Thread: How sharp do you like it?

I’m not going to speak for LikesBBS, but I think the reason why a lot of these posts sound the same is because the specifics are often left out. We say that a person has to learn to get a good edge with a 1, 4, 8 combination and I accept this as true. But what is often not communicated is HOW you do this. I often compare learning to hone to my experiences learning to cook. The chefs that taught me what I know mostly came from France, spoke SOME English, and had varied ability to convey their knowledge. When a student would ask the honing equivalent of “how many passes are required on X stone”, or in cooking terms “how long do you cook that?”, the answer was similar to the YMMV we often offer up. If you were dealing with a nice chef, he’d simply say “you cook it until its done”. If he was a smart a$$, he’d say something like “you put it in a 600 degree oven for 8 hours until its completely black and then you know that its done”. True story, BTW. I remember making hollandaise sauce during these first few days. The chef would say that you need to cook the egg before you add the butter. But saying you need to cook the egg or cook something until its done does not convey what the student needs to know. The key was telling them HOW to determine doneness. In the case of the egg, one of the better teachers of the group broke it down for them. He told them to cook it over the flame, whisking constantly until it begins to thicken, then remove it from the heat to slow things down some. And when the egg is thick and the whisk steams, you know you’re ready to add the butter. As I continue to learn about this, I often ask questions that are the equivalent of asking how I know when something is done. And I ask this of a few of you who are patient enough to try to answer these questions for me (you know who you are, thanks again). So when a new guy is asking how many x strokes are needed at a certain level, what he’s really asking is, “how do I know when its done?”. I guess sometimes the answer is YMMV, but if you know that the egg needs to thicken and whisk needs to show steam, tell him that.