Use your knife as the maker intended
Knives are particularly important to look after, both because of the frequency with which they are used and for obvious safety reasons. Knives are not meant to be used as axes, choppers, levers or screwdrivers. Knives are for cutting.
To keep your knives sharp, be sure to store them in a wooden block or magnetic rack; keeping them in a draw with other utensils will not only blunt knives sooner but creates an increased risk of accidental cutting.
Always keep your knife sharp
A knife without a sharp edge has little value. The longer a knife goes without edge maintenance, the more difficult resharpening with a steel becomes.
When using a sharpening steel remember that you are removing metal from the blade with each stroke. A Steel does not wear out in the way most people think they do.
A steel is simply a very hard rod of metal, much harder than your knives. When you run your knife across it, it straightens out all the little dings, scratches and nicks that form in the blade with normal use.
To use a steel, 3 points apply
1. Make sure you run the whole knife down the steel, some people only run the middle of the knife on the steel thus creating a hollow in the centre.
2. Maintain firm, even pressure between the knife and the steel (speed does not help).
3. Make sure you are actually working on the sharp edge of the knife. Get a felt tip pen and colour in the edge of the knife, right from the edge, back about 5mm. When you stroke the steel with the knife, you should be removing pen right from the edge back about 1/2 to 1 millimetre.
