time. You now have a 22 ½ degree angle. Now go ahead and pull the blade from heel to tip down the sharpening steel.

After a few strokes a ‘burr’ will form. On very close inspection a burr looks like the crest of a small wave. The burr will curl away from the sharpening surface. If you stop sharpening before the burr is formed, your knife will not be as sharp as it could be. Sometimes you can’t see a burr, but you can always feel it. Check for the burr on the side opposite the edge you have been grinding. Hold the knife blade horizontally and place your fingers or thumb at a 45-degree angle to the edge and pull gently down and away.

NEVER PULL TOWARD THE TIP OR HILT; YOU MAY LOP OFF A FINGER. PULL AWAY FROM THE EDGE.

Remember, check the side opposite the one you've been sharpening. You're checking for a very light lip caused by the edge rolling over to the other side. Check at various points along the edge. The burr tends to form quickly at the base of the blade but takes a little longer at the tip. You must feel a burr running all the way from heel to tip to know that you have fully ground that side of the knife.

Kitchen perfectionist?

Here’s more blade angle information.

For the vast majority of kitchen knives, 15 to 20 degrees per side will provide a significant increase in performance without requiring undue maintenance. Meat cleavers should be a little thicker, say 20 to 25 degrees per side, while dedicated slicers can be taken down to 10 to 15 degrees per side. The best compromise in the kitchen has proven to be a 15/20 double bevel. That is a 15 degree back bevel with a 20 degree primary edge face.

You must be able to maintain a consistent angle while you are sharpening. This can be tough to do, which is why there are so many gimmicks and sharpening systems on the market. They don’t provide any magic. All they do is help you keep your edge at the same angle throughout the sharpening session. Maintaining consistency is a primary reason freehand sharpening is a little tricky. It takes a lot of experience and practice to keep the edge at a constant angle stroke after stroke using only your hands and eyes.

Handling Serrated Knives

Serrated knives and bread knives are a special case. Serrated knives will stay sharp longer than plain edged knives, mainly because the insides of the serrations generally don’t contact hard surfaces. That’s what the teeth are for. The teeth not only have a cutting function, but are also sacrificial lambs, offered up to steakhouse swordsman and children everywhere who feel that if they’re not grinding into the ceramic of the plate, they’re not cutting.

There are four ways to sharpen serrated knives:

1) Pretend the serrations don’t exist and sharpen on a stone, sharpening system or electric sharpener as you would a plain edged knife.

This will eventually remove the serrations.

2) Sharpen the flat, non-serrated back of the blade.

This will sharpen the knife, but also will eventually remove the serrations, though not as quickly as the first method.

3) Sharpen the serrations individually with a tapered diamond or ceramic file.

4) Sharpen on a crock stick setup, going very slowly so the ceramic rod glides in and out of the serrations.

Serrations do two things. First, they increase the cutting or slicing angle of the portion of the cutting edge in contact with the cutting target as the blade is drawn across a surface. Second, fewer cutting edges is in contact with the cutting target for the pressure applied. Combined these two physical changes in the cutting motion are similar to creating lots of "stabbing" cuts applied uniformly across a cutting target. Serrated edges should be sharpened with a fine to extra fine grit (600 to 1200) abrasive file.

Maintaining the desired angle may seem tough … BUT is no different than any other blade. I have found the easiest technique to place your thumb on the backside of the blade and rest the edge of your thumb on the file. Next evaluate the section of the file that fits the serration to be sharpened. Rest your thumb and the blade on the file so that the deepest part of the serration touches the file. Pulling the blade back up the file toward the handle will produce a consistent convex edge on the individual scalloped cutting surface. This technique is repeated on each major scallop. Many serrated edges have "V" shaped serrations between the major scalloped serrations … I generally ignore these or reshape them into rounded scallops. A second, less desired technique for sharpening a serrated edge is to hone the single sharpened edge on a flat abrasive just like the hard coated blades described above. Only a small part of the cutting edge will contact the abrasive … changes will occur rapidly so check the edge often. This technique will cause the loss of the two physical advantages of serrations. The loss will be slight at first, but you will eventually lose the serrations … if you are like me and don't like serrated edges, it is no big deal. But if you like your serrated edge buy a fine grit file made for sharpening them … use it or lose it. By the way, the biggest reason I dislike a serrated edge is they take too much time to keep sharp

