How to Hone Wusthof Chef Knives

Honing your Wusthof will keep your knives sharp for a long time in between sharpenings!

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It only takes a moment to learn in this tutorial and you will be rewarded with amazingly sharp knives. Founded in 1814, Wusthof has been crafting high-quality, forged cutlery in Solingen, Germany for over 200 years. We are proud to offer one of the world's largest selections of Wusthof, including several exclusive knife lines and sets.

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[craigclarke]

Thanks so much for taking the time! I just bought a Wüsthof knife set with a honing steel, so I'm going to start with the third method. This is all new to me, so it's perfect for a beginner like me. Thanks again! Craig

[dudeman]

Methods 2 and 3 are great, thanks for the demo. I didn’t know about the thumb/finger trick. Would emphasize that a perfect angle for honing isnt as important as it is when the knife is actually sharpened. If you can, I would suggest mastering the 2nd technique. With practice it’s very effective, and I think it is the most practical way also. Good video, so many people haven’t learned the techniques and importance of honing. I actually just got my knives professionally sharpened for the first time, and it has been about 5 years! Honing regularly is much more important than many realize.

[engineerasad]

that swet sound of perfectly tempered steel.... love it

[HauntingMouse]

Thank you for the honing tutorial, I just sharpened every Wusthof / santoku / even my spreading knife's edge in a matter of minutes. I used my old cheap Farberware honing rod from college that I've been misusing for a decade. I'm so glad I saw this before finishing my cart with an electric sharpener, much appreciated!

[MrMZaccone]

Finally, someone does this correctly. Thank you.

[jacham]

You are the best for me, a beginner, thank you!

[ezrabrooks]

Excellent Demonstration. I was a Professional Butcher for a number of Years, you actually can tell by feel if your hitting the right angle when steeling your knife. It's a Skill developed over years of doing the actual work. I ALWAYS GET A BIG LAUGH OUT OF WATCHING THESE TV CLOWNS/CHEFS, BEATING UP THEIR KNIFES, GOING LIKE HELL AT AN ANGLE THAT IS IN NO WAY WHAT MAKES ME REALLY BUST A GUT IS WHEN THEY USE A CARVING FORK TO STEEL THEIR FUNNY

[savedfaves]

I drilled two small indentations in the corners of my chopping board for your pointing down method. Helps stabilise.

[Zamigirl]

Thanks for saving me money on those fancy knife shpeners.

[lorrainemurphy]

My grandfather taught me the first method when I was in middle school! But the third method looks most safe

[NathanHawkHawkins]

I like the 2nd one. Been doing that ever since. Might try the 3rd.

[gjurrys]

Hi, I like your last method. One thing came onto my mind: Wouldn´t it be a good idea to hold the honing rod at the desired angle and then guide the edge along the rod vertically with the "arc-method". The angle would be consistent, while the only drawback is that the knive also moves sideways as it runs along the rod. I found that it is easier to decide if the blade is vertical or not than the angle is maintained. Works for me, maybe this is helpful for somebody else, too. Nice job on your channel!

[MegaAaron]

I would like to mention that in addition to using a honing steel most professional chefs have the cutlery sharpened on a regular schedule by a professional blade smith. A hone is to maintain the edge. A hone does not and will not sharpen a truly dull blade. You need to remove material from the blade to sharpen a knife.

[Island_Kermode]

I'm just a dishwasher and 2/3 of the cooks at our restaurant laugh at me cause the third way is how my dad taught me and how I've been doing it for years. they both use the first way... neither of their knives are even close to as sharp as mine, so I suffer for having to do all the prep cause I'm faster.

[williammack]

Honing rods should be 2 inches longer than your longest knife. When you buy a set of knives, the manufacturer will usually include a short 9 inch rod since it will fit in a storage block easily without striking the counter top. I recommend a 12 inch rod which I keep in my kitchen drawer.

[JeffSmith-eqkc]

I really prefer a ceramic honing rod these days. I have a set of Miyabi knives and the hardness of ceramic just does a better job. A strop works great as well but the ceramic rod is far quicker in the middle of cooking. If you're new, don't buy a diamond honing rod! I bought my brother a set of Shun knives and told him he needed a honing rod. About two months later he brought his knives over to be sharpened and the edge was all over the place. No big deal to fix but the diamond is super aggressive.

[hippopotamus]

The "TV Chef" method is actually the recommended method by Wusthof.

[groovyshades]

So what is better a honing rod or a hand held pull through or the electric sharpener ??

[MegaEldude]

Hi, thanks for the demo. What do you think of the pull-through knife sharpeners?

[jetobey]

Ryky---I use, exclusively, DMT diamond "sticks" in fine grit. I always use that Brand because they only use monocrystalline diamond. I use the second position you showed, but draw the knife edge into the stick. It is less realignment, and more finish honing to restore 90% of waterstone honing.