Questions tagged [knives]

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56 votes
10 answers
6k views

How should I care for my knives?

I've finally put down the money to buy a quality knife and it's sharpness is amazing! How do I take care of it so that the edge lasts and the knife stays sharp?
Eclipse's user avatar
  • 2,637
97 votes
13 answers
14k views

What knives are "required" for a serious home kitchen?

I consider myself a serious home cook. What knives are essential?
Nathan Koop's user avatar
  • 1,435
40 votes
6 answers
7k views

What should I look for in a good, multi-purpose chef's knife?

If I want to buy a good multi-purpose chef's knife, which characteristics should I look for?
apaderno's user avatar
  • 7,062
19 votes
5 answers
34k views

Can I sharpen a knife with sandpaper?

So I was thinking, instead of purchasing a dedicated (and expensive) whetstone with limited coarse(ness?) range, why not use patches of sandpaper in increasing grit numbers (getting finer), stretched ...
ysap's user avatar
  • 293
34 votes
12 answers
19k views

Why not put knives in the dishwasher?

What is it about the dishwasher that harms knives? The only reasons I've found are: You could get cut... I personally have a greater change of getting cut by trying to wash them by hand. The blades ...
JustRightMenus's user avatar
26 votes
7 answers
3k views

Cutting boards: What are some general tips on purchasing and using a cutting board?

I have heard various debates on the merits of wood versus synthetic cutting boards, and their affect on food safety, knife edges, and ease of cleaning and storage. What are the pros and cons of the ...
JYelton's user avatar
  • 2,898
24 votes
6 answers
18k views

How do you properly clean a cutting board and knife to prevent cross contamination?

I have one very nice cutting board that I like to use with my chef's knife. Because I only use this single cutting board and chef's knife, if I have a recipe that calls for cutting raw meat as well ...
Ben McCormack's user avatar
20 votes
4 answers
10k views

Do honing steels wear out?

We have a knife set that's approximately 15 years old, and as we were honing a knife tonight, a question arose. Do honing steels get worn down over the years? Should they be replaced? If so, how often?...
Martha F.'s user avatar
  • 7,482
8 votes
6 answers
20k views

Are fluted knives a gimmick?

I haven't been able to find a post specifically on fluted knives, so hopefully this isn't a duplicate. I was wondering if fluted knives actually work. I came across a comment (possibly an Amazon ...
MarkE's user avatar
  • 1,397
4 votes
4 answers
1k views

How to maintain my knife? What am I missing, and what am I doing wrong?

I've been cooking for a long time now, and I've been the proud owner of entry level chef knives for the better part of a decade now. Last month I've ordered a new knife, a KAI Saki Magoroku Redwood, ...
Ink blot's user avatar
  • 573
37 votes
8 answers
9k views

How to test that a knife is sharp enough?

As per the question - how to I test that a knife is sharp enough? And/or, how do you know when a knife needs sharpening? Edit: Yesterday I attempted (I feel quite successfully) to hone my knives for ...
DMA57361's user avatar
  • 1,775
19 votes
3 answers
22k views

Metal dust/shavings in food from knife wear?

I've been wondering about this for a while, since getting interested in knife sharpening. When using a knife, it will get duller. One (the primary) reason being that you "bend" the edge. You fix this ...
NiklasJ's user avatar
  • 723
16 votes
5 answers
14k views

How to prevent sliced vegetables/roots from sticking to the blade

This is especially problematic with garlic, but onions, roots and other vegetables are sometimes just as bad. When making thin slices, with the problem worsening as the portions are cut smaller, the ...
JWiley's user avatar
  • 1,020
16 votes
7 answers
3k views

How many ceramic knives do I want?

I've heard that ceramic knives are the new thing. It's far easier, though, to find metal knives that look and feel nice. So, budget notwithstanding (within reason) and assuming that I have to buy a ...
Andres Jaan Tack's user avatar
15 votes
7 answers
13k views

How do you sharpen a serrated knife?

I have some quality serrated knives but over time they get dull. How do I sharpen them?
rbrayb's user avatar
  • 2,322
11 votes
5 answers
54k views

How often should knives be sharpened?

I've a Wusthof classic ikon knife which i've had for about 5 months, it seems to be losing it's edge. It's regularly honed with a grooved honing rod, but I'm unsure if I'm doing it correctly. I've ...
Graham Warrender's user avatar
11 votes
4 answers
2k views

What is the name of this style of knife?