Steeling your Knife

Steeling regularly is the most critical maintenance you can perform on your knife. Whenever you use your knife, especially soft kitchen knives, the edge can turn out a bit. Turn the knife with the edge pointing to the ceiling under strong light. You shouldn’t be able to see it. The edge itself should be invisible. If, however, you see glints of light, those are spots where the edge has rolled. The edge is still reasonably sharp, it’s just not pointing straight down anymore. The steel realigns the edge of the knife, forcing the rolled spots back into line, making it useable again.

We will get into the various types of steels in just a moment, but be aware that the grooved steels that come with knife sets do in fact remove metal. A grooved steel acts as a file when used with a heavy hand, knocking microscopic chips out of your edge. At the very least, it is much coarser than the fine abrasive you used to achieve your edge. Steeling heavily with a grooved steel is taking several steps backward. A grooved steel should be used with caution and a very light touch. The standard image we all have of steeling a knife involves a chef with his knife in one hand and steel in the other, blade flashing and ringing. If you’re particularly adept at this type of swordsmanship, have at it. It impresses the tourists.

A more effective method is to stand the steel straight up and down with the handle up and the tip resting on a folded towel to keep it from slipping. Why? Geometry. Place the knife edge against the steel with the blade perpendicular to the steel – 90 degrees, right? Rotate your wrist so that you reduce the angle by half – 45 degrees. Reduce that by half – 22.5 degrees, and you are exactly where you need to be to steel your knife (if you have a 20 degree edge). You generally want to steel at a very slightly steeper angle than the edge bevel itself. You can also use the Paper Airplane Trick to make a guide to prop against your steel so you know you are hitting the proper angle. When you’re steeling, lock your wrist and stroke the knife from heel to tip by unhinging at the shoulder – it’s your pivot point – and slowly dropping your forearm.

The key is to maintain a consistent angle all the way through the stroke. By locking your wrist and elbow, you will keep your angle stable from top to bottom. Go slowly and follow all the way through the tip. You don’t have to press very hard to realign the edge. Steeling requires barely more pressure than the weight of the knife itself. Alternate from side to side, keeping the same alignment and angle on both sides. It really only takes four or five strokes per side to get your knife ready for more work.

When should you steel?

Every time you use your knife. Oddly enough, steeling before you use the knife is much more effective than steeling afterward. A steeled edge can be very sharp, but it is not as durable as a freshly honed edge. If you don’t use a steeled edge right away it can actually relax back into its blunted state. The same is true of a blunted edge. If you really degrade the edge of your knife in a heavy cutting session, let it sit overnight before sharpening. It will be in much better shape than it was the day before. You should also steel before sharpening so any rolled or impacted edges are pushed back into alignment. That way you don’t cut off the rolled edge and lose more metal than you really need to. You also can steel after sharpening to add a final bit of polish (especially on a medium to medium fine edge) and tooth alignment. A steel actually “smears” the edge, teasing out a little more thinness. You’ll have a keener edge, but it will be weaker than the freshly sharpened edge.

Types of Steels:

Knife steels come in a variety of sizes, shapes and flavors.

There are round steels, oval steels, grooved steels, smooth steels, diamond steels and ceramic “steels.”

If you purchased a set of knives, it probably came with a round, grooved steel.

Be very careful with this beast. Kitchen knives are reasonably tough and resist chipping fairly well, but a grooved steel can really put that to the test. The grooves in the steel create tiny points of contact with the edge.

A smaller contact area makes for greater pressure on the edge.

Used lightly, a grooved steel can realign the edge of your knife, though it does it fairly aggressively.

Used with too heavy a hand, however, a grooved steel will act as a file and take microscopic chips out of your edge. Your edge will feel sharp because it is now, in effect, serrated, but it won’t last very long.

Coarse diamond steels fall into the same category, though they’ll generally leave a finer edge than grooved steels. They should still be used with caution and a very light hand.

