Kitchen Knives; maintenance

Hoping this is the right area to post my inquiry.

I'm finishing up the first module at Culinary School, only to start in the kitchen next week!

With that said, I'd like to hear what others are using when sharpening and maintaining their knives. More specifically, white steel (uncoated) knives!

I wish to provide the best care and maintenance to a beautiful knife I received as a housewarming/culinary school gift from @Yota X (stoked to use it!)



I did find an awesome video that goes very in-depth with sharpening which I'll post at the bottom.

Just curious to see how many on here are using a knife made of white steel, and what stones you prefer to use?

https://youtu.be/k8Ddbit_FWg

 

That thing is so badass. So funny you posted that cause I just got some new ones myself. Not as quality as that one but super cool carbon steel.

 

My wife just received some Japanese Whetstones for our kitchen knives. Gonna get some practice in.

 

What is white steel? I never heard that before.

As for kitchen tools, I'm a steel guy. The wood cutting board will dull the knife just from using it to cut vegetables. It's just easy to give the knives a half dozen swipes with the steel during a cutting session.

I actually like the inferior metal blades. They sharpen very quick with a steel.

I use a Schrader fillet knife for most of my food preparation.

Story time:

I was getting ready to chop some veggies, grabbed the knife I usually use. Found it was super dull. I was kind of surprised how dull it was, but blew it off as not sharpening it the last time I used it. Trued it up and moved on.

A month later I walk out on the deck and find the wife using my knife to divide her perennial flowers. I asked how often she did this. Her answer was ever spring.

Mystery solved. Now I knew why my knife was so dull.

 

I have a set of 1200, 3000 and 5000 Shapton stones.

 

Hope the video I posted helps!

 

"WHITE HIGH-CARBON STEEL #1 & #2
White steel is made from finely grained carbon steel that lacks a lot of contaminates within the iron, meaning that knives made from white, high-carbon steel are able to sharpen into a razor-like edge. Many sashimi chefs love white steel knives because they can create very fine, exact cuts of fish, vegetables, and garnish. Very volatile and difficult to forge, white steel varies in its level on carbon content. #1 has the highest and will, therefore, hold its cutting edge the best. However, it’s also the most brittle, which is typically why #2 is the most commonly used by chefs."

Just the content in metal.

 

Glad I’m not the only one that hasn’t ever heard of white steel. Are you sure it isn’t a Tarantino movie..?

But in all seriousness, I sharpen my kitchen and EDC knives the same way: touch them up on a ceramic honing rod, one side and one swipe at a time, then finish up with a leather strop. I’m never left wanting better results but I’m sure it’s possible.

@Kwikvette are you going to NASA next to learn how to space? Lolol

 

"If you're a welder, a chef, AND a marine....I'm glad you're married. The rest of us need tail too."

That shit sent me laughing still

 

Learn to use a whetstone and honing steel. They are different and have different purposes. The stone sharpens your knife and the steel hones it. The steel is a maintenance tool not really a sharpener like the stone. Sharpen it a few times a year, hone it after every use. Once you learn about whetstone and honing steel and when and how to use them , there is no better sharpening and maintenance method than the stone and steel.

 

This might be against professional chef rules, but my worksharp ken onion is hard to beat. I used stones on the past, but i can get a razor edge in minutes and wont go back.

 

Get a few waterstones from someplace like Lee Valley. A set of 1000x, 3000x, and 10000x is a good spectrum. Also get a diamond stone that is used to reflatten the waterstones so they don't get super dished out. I don't think stones intended for oil usage make any sense in a kitchen surrounded by stainless steel tools with water sinks everywhere. Get a tupperware container to keep your stones permanently soaking in water so you can sharpen anytime without an excuse. Get a big silicone anti-slip mat to put your waterstones in a row so you won't shoot one onto the floor on a thin film of water and break one in half - cutting board size would do. Finishing with a leather strop (epoxy onto a flat cutting board) and honing compound is something that is more for sushi level sharpening but if that's where you want to end up then go for it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlUkJImSiIo

Wang Gang is a dude who doesn't mess around - search his channel for other knife related stuff and Chinese cooking too. The gist of knives is that a well sharpened cheap knife is better than a poorly sharpened expensive knife. Different hardnesses of steel are better for different things. Different thicknesses of knife blades are intended for different things and need different angles on the blades. Research Chinese and Japanese knife styles, uses, and sharpening methods and you will not go wrong. You may be tempted to kit out with all kinds of knives - don't. Having a tight selection of kick-ass knives is more useful than having lots of mediocre knives. They only make you money when they are in use so only buy based on genuine need and get knives that do something unique that is not possible with something you already have.

 

No longer in the business so no justification for bespoke Japanese steel. My 10" global chef knife and 6" Woustoff slicer are still my go to knives.

Lee Valley two sided stone and sharpening guide work well for me a couple of times a year along with daily passes on a knife steel.

 

I got your backits quick and easy.

 

is the OP knife single bevel?

anything but a whetstone is not gonna work to keep the original bevel.

do they teach knife stuff at culinary school? how to keep them sharp, etc?