Several years ago I found this knife at a thrift store: I like this knife a lot because it is very effective at transmitting force to the food I am cutting. But I am anxious because I do not know ...
Paul Nijjar's user avatar
8 votes
4 answers
2k views

Which knife is best for somone just learning to cook?

I'm just self-learning to cook and I'm looking for a chef's knife. I've read the many differences between a chef's knife and a santoku knife, but it's still not clear to me which one I should choose. ...
MarkE's user avatar
  • 1,397
8 votes
6 answers
731 views

I'm not looking to learn a new skill; how do I make my knives better at cutting?

I am a reasonably proficient casual kitchen user and I have a set of kitchen knives I bought from a (British) supermarket a few years ago. Recently I've noticed they've become less good at cutting ...
dbmag9's user avatar
  • 12.1k
4 votes
5 answers
18k views

How to clean a whetstone?

I prefer a whetstone to a "steel" for knife sharpening. Over the years my whetstone has become loaded with steel particles from the knives. As it is basically 13 % chrome stainless steel it is not ...
blacksmith37's user avatar
  • 1,113
3 votes
2 answers
2k views

How do I identify a bad sharpener?

I have a cheap plastic board with an in-built pull-through sharpener, metal and ceramic. I have have trouble believing that this can be any decent, but I have tried it on a bad knife. The knife is now ...
DottyPhone's user avatar
2 votes
3 answers
420 views

How to know if I am stopping sharpening too early?

I'm having trouble sharpening my knives, and I'm wondering if it's just that I haven't put in enough time. I've tried spending ~5 minutes per knife at one stroke per ~3 seconds, following all the ...
mwlon's user avatar
  • 121
37 votes
2 answers
17k views

Do magnets dull knives?

A friend of mine bought some new, very sharp knives. He has a magnetic strip that he uses to store knives, but he does not put these new knives there because he says magnets dull knives. Is that true?...
David says Reinstate Monica's user avatar
27 votes
1 answer
6k views

Do plastic cutting boards dull knives faster than wood boards?

I've heard on numerous occasions that plastic cutting boards dull knives faster than wood boards. I use a large wooden cutting board often, but recently I've been finding it heavy and it sometimes ...
Behacad's user avatar
  • 1,882
19 votes
10 answers
23k views

What is the benefit of using a Mezzaluna Knife over a traditional knife

These seem popular in many modern knife sets, and I have seen them used (somewhat clumsily) in Europe. I have briefly tried some before, but couldn't see the benefit of it. But then again no one ...
TFD's user avatar
  • 25.2k
17 votes
6 answers
9k views

Storing knives: wood block or magnetic stripe?

What's better for storing your knives? Wood block or magnetic stripe? And why?
Fczbkk's user avatar
  • 1,150
16 votes
7 answers
4k views

How to find a competent knife sharpener

I have a santoku that I will be wanting to get professionally sharpened in the next few months. This is the first knife I've owned that was reasonably expensive so I want to make sure I take care of ...
Ryan Elkins's user avatar
  • 6,203
14 votes
4 answers
5k views

What is this double-serrated knife good for?

I was recently given an unused knife from an elderly relative who downsized her home. It is stainless steel with a sort of "double serrated" edge. Out of curiosity I gave it a try and it more "...
Stephie's user avatar
  • 59.6k
13 votes
3 answers
1k views

How can I learn to sharpen my Japanese knives properly?

I have a couple of nice Japanese kitchen knives, and a whetstone in two grades. I can sharpen them reasonably well using the stone, but does anyone have any good tips for improving my sharpening ...
Joel in Gö's user avatar
12 votes
5 answers
4k views

Knife chopping through bone or coconut

Is it ok to use a chef knife to chop through bones (not too big, like chicken or pork ribs) or a coconut or will it ruin the knife permanently? I've done that on occasion and it did not seem to ...
huynhjl's user avatar
  • 319
11 votes
3 answers
1k views

Knife sharpening equipment

I'm a novice at best when it comes to cooking, but I'm open to learning how to sharpen my own knives. However, I'm a quite overwhelmed with where to start and how to get things going. I have a few ...
MarkE's user avatar
  • 1,397
9 votes
6 answers
34k views

How do I care for a carbon steel knife?

