Sharpen knives

[Anonymous]

Where do you get your knives sharpened and how much does it cost?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where do you get your knives sharpened and how much does it cost?

Sur la Table charges $1 per inch, but they periodically run specials where the largest knife is free. Don't know if another one is coming up or not. They also won't sharpen certain asian knives (primarily Japanese) because of the angle - they recommended someone at the Bethesda Farmers Market (I think) for those knives.

[Anonymous]

The Bethesda Farmers Market sharpeners are there the 1st and 3rd Sunday, IIRC. Not sure how much.

[Anonymous]

Sur la Table did a lousy job on the 5 knives I brought to them last year. Thanks for the Bethesda Farmers Market suggestion. I'm going to try them out.

[Anonymous]

SLT said they just use the machines that they sell in the store - they don't sharpen by hand. That's why they can't cope with different cutting angles (ie. Japanese knives).

We have a lot of very expensive Japanese blades and do ours by hand on diamond & ceramic files - it doesn't take long, but you need a lot of practise to do it right.

[Anonymous]

Just to clarify, the knife sharpeners are at the Sunday market in Bethesda, behind Jaleo, not the Sat. market near Veterans Park.

[Anonymous]

I sharpen each knife before I use it.

I just use a metal sharpening rod.

I'm right handed.

I hold the sharpening rod with my left hand. I hold the handle of the metal sharpening rod straight down vertically resting the tip on the cutting board.

I then swipe the knife in a downward stroke twice on each side and I'm finished. I'm not a gourmet chef, but everything seems to slice quickly and smoothly for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I sharpen each knife before I use it.

I just use a metal sharpening rod.

I'm right handed.

I hold the sharpening rod with my left hand. I hold the handle of the metal sharpening rod straight down vertically resting the tip on the cutting board.

I then swipe the knife in a downward stroke twice on each side and I'm finished. I'm not a gourmet chef, but everything seems to slice quickly and smoothly for me.

I am admittedly a culinary nerd, but just wanted to clarify this for you. What you are doing is truing your already sharp blade. The edge of a sharp knife folds over a little bit after each use, and the hone acts to prop it back up straight. You should do exactly as you are before each use. However, if a hone is not used properly, or at all, the knife blade will dull and lose the edge completely. Hones don't restore an edge, only sharpening stones do. Sharpening a knife can be an art form and when done right is a most beautiful thing.