Smooth steels are several steps above either grooved or diamond steels. A smooth steel will gently push the metal of the edge back into alignment. It will take longer than with a grooved or diamond steel, but you don’t run the risk of damaging your edge. A smooth steel is very easy to use and fairly forgiving of sloppy angles.

A step above even smooth steels are fine grit ceramic and very fine diamond steels. According to Cliff Stamp, “A smooth steel just pushes the edge back into alignment, leaving the weakened metal there, which will actually relax back into being deformed in its own time without any use. The ceramic will remove some of the weakened steel while also aligning the edge. The edge will be more stable and stay sharp for much longer.

There is more metal removed with the ceramic and diamond rods, but you are looking at between 100 to 1000 sharpenings to remove one millimeter of metal from the edge of the knife depending on the edge angle and the grit of the ceramic or diamond hone – this is years of constant use.

In general, the lifetime of most knives tends to be dominated by the occasional accidental damage that forces heavy honing.”

Using a grinding stone:

Once a year, twice a year, once every two years-depending on the kind of beating your knives get-you will need to grind them down to form a new cutting edge. You can send your knives out and have them ground by a professional or you can do it yourself.

It is very difficult to achieve the proper angles on blades longer than 4 inches without using an angle guide.

For blades shorter than 4 inches, your finger and thumb can serve as angle guides.

Depending on the side of the blade you are working, place the finger or thumb on the back of the blade and KEEP IT THERE.

Let the finger or thumb rest on the abrasive.

This will form the “Angle Guide”.

Just replace the knife in the imprint formed on the finger print side of your finger or thumb.

It works better if you count strokes or motions and use the same stroke count on each side of the blade.

You will have to adjust the direction of your motion to work the entire length of the blade.

I usually will work each side 100 strokes before turning the blade over.

I assure you if you keep your finger or thumb in a knife blade back for 100 strokes you will be able to see and feel where the blade back was located.

Sharpening Steel

An abrasive rod, usually pointed to allow the steel to rest firmly on the surface, which allows accurate edge control.

Honing Steel

Contrary to what many believe, the honing steel is not a sharpener. A honing steel straightens the blade while a sharpener sharpens the blade. A honing steel is a rod made of steel, ceramic, or diamond, generally about a foot long (although can be longer) and a quarter of an inch thick ( and can be up to 1/2 an inch in diameter). It is used to hone a knife blade after sharpening in order to restore the edge and improve cutting ability. All a steel does, is correct the V angle on the cutting edges of the knife blade, which should be anywhere from 10 to 15 degrees, depending on the type of knife you have. Correct steel technique will ensure a better edge on your knife.

Knife Care

Knife Care

Caring for your Knife will guarantee it a nice long life.

Two parts of care are storage and keeping a sharp edge; these two subjects are covered in their own sections: Knife Storage, Knife Sharpening. Now here are some common and not so common sense knife care guidelines.

Knives and Dishwashers

You will notice that many knives, including some of the lines we carry, state that the knife is dishwasher safe.

I like to think that this is a great sales point for the busy food business kitchen which does not have time for hand washing.

I do not suggest that you wash your knives in dishwashers, and here is why.

1. A knife in a dishwasher tends to bounce around banging against other cutlery, utensils, dishes, and pans causing damage to the blade.

2. The dishwasher's high heat drying cycle may cause tensil damage lessening the quality of your blade.

3. Dishwasher detergents are much harsher than dishwashing liquid and can have damage a knife's handle.

4. Dishwashers ruin wooden handles on cutlery.

Washing Your Knives

Okay, so we are all clear on not using the dishwasher to clean our knives. This leaves hand washing as the proper way to wash your knives.

It is suggested that you wash your knives as soon as possible after use. This keeps acidic foods from eating into the metal. I am sure some of you from college pizza days have seen the pitting tomato sauce can create.

Do not leave your knife sitting in the bottom of the sink. First other things can be stacked on it and bend the blade. Secondly, if the sink has water in it the knife will then bome a hidden cutting danger. Thirdly, soaking a knife in water is neither good for the blade, nor the handle - especially if it is wooden or silver.

