The Elusive Mirror Finish

There is a debate among chefs, some chefs that is about the type of Edge that works best for them in the  kitchen. Basically, some want a "toothy edge" while some prefer the very polished edge.
The toothsayers like  their edges because they feel they need a little "teeth" on the edge to grab onto something like a tomato skin and get through it. A perfectly smooth edge would slide off, theoretically that is.

I prefer the edge to be as highly polished as possible, I have yet to have a problem cutting a tomato, the edge has never slipped off the skin. I will not say what is best, they both have their places in the kitchen. A knife can still be extraordinarily sharp with a bit teeth on it, it just means that there are some fine scratches lift on the bevel and that is what bites into the food.

Now take a look at this edge I just put on a Global for a very nice fella at Janes on the Common. (Amazing food by the way, and the coffee is to die for)

Now tell me that this is not the Edge you would like to have on all of your knives. Does this look like it would slide off of a freakin tomato?


Now is it easy to create an edge like this, heck yeah, all you need is a million waterstones, diamond pastes, kangaroo leather, patience, OCD, and cool music to get into that Zen mode and then it just magically appears.

By the way, the orange colour in left side of the edge is a reflection of my camera........COOL eh.

Peter

Dealing with Serrated knives

I think you need 3 knives in the kitchen, I mean if you are slowly building up your collection of "fine" knives and taking the time to make smart purchases, and a little more expensive perhaps, I think only 3 knives needed. Two for sure and the 3rd is the optional one but very useful.

The serrated bread knife is very sharp when new but it is a challenge to sharpen. I've tried several methods and have a really good one now. 

There are some options of course for dealing with dull serrated knives:

1. Dispose of it and buy a new one, you can get a decent Henckels bread knife for $35.00 and you will get at least a year out of it, maybe two without touching it.

2. Have it sharpened 

3. Keep using the dull serrated knife and experience misery and frustration every time you do use it.

What about a serrated knife that over time, the serrations are almost non-existent, you can see them but they serve absolutely no purpose. This will occur with repeated sharpening where the sharpener is not working on the individual serrations, perhaps just sharpening it like a straight edge knife. Or it has gone through one of those electric sharpeners.

Basically, you have really dull, wannabe serrated knife that is causing even more misery. 

Toss it or remove the serrations completely, re-profile the edge and make it straight edge knife, a slicer.

Now you can either use it as is and get another serrated knife, I don't think you would need one if you do the job right. It will be so sharp that bread won't stand a chance. 

Here is a former serrated knife that had outlived it purpose, the benefit of the serrations had long since vanished. What is left, after 50 minutes of work is a very nice slicer.

The picture below is a serrated knife, sorry I didn't take a before shot, it was a typical serrated knife with very worn serrations. I ground away the serrations and was left with a very dull edge, in fact there really was no edge. I place a compound bevel on it of 10 and 15 degrees. I started the process at 10 degrees to create a polished bevel where the serrations used to be. Then, I actually sharpened the knife at 15 degrees, so the 10 degree bevel is called a Relief Angle.

(Note how I try to impress you by using terms like compound bevel and Relief Angle) 

But that is what I did. 

Just something to think about, the transformation is not that difficult and results in a very useful knife, one that you can easily slice bread with and now it is fine for other duties in the kitchen.

Thank You

Peter

Honing and Miscellaneous

I find that many people misunderstand the honing steels/ceramics, i.e. those steel or ceramic rods that people, some people, think that they sharpen knives. In other words, they will buy a Steel thinking it is a knife sharpener when it fact it really is maintenance tool. Extremely important to own and very easy to use.
Here is picture I took from a book by Chad Ward called an Edge in the Kitchen. Chad is a brilliant man and the book is very cool, quite informative.

So you can see it being "anchored" on a table and the knife is simply drawn down the length of the steel just like the picture. This will re-align the edge for you and keep a sharp knife sharp.

IT WILL NOT sharpen a knife that is dull, i.e. you can't take a dull knife from the drawer and expect it to be sharp after this process. You can however take a sharp knife and keep it sharp for several months by doing this.

The Edge of your knife is somewhat fragile, so it becomes folded over in some spots, you can't see it or feel it but it is what makes the knife dull. The edge, the cutting edge is not damaged, this is just normal wear and tear.  So regular "steeling" will keep a sharp knife sharp.
You need to remove metal to sharpen a knife and unless the hone is a Diamond Hone it will not do that.
I recommend a ceramic hone myself, that is what I use.

