Thread: Question for chefs

Try putting some white paper beneath the steel when you next hone your knives to catch the filings. Unless you're using a slick steel or glass rod you are removing steel.

Whenever a knife hits the floor in our kitchen the first thing anyone says is "That sounds like a Shun breaking". It is a function of iron alloys, the harder (i.e. more rigid) you make them the more brittle (i.e. less ductile) they become.

I've sharpened Shuns, Rans, Globals, Kasumis Ice Bears and Tamahaganes. I can put an edge on a CS (~55 rockwell) knife in about 1/4 of the time it takes to put an edge on a VG-10 (~62 rockwell) knife and I find I need to use significantly more downforce on a J-blade to cut the edge. Functionally I find that the edge on a CS blade lasts longer than VG-10 knife because they respond so well to honing you don't put them on the stones as often.