How to Sharpen a Knife

[swrcool]

Pseudonym is right well Ive heard it called honing or straightening the edge. But it doesn't sharpen.. It's just mis titled. He says in the video how to keep sharp assuming it's been sharpened professionally.

[Pseudonym003]

This is not sharpening, it's honing. And you're not doing it very well, either.

[oyeslolz]

Does this work on pocket knifes to I have one of those steel rod thingys but will it work on my pocket knife

[308dan308]

Something worth mentioning here; I agree that either method works—blade away or towards yourself. However, this method is inherently more dangerous. When you increase your speed, drawing the sharp edge toward the base of the steel can become hard on the knuckles if you're moving quickly.

[MrSonicdreamz]

OMG this is also wrong!! fucking hell hes destroying it wtf!!

[tpis469]

41 people like dull knives.

[KokorkoJr]

Thank you for creating such a great video. It is exactly what a person looking for help needs. It is short, helpfull and no one can enterprate it the wrong way. I watched once to get the idea, then watched it again, as I repeated what I saw. Now my Smith&Wesson is sharp enough to practically be able to shave myself with it.

I tip my hat to you, sir!

[thecoolcook]

@KokorkoJr Thank you very much for taking the trouble to let me know how well it worked for you. You will find that this method, which is my own development, has an inbuilt bonus - you will experience much less wear on your blades than with those methods taught in catering colleges. You are also much less likely to cut yourself :0)

[Cocotte123321]

"Yours may not as big as this but that's not the point."

Trust an Aussie

[billcavazos]

Great idea using the butcher steel. Except for one thing, your doing incorrectly. You have to keep the angle of the blade the same while drawing the blade across the steel. Also its best to run the knife towards the cutting edge and not away. Good luck

[thecoolcook]

@billcavazos Yes, I've been hearing this for thirty years, sometimes from young chefs I was training. Here's what I suggest, follow my method exactly with one knife, then do it your way with another. I can assure you that you will not be able to tell the difference. The trouble is, once one method has been taught widely it somehow becomes folklore and nothing else works, apparently. My method is safe, simple and foolproof. Try it :0)

[netkravler]

Theses types of steels, really screw up the edge on the knife, use a ceramic steel instead !!! Use an Idahone 1200 grit

[Febeleh]

@netkravler Haha, while I understood what you meant, you have to admit, "ceramic steel" is pretty funny. Or a new material for making knives that are extremely sharp, hold their edge, do not rust, and are durable enough to do all kinds of various tasks. Thank you for the momentary confusion of your words, I now have a plan. Soon.

[beechwood221]

I have on of those steel things but i never knew how to use it

[Theemptyservant]

haha END OF STORY. This guy doesn't pussyfoot around.

[MTATHband]

hmmmm i work as a butcher in australia, ive been taught the traditional way and a few pretty "out there" methods, including the laying the knife down on angle and rubbing the steel on each side. i will have to give this one a go.

Have to get my knives on the stone first, pretty dull...

[thecoolcook]

@MTATHband I'm an Aussie too :0) You'll find the method works fine as long as the knives have been properly sharpened in the first place, as I say in the video. So yep, get the stone out first!

[odmcarp]

interesting...i pull the knife into the rod instead of away. seems to work rather well. but i'll try your way the next time

[thecoolcook]

@odmcarp That probably works just as well but is not so safe. I developed my method after I saw a young chef slice into his thumb using the 'normal' procedure. Those who have been taught the traditional way (and I was one of those originally) will claim my method is 'wrong' for all kind of reasons. They are simply repeating what they have been told. A friend's wife now uses only my method, and she's a metallurgist by profession.

[DonBeppo]

@thecoolcook You are correct that those who are taught the traditional way will beef you over your method. I worked around chefs for a number of years, all but one who did it the "dangerous" way. they used to scoff at him, but his knifes were every bit as sharp and in as good condition as their's. And he never cut himself, ulkie every one of the others at one time or another! I have been using your method since 1970, and it has never failed me. The others think the old just way looks cool is all

[thecoolcook]

@DonBeppo Thank you very much for taking the time to post such a well informed and supportive comment. The strange thing about those who only know the traditional way is that their comments are invariably abusive and laced with words that I am forced to delete. This is, after all, a family site. The other thing they have in common is that none of them seem to have actually tried my method - they just claim it doesn't work. But of course you and I (and many others) know that is not the case.

[hhhyr55l]

Perfect! I've recently found that instead of "slicing" into the honing steel from the tip to the base (like you see most people do), I get a much better result by pushing away from the base with the edge facing towards me - Just as you have demonstrated. If you think about what you are trying to a accomplish with a steel, It makes way more sense. Thanks for a proper lesson.

[metaspherz]

After watching so many incorrect methods claiming to sharpen a knife with a steel it's good to see it done properly. Thanks.

By the way, even Chef Ramsey calls it sharpening a blade with a steel. The word 'sharpen' is used loosely I suppose....

[Sunmasta]

Ay mate that's not a knife... this is a .... ah forget it

[thecoolcook]

@Sunmasta Mick Dundee! - good to see you're still alive and kicking.....

[frizzlefry420oh]

@Sunmasta oh my god. i thought for a second id die from laughter.