On another note:

By the way, look for me in my new, totally awesome, eye catching vehicle. You know you want one.

One more thing.

Here is knife that cost $3,500 dollars, it is hand made and absolutely incredible to handle, it feels great in the hand. Did you know that when you buy a knife like this or any hand made Japanese knife that in many cases they are not sharpened. You need to do that yourself.

Yes I realize that is strange, I didn't make the knives I'm just telling  you. I believe the purpose is so that when the new owner buys it, he or she knows it is untouched, brand spanking new.

Terrify your vegetables

Most knives that you purchase, German knives especially have a factory grind in the 20-25 degree per side range. While your new knife will feel sharp, a 50 degree inclusive angle is far too wide for the kitchen. That is fine for a hunting knife but you really want a an angle of 20 deg at most per side. Japanese knives, like Global, MAC, Shun have a 16 degree per side angle, this is why these knives feel very sharp out of the box. The steel is much harder as well and they can hold this  acute edge.
So I sharpen most Henckels, Wusthof at 19 degrees. It is a very suitable working edge that is both sharp and it will hold the edge.
So what happens if you sharpen a  knife at 10 degrees:

Here you go:

Now you have an extremely sharp edge,  there should be no doubt in anyones mind that this is one heck of sharp knife, you can tell by looking at it. I think this could be the sharpest knife in Canada.

Now there are pros and cons with this edge.
PROs: 
Surgical instrument sharp edge,  extremely useful for vegetables, anything you want to cut will be sliced as if you were using a razor. It looks cool, if you want to show a knife off, this is the one to impress your friends ..........and enemies.
CON's:
The edge is fragile, the steel on this knife is not hard enough to hold this degree of sharpness for long so you need to be very very careful with the way you handle it. This edge on this steel will stay sharp for a couple of weeks at most under normal kitchen use. After two weeks it will just be the sharpest knife in the Maritimes, not Canada:

There are knives that will hold this edge for a little longer but they are very hard, much harder than German knives.

I know it is sharp, I just caught some veggies  trying to escape out the back door.

Buying a new knife - What to buy?

 So you are going to buy a kitchen knife and you are not sure what to get, you know that there some nice knives at Paderno or Cucina Moderna but you are not quite sure what to get. You also saw that set of knives at the local Canadian Tire or Walmart for 75.00 for 9 knives and a honing steel, not to mention the really nice wooden block they come in. 

Here is my advice and remember, I feel qualified to provide advice because I have been there and learned the hard way, I now know exactly what you need. 

I can promise you this: If you opt for that block of knives because it seems like a good deal you will be disappointed, frustrated and using dull, low quality knives that you don't even need.  Don't do it.

If money is a factor, i.e. if you are not filthy rich like me and this purchase is an important one than here is what you do.

(I'm not filthy rich by the way :) 

1. Purchase ONE GOOD knife and if you can swing it get two, a large one and a small one, it is that simple. Instead of buying a block of crappy knives get one good one, spend $100.00 or so, give or take a little and buy yourself one good Chef knife. Pick up a Grohmann, MAC, Global, Henckels, Shun or Wusthof. Just get good knife. You will find that it is adequately sharp when purchased, especially the Shun and MAC, they have a very nice edge right out of the box. The other knives are sharp as well.

If you are a vegetarian and all you cut is vegetables then pick up a nice veggie knife like the one here:

This Wusthof was only about $110.00 and it is my wifes favourite knife, it is very easy to sharpen and we love it. This knife will keep you happy for a very long time, the rest of your life unless you damage it.  

Wusthof Vegetable Knife

Globals

Here is a couple of nice Globals, two knives and everything you need in the kitchen. Now isn't this better than a big block of knives that are low quality and take up room on the counter. Trust me, in no time you will be disappointed because you will end up with 9 dull knives that you don't like using and every time you do use them you will be reminded of the choice you made.

Shun Chefs Knife

 Here is my personal collection of knives. I started with one knife only, and we used that one knife for years.
















Remember, all knives will become dull after a while, regardless of the quality of the knife. All you really need to too keep them sharp is one nice little Japanese Water Stone like the one I started with below. I picked this up for $28.00. 

Don't be fooled by the block of 10 knives that seem like a good bargain, you will regret it.

Never hesitate to contact me if you want to discuss knives and how to keep them sharp.


Thanks for reading this.