Beginners Guide To Real Knife Sharpening

Curb your dull knives. Please. But also, if you don't want to sharpen your knife, that's okay too. I'm just giving you the option and ability to take your knife from dull to sharper than a razor using a whetstone. ;) Also *DISCLAIMER*: This technique is something that I learned as a beginner while working in restaurants. It was really only intended to get newbies started on the idea of using a whetstone. This video is NOT intended to be a professional all inclusive knife video. It's simply supposed to be a fun/entertaining video to get people interested in learning about knife sharpening. I suggest doing your own research and finding your own way to sharpen a knife after getting started off this guide!

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(I accidentally made the mistake of crediting Jef kaale Because I thought this was his song but I recently found out it was Engelwood's song, woops! Go check Engelwood out if you enjoyed this music.)
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[weili]

Why are we always in the cupboard. Let us out!

[williamlee]

I've been sharpening knives for 55+ years and this is the most simplistic explanation I've ever heard. Perfect. Like you said, keeping it the same angle all the way down the edge is the key. The only thing I would add is a leather strop. Just a few passes on a strop can bring back the edge to razors edge. And they can be made, with a piece of leather and a flat board for a few bucks! Or bought for less than a whet stone.

[pilokxx]

Seriously the best way to find the angle every time is to actually "try" to peel the wetstone. If you got that right in mind when sharpening then you automatically manage to do it easilly. Just pretend that you wanna peel a thin sheat from the wetstone.

[flyin]

Imma go sharpen my knife at 1 in the morning now

[mytruckinlifeace]

When I cut a tomato it turns into ketchup

[jacktrujillo]

I’m a young chef and have been trying to master sharpening my knives on a stone for some time now. This was without a doubt the most helpful tutorial! Thank you!

[flipit]

Im a butcher for 7 years and a cook for 10 years. I agree that its not okay to use the steel rod for sharpening as it only damages the blade. But as a butcher, I always needed something that sharpen my knife as quick as possible and thats how the rod helps me. But before it becomes useful, I sand it and make finer so it wont damage my knife. Sorry for my bad english.

[Timinator]

So Skrillex is making YouTube knife sharpening videos?

[Hannah-vdnz]

I now have a strong urge to sharpen my knives so I can slice paper with them instead of using scissors

[vaselinepink]

*Dull knife is V E R Y dangerous*
Sharp knife: Am i a joke to you?

[jsshadow-lurker]

My great great grandfather had quite a thing for sharpening blades. He would always make sure that every single blade (knife/machete/bolo) in the house was razor sharp. It kinda got passed down to me so now I'M the one with his habit. I'm not regretting it or anything, it's actually very satisfying once you end up with a really sharp blade.

A razor sharp knife is perfect and ideal for cooking.


*Unless you prefer to use it for its more deadly use*

[EDCandLace]

I don't know about most people but it is extremely relaxing to me to sharpen knifes and satisfying to watch a edge going from dull and poorly finished to razor sharp and mirror fine.

I love stropping a edge and seeing running a cloth over the blade to whip off the compound and seeing the mirror finish on the edge.. I love it.

[daphnechristensengreenlee]

I learned from a Japanese chef. The entire length of the blade is put to the stone....same as you are doing, essentially, but without the danger of an uneven edge. The blade is not pushed straight across but on a slight diagonal. A razor sharp knife is a joy to use.

[TumblinWeeds]

Me: squashes tomato when i tried to cut it
YouTube: *im totally not watching you but here’s a guy who can actually cut a tomato lol*

[TheMrVengeance]

Just to point it out. A honing rod isn't for sharpening, it's for re-aligning the edge, not removing material. _(It's however not as relevant for Japanese knives like you showed.)_
When you use a German knife of softer steel, when you hit hard things like bones for instance, the super thin edge sort of bends or rolls over. Using a honing rod straightens that all back out.
You need sharpening when a blade is chipped or damaged, because there's nothing to re-align, you have to remove material by grinding to create a new edge.

Why it's not as relevant on Japanese knives is because they're usually of a much higher hardness, so they'll keep their edge longer (no need for honing) but chip sooner (need whetstone).

[BobbieGWhiz]

The most valuable information I obtained from this video was that you apply pressure on the backward stroke, not the forward stroke when the blade is facing away from you (and the forward stroke when the blade is facing towards you). I was struggling, getting nowhere before I watched this video as previously I was applying pressure on both forward and backward strokes. No one else seems to emphasize this on the other videos or sites I’ve reviewed. I think it takes more than 15 strokes, but I guess it depends on the dullness of you blade and its hardness. Thanks much.

[EDENSASHES]

For various reasons I had not sharpened a knife for many years. But when I was 14 I could get an edge to shave with. I needed a refresher on stone sharpening and as you spoke and demonstrated all of the technique that my father and grandfather had taught me 40 years ago came rushing back. Funny how it is still the best method for a razor edge. Sometimes the old ways are still the best. Thanks for a presentation that gets to the point.

[JonathanAlex]

For anyone new to this, stone sharpens the edge. However, as u use the knife, the edges may be a little bent etc. Hence honing it will straighten the knifes edge letting it remain sharp for longer before u have to sharpen it again. So learning to use both is good. Or at least this is what I've come to know.

[Rob-ExMachina]

As someone just getting into higher end knives and whetstone sharpening this helps a lot, thanks man.

[MrCalgaryDave]

Thank you for the clear and helpful instruction. A little story: My partner and I took a one-evening course on making Pho at a technical college with a chef program. The instruction was great. The knives provided for the 8 couples registered were sharpened to perfection by the students. The instructors, two faculty members, introduced us officially to 'knife skills, ' as a significant part of the introduction. That included letting us know that the knives were sharp and a recommendation to be careful. Within moments from the start of prepping ingredients, people (all men) began coming forward with cuts, some quite nasty. In all, four had to get a bandaid and little 'condom' to cover the bloody finger. The issue, I think, is that people with dull knives may not know how to use a sharp knife. When I sharpen our knifes (not all that expertly), I tell the fam to take extra care.