KNIFE^ PHOTO^ BY^ BEATA^ LUBAS32 cleaneating.com JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019
SHARP ENOUGH?
TRY THE ERKKINEN TEST:
“Hold a piece of paper up
between your thumb and
forefinger and try to cut it
with the knife. If it slices it
easily, the knife is sharp.”extra care with the angle if you’re
using a diamond steel, because you
can actually make your knife duller
if you get it wrong.) Starting from
the heel, draw the knife down and
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and even pressure throughout.
Switch sides and repeat, being sure
to keep the blade at a consistent
angle. Repeat this process about
10 times, until the blade is honed.LOOKING SHARP
No matter how much you hone
your knife, eventually it will wear
down, and a sharpener grinds
both sides of the blade to create a
keen edge once again. You should
sharpen your blades at least once
a year. “Whetstones are the best
sharpeners out there, you can easily
do it at home and you have complete
control. It just takes a little practice
to master,” says Erkkinen.
To use one, start by soaking it
for about 30 minutes (the water
gives the stone the right degree of
friction), then place it so the coarsest
side is up. If the whetstone doesn’t
come with a base, anchor it by
placing it on a kitchen towel. As with
honing, the process is the same for
German and Japanese knives, but
you’ll have to work at a steeper angle
for a Japanese knife. Hold the knife
so that the blade faces away from
you and touches the stone at a
20° angle for a German knife, or 15°
for a Japanese one. Starting from the
heel and working toward the point,sweep the blade across the stone,
applying gentle downward pressure
and maintaining a consistent angle.
Repeat about 10 times, dribbling
water over the stone occasionally,
then switch sides of the blade. Flip or
turn the stone over so you can work
on the less coarse side, and repeat
this process, again working with
both sides of the blade and drizzling
water over the stone periodically.
After you’re done, hone the blade a
few times, just to make sure the edge
is perfectly aligned.CLEANING & STORING
The dishwasher is the natural enemy
of a good knife: High heat and harsh
detergents are bad for the steel and
the handle, while other items in the
dish rack might bump up against
the blade and dull it. Instead, your
best bet is to hand wash your knives
soon after you use them. Just be sure
to never drop them in a sink full of
soapy water, where you might catch
a sharp blade unaware. Make a habit
of drying them and putting them
away immediately — moisture is bad
for steel, and it’s never good to have
sharp objects hanging out in a dish
rack, where it might bang up against
pots and pans or you might grab it
by accident.
You have three options for storing
knives: In a drawer, in a knife block
and on a magnetic strip on the wall,
and there are ways to do all three well.
The worst option is keeping
knives in a drawer unprotected. It’s
dangerous for you, and your knives
will get dull much faster from getting
knocked around. If you want to keep
them out of sight, the best move isto buy a special knife insert for your
drawer, or store them with blade
covers, which are inexpensive to buy.
If you bought a set of knives that
includes a knife block, it’s a totally
acceptable way to store your knives.
Just make sure your knives are
scrupulously clean and dry when you
put them away, to avoid any sort of
icky bacteria growth.
Many chefs prefer to use a
magnetic knife rack: Knives stay
sharp and away from one another,
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looking for, and you’re not limited
to the number of slots in the set
you bought. It goes without saying,
though, that the knife rack should be
positioned well away from hands that
might bump into it.Bianca DiPietro PROGRAM COORDINATOR & PROFESSOR
OF GRAPHIC DESIGN AT HUMBER COLLEGE, HAMILTON, CANADA
Bianca lets her passion for design and food inspire and lead her work. She notes
that her best ideas come from content that she believes in and is connected
with, and Clean Eating is just that. As a marathon runner, rower and health-
conscious eater, she finds her own lifestyle inspires her work and vice versa.tools
How do you know you’re
honing at a 20° angle?
Start with a right angle (90°)
and cut that in half, giving you
a 45° angle. Cut that in half
(plus a little more) and you’re set!