I recently purchased a Dexter-Russell carbon steel Chinese cleaver, because they're supposed to be amazingly useful. I'm used to caring for good stainless steel knives, but don't know what special ...
BobMcGee's user avatar
  • 18k
8 votes
1 answer
45k views

Does a sharpening steel ever need to be replaced? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Do honing steels wear out? I've been using my sharpening steel for several years. The tiny little ridges that run along its length seem to be somewhat worn, although they're ...
eigor40's user avatar
  • 81
7 votes
2 answers
4k views

What regular maintenance is best for a Japanese knife?

My amazing fiancee just got me a Nenox gyuto as a graduation present. (You can't have her, she's mine.) Until now, I've only had Western knives. I understand that I should never use a steel on this ...
David Bruce Borenstein's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
3k views

Knife cleaning: safe to do without soap?

Knife Skills Illustrated: A User's Manual suggests that knives can be cleaned with hot running water alone. "With sufficiently hot water, soap should not be necessary." Is this safe? What if I am only ...
Michael Hoffman's user avatar
6 votes
2 answers
3k views

How to convert knife edge angle "ratios" into degrees?

European-style Japanese knives seem to be described (also here and here, and in my most recent post) in terms of "ratios" that always add up to 100. It's not exactly clear what this means in terms of ...
David Bruce Borenstein's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
906 views

Do "Chinese Ironwood" cutting boards dull knives quickly?

I have an end-grain cutting board of "Chinese Ironwood" like this one from the Wok Shop. I've used it heavily for the last 16 years, and it shows very little sign of wear. However, I have to sharpen ...
FuzzyChef's user avatar
  • 64.5k
5 votes
3 answers
3k views

Better kinds of knives for elderly persons?

I'm doing research for my culminating undergrad project on what kind of knives are appropriate for elderly persons, aged about 65-75 years old, and I've got three main questions: A gerontologist told ...
Raquela's user avatar
  • 59
5 votes
2 answers
821 views

Does anyone know the name of the knife this ice cream seller is using?

Here is an example of the knife being used. ASMR - Energy Ice Cream Rolls Oreo | How To Make An Energy Drink Out Of Ice Cream || Chinese Food Notice it is similar but like a cleaver. I have also been ...
Nova_Super's user avatar
5 votes
3 answers
1k views

Fruit peeling techniques

I came across this page (How to peel a mango) while surfing and I found it very interesting. What kind of methods and knives/kitchen gadgets do you use to peel fruits? Are there different tools to ...
3 votes
5 answers
1k views

What kind of cooking knife is this?

In a show (One Piece), the character uses the following kitchen knife. I've never seen anything like it before; what is it? Here it is in action:
LanguagesNamedAfterCofee's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
2k views

What do the numbers used to differentiate Chinese slicer knives mean?

I have a Chinese slicer knife which I bought quite a few years ago, but never much used, it is a stainless steel 3 rams number 2. I am doing more Chinese cooking now, but when reading in my cooking ...
jaz9090's user avatar
  • 185
3 votes
2 answers
1k views

Will a sharpener for a wider edge ruin a knife with a narrow edge?

I'm loving my new Victorionox chefs knife, and I'm aware the it has a 15 degree blade edge. When the time comes to sharpen it, will using a sharpener for a 20 degree blade ruin the knife edge?
Geo's user avatar
  • 81
1 vote
2 answers
728 views

How well do counter top knife sharpeners sharpen knives?

Are counter top knife sharpeners like the IQ knife sharpener good for sharpening knives (or cheap knives)? I have used the IQ sharpener and it is still hard to cut through big onions. I would like to ...
Bar Akiva's user avatar
  • 5,825
1 vote
3 answers
1k views

What beginner friendly tools can be used to sharpen a dull knife to a razor edge and polished result with no prior knowledge?

Okay. I really tried to avoid going too broad in this question and before of all I did some research on my own in this community and here's what I found. This post addresses which things should come ...
Chris Steinbeck Bell's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
124 views

Would I need to sharpen a knife if I hone it often?

I am new to this knife maintenance buisness, and would like to ask the question in title. If I regularly hone my knife, and if the knife is decent quality, could I skip ever thinking of sharpening it?
tryst with freedom's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
804 views

How to sharpen knife with chunk missing?

Is it better to grind off the whole blade or should I find someone to add metal and then sharpen it again?
beausmith's user avatar
  • 565