Kitchen Knife Maintenance

Before every use of your kitchen knife, it should be honed (aka steeled), which is the process of realigning micro-sized bends along the knife's edge from its last use. Honing quickly straightens the knife's cutting edge to restore its sharpness. A sharp knife is much sharper than a dull knife!

In the professional kitchen, the honing steel is the tool of choice for this task. Steels come in round and oval shapes and in different styles. The F.Dick Multi-Steel is a recommended all-around choice that will give you many years of reliable service.

To hone your kitchen knife, you want to draw the blade's edge at a 20° angle to the steel in an arc from the blade's heel to the tip. This can be done holding the steel pointing downward with its tip resting on a non-slip cutting board OR the steel upright in one hand while drawing the blade down the steel. The blade should be drawn 6-8 times per side (alternating sides each pass) across the steel.

After extensive use (several months), the blade's edge will degrade to the point when it needs to be sharpened with an electric knife sharpener or whetstone.