ILLUSTRATIONS BY BROWN BIRD DESIGNNEVER A DULL MOMENT
Few tools work as hard as kitchen knives. They slice, dice, chop, and mince—
until they don’t. To keep them sharp and ready for action, it’s important to give
those steely blades the proper TLC. Here’s how to maintain their edge.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY BRYAN GARDNERHarsh detergents, heat,
and jostling can wear
on blades, even those
labeled as dishwasher-
safe. Chef Howie Velie,
an associate dean at the
Culinary Institute of
America, in Hyde Park,
New York, recommends
placing yours flat in
the sink, then tilting it
a bit so its sharp edge
presses gently against
the surface. Clean it
with a soft scrubby
sponge, warm water,
and mild dishwashing
liquid. Dry it with a
dish towel immediately
to avoid water spots
and bacterial growth.
Chef knife with sheath,
by Martha Stewart Collec-
tion, 8", $27, macys.com.2
HONE3
SHARPENLubricate an oilstone with food-grade mineral oil.
If you have a whetstone, submerge it in water until
there are no visible air bubbles.
Position stone horizontally, coarse-side up, on
a damp towel to prevent sliding. Lay upper portion
of blade’s sharp edge against surface of stone,
near its left end. Tilt blade 20 degrees, with sharp
edge in contact with stone.
Slide sharp edge to right, across stone, applying
pressure with help from your free hand, as shown.
At the same time, move knife toward top edge of
stone so that blade’s lower edge comes in contact
with stone by the time you reach its right end. To
work on blade’s other side, start at stone’s right end
and tilt blade in opposite direction. Repeat sharp-
ening 10 times on each side.Two-sided grit water sharpening stone, by Messermeister,
400 / 1,000 grit, $30, bedbathandbeyond.com.Fine-tuning
your knife
with a honing
steel lines up
the micro-
scopic fibers
of the blade.One all-
natural way
to remove
rust and
other stubborn
stains is to
rub the
blade with
lemon and salt.4
STORE
Give knives their space!
Keeping them loose in a
drawer isn’t just danger-
ous for those reaching in;
it’s a hazard for the
blades: All that moving
around can dull them and
loosen them from their
handles. Our test-kitchen
team prefers to store
knives in an in-drawer
tray, right. You can also
place them on a mag-
netic wall strip or in a
knife block. If you choose
the latter, says Velie,
a wooden block (as op-
posed to stone or plastic)
is gentlest on the blades.In-drawer 7-slot knife
organizer (similar to shown),
by Wüsthof, in Beechwood,
$30, williams-sonoma.com.1
CLEAN
Diamond
sharpening steel,
by Wüsthof, $30,
cutleryandmore.com.(^20) ̊
Work on one side...
Drag blade from handle
of steel out to its tip.
At the same time, slide
blade from heel to point
against steel, so that
steel has made contact
with entire length of
blade by the time you
reach steel’s tip.
A sharpening
stone grinds away
metal to form a
new edge. Use it at
least once a month.
(^20) ̊
Position steel
and blade
Hold steel and knife
as shown, with sharp
edge of knife pointing
away from you. Keeping
sharp edge in contact
with steel, tilt blade up
20 degrees.
... then the other
With heel of blade
under steel near its
handle, tilt blade
20 degrees and slide
sharp edge toward
tip. At the same time,
drag blade from heel
to point. Repeat honing
10 times on each side.
116
HOW-TO HANDBOOK Homekeeping