Tired of cheapo knives.

[Dylan]

Of late, my cooking has really being hard since every brand of knife i acquire disappoints after just several days. I have tried chopper, boning and kitchen scissors.They most become blunt and am not prepared to sharpen frequently. Am ready to spend whatever amount on quality.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks in advance.

 

[CraigC]

Specifically referring to knives, even with high quality knives, the blade has to me maintained with a steel between sharpenings.

 

[Andy M.]

Read some of the posts in this Knives Forum. You'll find lots of info on what to buy and how to care for them.

 

[jusnikki]

I learned you don't always sharpen them on a sharpener. Sometimes you're suppose to use that rod thingy, which I don't know how to use.


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[powerplantop]

Sometimes you should have you knife sharpened by a professional.

Had my best one done today at the farmers market. Cost $4.00, plus had a great conversation with the folks just hanging out.

 

[jusnikki]

That's what I'm going to have to do... Find a pro to sharpen my knives.


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[Addie]

Sometimes you should have you knife sharpened by a professional.

Had my best one done today at the farmers market. Cost $4.00, plus had a great conversation with the folks just hanging out.

You never realize just how dull your knives have become until you have them sharpened by a professional. So worth the expense and effort.

 

[GotGarlic]

That's what I'm going to have to do... Find a pro to sharpen my knives.

I have the butchers at my grocery store sharpen my knives a couple times a year.

Honing is easy to do. I do it each time before I use them.

Here's a video showing how to hone a knife. I put the honing rod on a towel in order to keep it steady; it's harder to hold steady and control the process when you hold the rod in the air. Hope this helps.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=v9qhPeV7IbM

 

[Zagut]

I'm from the camp that as long as the knife is sharp enough then the brand doesn't matter.

Some of my favorite knifes are cheap generic ones that I keep sharp.

If it feels right in your hands then it's what you want.

Putting and keeping an edge on steel isn't rocket science.

Yeah it may take practice but what better knife to experiment on then one you are dissatisfied with.

What's the saying? Try, try, and try again.

If you're not comfortable sharpening yourself then by all means have a pro do it.

If you want to invest then look at http://www.tormek.com/en/
It will sharpen whatever you want.

I have had success with simple oil stones to keep my kitchen tools sharp.

Goggle Black Hard Arkansas for as sharp as you should need to go.

 

[Stock Pot]

Knives

I can recommend Shun and also NewWest Knifeworks. The former uses the excellent Japanese VG10 steel and the latter uses the also excellent American SM35 steel. I sharpen my own knives, but none of my Shun or NewWest knives have even started to go dull. According to what I have read on the bladehead forums, both should sharpen up well. I maintain the edge with a leather strop.

 

[GA Home Cook]

I would highly suggest that anyone that owns any knife should invest in a Lansky sharpner http://www.amazon.com/Lansky-Deluxe...=1455741739&sr=8-1&keywords=lansky+sharpeners

You will not be a professional buy only buying this, but they do a great job. They are safe as long as you follow directions.

 

[jd_1138]

I have the butchers at my grocery store sharpen my knives a couple times a year.

Knives are super important to butchers, so I am sure they probably know how to sharpen them well. I will ask the local butcher if he can do it for me. I will offer him $5 or so. He's old school -- about to retire. He taught me all about the various cuts of meat and how to cook them after my wife's back injury when I had to take over the cooking.

Butchers are awesome. I remember as a kid in the 1970's-1980's, my mom would pick out a nice ham and ask the butcher to slice it up for sandwiches. He'd slice it up and package it up and leave it on the counter and I'd run back there and grab it. I guess that was before supermarkets had dedicated deli's where they slice up meat for you? I don't recall Lucky's having a deli in the 1970's-1980's.

 

[jusnikki]

I have the butchers at my grocery store sharpen my knives a couple times a year.

Honing is easy to do. I do it each time before I use them.

Here's a video showing how to hone a knife. I put the honing rod on a towel in order to keep it steady; it's harder to hold steady and control the process when you hold the rod in the air. Hope this helps.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=v9qhPeV7IbM

I never thought to check out youtube to make sure I was doing it right...and I was not. I think I was holding my blade at to close an angle. No wonder it wasn't getting sharp.

I tried it after watching this video and it worked... Thanks GG!!

 

[GotGarlic]

I never thought to check out youtube to make sure I was doing it right...and I was not. I think I was holding my blade at to close an angle. No wonder it wasn't getting sharp.

I tried it after watching this video and it worked... Thanks GG!!

Yay! I'm happy that helped

 

[Andy M.]

I never thought to check out youtube to make sure I was doing it right...and I was not. I think I was holding my blade at to close an angle. No wonder it wasn't getting sharp.

I tried it after watching this video and it worked... Thanks GG!!

Keep in mind that a steel does not sharpen. If you start with a sharp knife using a steel after every use will keep it sharp longer.

 

[Addie]

I can recommend Shun and also NewWest Knifeworks. The former uses the excellent Japanese VG10 steel and the latter uses the also excellent American SM35 steel. I sharpen my own knives, but none of my Shun or NewWest knives have even started to go dull. According to what I have read on the bladehead forums, both should sharpen up well. I maintain the edge with a leather strop.

I had a 12" Shun chef's knife given to me as a gift. It was waaaay to large for my small hand. I thought, "Oh well, I will get used to it." One minute into cutting up potatoes I cut myself. My son Spike now has it. It is the thought that counts.

 

[flphotog]

Keep in mind that a steel does not sharpen. If you start with a sharp knife using a steel after every use will keep it sharp longer.

Very true Andy, also a steel used incorrectly can actually damage a blade. Also don't just assume a butcher knows how to use a steel. I've seem some that have no idea what they are doing when it comes to using steels.
Personally I love to sharpen knives and do all of my own using a KME system with an occasional touch up with a steel or strop in between. I actually much prefer and get better results with a strop than a steel but the steel is easier and handier when in the kitchen actually using the knives.

 

[CharlieD]

What's the "strop"?

And personally I did not like that video.


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[flphotog]

What's the "strop"?

And personally I did not like that video.


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A strop is usually a strip of leather sometimes, for knives usually mounted on a firm substrate such as wood. I doesn't sharpen the blade but is used to polish the edge which is the final step in getting a knife very sharp, unless you want a toothy edge that some people like, personally I like a nice polished edge, especially on my kitchen knives.

 

[RPCookin]

A strop is usually a strip of leather sometimes, for knives usually mounted on a firm substrate such as wood. I doesn't sharpen the blade but is used to polish the edge which is the final step in getting a knife very sharp, unless you want a toothy edge that some people like, personally I like a nice polished edge, especially on my kitchen knives.

It should be stated that that "toothy" edge mentioned above is microscopic. What a standard steel or ceramic hone does is to straighten or realign those microscopic teeth to keep the knife sharp. Once that tiny burr along the edge wears off, a hone will no longer work to keep the knife sharp. It must then be resharpened by removing material to recreate the sharp edge.

The only time I've ever seen a strop used was in a barber shop to strop a razor before shaving a customer. I've never seen a reason for a kitchen knife to have an edge sharp enough to shave with. I keep my knives very sharp, but that is taking it to a level that most cooks don't need.