Using a scrubbing sponge with soap directly on it is preferred. Wash your knife with the soft sponge side, and only use the scrubbing part if there are any stubborn spots. Use the scrubbing side sparingly to keep down on scratches on the blade.

Rinse with hot water and towel dry. Towel drying keeps knives from getting water spots. And, towel drying keep knives out of the drying rack with other kitchen ware.

Now put your knife away in it's proper storage.

Cutting Surfaces and Objects

You will find that repeated warning of nicking and damaging your blades by letting them strike against each other in storage.

So, let's talk about other surfaces your knife should or should not come into contact with.

Basically you should not try to cut, or cut on, surfaces harder than your blade. So, there should be no chopping through a pork chop bone with your steak knife, or dicing of tomaotes on a marble surface.

If you would like more detail on what makes a good cutting surface see my article on Cutting Boards.

Common Sense 'Knife'isms

NEVER try to catch a falling knife. Pull back your fingers, hands and feet. Knives are intended for cutting and slicing. A falling knife does not care if it is a carrot, finger or toe it cuts into, especially during free fall. DO NOT try to catch a falling knife - let it go and pick it up once the fall has been completed. Oh, and then wash the knife - it's been on the floor.

Keep your knives safe and secure. Do not leave them out in the open where children and pets can easy have an accident.

Keep your knives sharp. A dull knife is a dangerous knife. A dull knife may roll or skip across the surface causing the need for more pressure and the increased likely hood of moving of the desired object being cut and getting a finger or two.

Knifes are not intended as prying tools. Prying objects open with a knife will in the least bend the blade out of shape, at worst it will snap the tip off - sometimes with the tip taking flight. Then there is the added hazard of if your hand slips forward while trying to pry with a tool that is not intended for prying. Do not pry with a knife.

Bread and serrated knives are not made to trim the base of a Christmas tree. No seriously, we've seen it. First, buy a small saw, or a bigger tree base. A kitchen knife belongs in the kitchen not the living room floor with pine needles everywhere. Sawing plants with your bread knife ruins the blade, and leaves sticky pine between the serrations for what seem like forever.

Knives are not toys.

Knives are not toys!!! I do not suggest throwing knives, swallowing, or playing mumbly peg with knives. Yes, they are entertaining on TV and in movies, however, they have been trained. If you want to do neat knife tricks we suggest you find a 'trained' professional, check out their credentials thoroughly and get some training. Plus, don't get too excited entertainers that work with blades start with plastic models.

Use a knife for what a knife is designed for. Do not chop vegetables with a fillet knife, and do not fillet a fish with a cleaver.

Your knife is not a screwdriver. A screwdriver is a screwdriver. Most screwdrivers have a handle that is grounded - does your knife? Plus, a screw driver does not have a sharp edge to slice your hand up if it slips off the handle while trying to screw in a screw that it shouldn't even be used for.

Do not cut your food with a rusty knife. Where do I even start on not ingesting rust. Just don't do it.

Remember keep your knives clean, sharp, and stored well and they'll keep for generations.

As always safety first!

Lazy Man's Way to Riches Review

Lazy Man's Way to Riches: Version 3.0 Author: Richard Gilly Nixon Review Written by Marian Enstrom on November 8th, 2006 Book Rating: 3/5 A classic new entrepeneur's guide book. GREAT for those already starting a business and need a good pep talk. Richard G. Nixon is a professional speaker and it shows in his presentation of this book. Would not mind keeping a personal copy around for days when my freelancing self is in a slump and in need of a mentor.

Awakening Compassion Review

Awakening Compassion: Meditation Practice for Difficult Times Author: Pema Chodron Review Written by Marian Enstrom on November 8th, 2006 Book Rating: 4/5 This book is not only well written it is very well read. You can hear the compassion and gentle wisdom in Pema Chodron's voice as she gently aids in training the mind. An enjoyable Awakening. http://www.simplyaudiobooks.com/buy/audio-books/Awakening+Compassion:+Meditation+Practice+for+Difficult+Times/33347/8/