Knife Care: Steel versus Pull Sharpener

In the first post in the Cooking: for Men and Other Culinary-Challenged People hive, Kevin Buckley asked why I had an aversion to a steel. My reply was cryptic. Given the limitations of a comment, that was all I could do.This post is a detailed response to Kevin's question.

A steel has other names. It is sometimes called a "rat-tail". Most often, it should be called a knife-killer. 

More good knives have been destroyed by the improper use of a steel than by anything else.

Last summer, I picked a fantastic antique butcher's knife at a yard sale. This thing was 20-inches long and made of Spanish sword steel. I thought I recognized the maker's mark of a now defunct manufacturer. They did not go under because of poor product quality. They went under because they refused to lower their standards to meet the market's demands. 

I bought it for C$7.

It came with a steel that was pitted and worn. The knife was so banged up I thought someone used it to trim concrete. It took two hours on a grinding wheel, and oil-sharpening on a stone to bring it back.That was some seriously hard steel!

Not using the steel properly screwed it up in the first place. Their loss. My gain.

It looks cool.

Don't bother.

Chefs and butchers understand the need for a perfect edge before cutting. We like blades sharp! 

A sharp knife is an efficient knife. A sharp knife is a safe knife.

Chefs are used to it. They might make 200 strokes per shift. Muscle-memory is well-entrenched. We hold the blade at the perfect 25-degree to 27-degree angle without thinking. We apply the proper pressure throughout each phase of the stroke.

Some of us modify the stroke to build two or three edge types on a single blade.

Some of us adjust the angle to personal preference (Mine is 23 degrees. That makes for a more fragile, but sharper edge.)

Believe it or not, caring for knives and using a steel properly was an entire 4-hour class in Culinary School.

I still remember Chef Michel telling us, "Your knife ees not a toy. Your knife ees not a tool. Eat ees you! Your knife ees sheet, den you are sheet! Voila"

Your knife's edge is a very thin piece of hard metal. As you use it, it tends to curve along the tip. It doesn't really get dull, but it feels like it does.

A few swipes on a steel fix the problem. The tiny curl on the end straightens out.

You should never have to force a knife. That's when slips happen.

That's when emergency room visits happen.

The various edge types, 

Don't bother remembering this. Its usefulness is limited to cocktail party chatter.

If you have a good sharpener it will have two slots. One is for sharpening. The other is for re-forming. It may be labelled as "finishing". 

Usually, the re-forming slot has ceramic rods. They do the job of a steel and are better suited for home cooks.

Your sharpener will either give you a V(flat) grind or a Compound (Double Bevel) edge. They are pre-set and you don't need to think about it.

Some professionals are now screaming at their screens. Pull sharpeners are NOT as good a steel. Okay, you got me. You are absolutely right.

But, consider this.

It is much better to use a steel properly. That last word is key. Used improperly, it does far more harm than good.

For the home cook, easier is better. In this case, easier is also safer.

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