knife sharpening

Guidelines on how to keep your knives sharp:

When it comes to maintaining your knives you have to first differentiate between honing and sharpening. Here we can explain the difference.

Honing

With regular use, any knife will lose its "bite". Every edge has many very fine "teeth" which are bent to both sides of the blade after a certain time of cutting on a hard surface (you can't see that with your eyes - only under a microscope). Using a Wusthof honing steel regularly will re-align these teeth and keep the edge sharp for a long time of cooking enjoyment.

In our extensive range of sharpening utensils we also have some extra-fine steels on offer. These steels are very much like those used by butchers and people working in the meat industry. The fine surface will bring out an even finer edge than the regular steel but it does need to be used more often than a standard honing steel to avoid the knife edge becoming dull.

Hold the steel with your left hand and the knife with your right hand (left-handed users simply do the opposite) and guide the blade with light pressure across the steel. Do this in an arching motion, side-to-side, at a 20o angle between blade and steel. Repeat this process 6 - 8 times. Never stroke each side more than once in succession.

The "tip down" method shown here works best as you always see the contact point between the knife and the steel. With a little practice, you will find this becomes an easy motion. Now your knife should be as sharp as the first time you used it. Please use a steel which is, at the minimum, the length of the blade you are honing.
 

My Knife Edge Is Dull

Should your knife edge have become dull you might no longer be able to restore the edge by using a honing steel. This is when you have to use an abrasive sharpening utensil to reshape the edge to its original factory geometry.
 

Diamond Knife Sharpener

The Wusthof diamond sharpener is coated with up to 2,000,000 industrial diamonds. The abrasive surface allows you to create a new edge quickly and efficiently. To be used like the honing steel (shown above). Use this item to recover a blade edge. Do not use regularly in place of a honing steel.
 

Ceramic Sharpener

Ceramic is a very hard material. The surface of this rod is abrasive but not as abrasive as a diamond sharpener. Thus resulting in a finer blade edge. To be used like the honing steel (shown above). Use this item to recover a blade edge. Do not use regularly in place of a honing steel.
 

Ceramic Pull-Through Sharpener

The Minosharp ceramic sharpener is an easy way to sharpen your knives. Two ceramic wheels offer you the right angle, just gently pull your knife through those wheels and you will have restored the edge.

Please take utmost care when sharpening your knives to prevent injuries.