Questions tagged [knives]
The knives tag has no usage guidance.
47
questions
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?
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?
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?
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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?...
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 ...
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, ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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?
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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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?...
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 ...
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 ...
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?
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 ...
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 "...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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:
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 ...
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?
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 ...
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 ...
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?
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?