[mossmon]

thanks you. now i have the proper knowledge to sharpen my survival knife, my first try made it only unsharp...

[maethorize]

using a steel just straightens the edge. it doesn't actually sharpen the blade. if you're in a hurry this is fine, but as soon as you have a little time, make sure you sharpen your knives the RIGHT way.

[thecoolcook]

@maethorize I don't totally disagree with this. Note that I say in the video the demonstration "assumes you have had the knife professionally sharpened in the first place". However the method does sharpen the blade, in that the knife will cut better after using the steel than it did before. This will not re-sharpen a totally dull blade, of course and you need to do this each time you use the knife.

[moosey62]

Cool. Thanks.

[MidasTitus]

great vid. super simple.

[purklefluff]

haha this is brilliantly assertive and matter-of-fact. i wish more youtube videos were like this.

[D3capman]

haha! who needs that if you have a cup xD

[thecoolcook]

@D3capman Please explain?

[duelportal]

@thecoolcook D3capman means that theres another youtube video that shows sharpening a knfie with a coffee mug i dont think it works as well tho

[thecoolcook]

@duelportal Thank you

[thecoolcook]

@duelportal Thank you

[thecoolcook]

@duelportal Thank you

[flashmate99]

this is a good movie.

[Hazzel171a]

Thank you, this works for me.

[565Customz]

thats not "sharpening a knife"... thats honing the edge. it keeps a sharp knife sharp but wont bring back a dull knife. good demo of honing though. i like to do 3 pulls in that direction and then 3 pulls in the same direction as a cut. do it each day before i cook

[thecoolcook]

I looked up the verb "to hone" in the dictionary - it had this to say: "to sharpen as on a hone". A hone is "a smooth stone used for sharpening instruments". The terms seem to be interchangeable, but thanks for contributing.

[ChronicMist]

you can sharpen a knife whit a honing rod. check out my comment bellow above

[ChronicMist]

*above

[RebelWrestler45]

@thecoolcook technically a hone does not take off any metal; a hone simply realigns a rolled or burred edge, whereas a sharpener actually takes metal off.

[thecoolcook]

@RebelWrestler45 Honestly, who really cares? If all the self-styled experts were to listen to the voice over they would hear me say the demo assumes the knife has been professionally sharpened in the first place. All this pompous nonsense about what 'sharpen' or 'hone' means is a distraction from the central message, which is how to keep an edge on your knife without slicing off a chunk of yourself. These semantics are simply absurd. Follow what I do and your blade will stay sharp, that's it.

[mauiboynokaoi]

@thecoolcook It will stay sharp until it chips. If your edge chips (common in Japanese knives made of harder steel), a chef's steel won't fix it (it will actually damage it more by chipping off even more steel as Japanese steel isn't as malleable as western steel). Once you start getting chips in your knives, you need to take it to a stone.

[ChronicMist]

you CAN sharpen a knife with a honing rod. IF of course the honing rod is made out of ceramic or diamond coated ceramic or steel :P

[arashonline]

end of story... awesome

[damoninsky]

The other dude drags the knife blade forwards, you bring it backwards, which is right?

[thecoolcook]

I've used this method for over 30 years, and I still have the same knives showing remarkably little wear. Which is why I recommend it

[kiminokami]

Either way is right. It is the angle that is important, and the general motion, not the direction.

[MzJaxin]

I love how short this was. I tried to watch another video on sharpening a knife and it was horribly long for no reason. I thought he was going to bring out graphs and charts.

Thank you for this video.

[xfiveonefour]

@MzJaxin you don't like graphs or charts?

[Chicaproducer2007]

Love your brief and practical vids!

[mattifikation]

"Yours might not be as big as that, but that's not the point..." Hahaha... motion of the ocean, right?

[QuieroGuerra]

Good one! I had the same thought, lol!

[72u7H]

that's what I am talking about. I watched some videos blabbing, this guy says "heres how you do it, fuck the rest". My kind of guy hehe. I used this and my santuku is sharp as fuck now weeee!

[1ewq1]

Hooray! A no-nonsense video that gets straight to the - er - point. Thankyou!

[DoctorPepper8]

Thank you!

[dihappy]

Is it important which direction you move the knife? I have seen many pull the knife towards its edge rather than away like you did it.

[mosomos89]

it works both ways.

[dvnwnd07]

I ahve a tactical knife. i go reverse of this video, i think it works better but sometimes i make small circles too. so w/e

[luforus]

does this work for serrated

[k0tt0nm0uthkings]

haha no

[mosomos89]

absolutely not

[fallenphoenix13]

Simple and to the point. Thank you very much!

[JayZoop]

I heard you hold it at 20 degrees. Or does that depend on what kind of knife it is?

[thecoolcook]

How will you measure it? in the case given, the angle of your finger on the knife blade will determine tha angle at which the knife is held against the steel - it will be roughly 30 degrees if done properly. It's really not that critical as long as the angle is pretty much the same for both sides.

[robbiecobedy]

to the point! Thank you!

[n7cav]

OMG, someone who understands the function of edge alignment.... Nice...

[jlrbnsn]

perfect that is all you need.

[metube2222]

You are a true gangsta.

[Xx123gow123xX]

thanks alot

[oOcapNStemOo]

thanks man