Cooking For Engineers

[Larry Renger]

How come all the chefs and instructions have you stroke the blade over a sharpening steel with the edge toward yourself? You could achieve the same angles with more safety stroking away. Is there something to the shape of the grooves, or what?

[Michael Chu]

I think chefs are taught to run blades on a sharpening steel towards their own bodies as a safety measure to other people working in a cramped commercial kitchen.

[buzzard767]

I have a good idea. Take that grooved steel which is nothing more than an edge ruining file and throw it in the trash can. You should take a look under magnification at the damage these buggers do. If you're using soft steel knives like Germans or French, get a glass smooth steel to realign the edges when they roll. If you're using hard steel knives like most Japanese get either a ceramic steel or a borosilicate steel to touch up the edges.

[Dilbert]

[buzzard767]

[buzzard767]

Here's something I upped to another forum a couple days ago. It's all about high end edge polishing. True sharp has nothing to do with ripping up an edge with a grooved steel.

Quote:

Scrubbed bull pranced into my house this morning.

Diamond spray is magical. I will NEVER use it on knives other than my own (too sharp).

I gave the leather one light coat, rubbed it in, and let dry. This was followed by a second coat somewhat heavier than the first. Both coats were sucked up rapidly by the leather. After drying, a third, heavy coat was applied, heavy enough so that I had standing liquid. I rubbed it in and waited for it to dry. Patience lost, the Takeda Gyuto was stropped, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Yesterday after chromium oxide, it push cut (edit: computer paper) 15/16" from the pinch. Now, post diamond, full push cutting was easily obtained at 1 3/4" and partial (about 1/4" deep) at 2 1/8". This stuff is infrickn'credible. End quote:

[DrBiggles]