Choosing Knife Blade Materials

•Honing a Knife Blade
For those who are new to the world of knife sharpening, often the most challenging part is knowing when to stop. How do you know when the knife is sharp enough? How do you get it to that point? When sharpening a knife, sharpen until you see burrs. Then, turn the knife over, and sharpen the other side. The honing process will remove these burs, but they are important. Burrs are the only way to know that you have removed enough of the metal to sharpen the blade. Once the blade has been...

•How to Buy a Kitchen Knife Set
Are you ready to upgrade your mismatched kitchen knives, bought haphazardly, for a new set of kitchen knives? If so, then you may be wondering what to look for in a kitchen knife set. There are many different kinds of kitchen knives, and the distinctions can be confusing to anyone who isn’t a chef. The first thing to learn when looking at kitchen knives is the differences in the knife shape. The most common knife is a chef knife or French knife. This knife has a long, wide blade, and it can be...

•An Introduction to Knife Terminology
If you’re looking to buy a knife, it can be confusing if you don’t know what all of the knife terms mean. First, you’ll want to decide what kind of knife you want. The basic divisions are fixed blade or folding blade. Folding blades, like pocket knives, fold between the handle and the blade. A popular type of knife is a fantasy knife, which is an artistic style of knife not usually meant to be used, but rather to be collected and displayed. Other styles include utility knives, which can be used...

•Sharpening Serrated Blades
Although your serrated knives will still cut as they grow dull, you will begin to notice a tearing or shredding action rather than smooth cuts. If this is happening, then it is time to sharpen your knife. Sharpening dull serrated blades can be a bit more difficult than sharpening plain blades. Maintaining serrations is important if you want your knife to cut well, but they do require a bit more experience to sharpen. Serrated blades can also take longer to sharpen than a similarly sized plain...

•Using a Pull Through Knife Sharpener
A pull through knife sharpener differs from an ordinary knife sharpening stone because the pull through style ensures an accurate and consistent angle. In contrast, when using a sharpening stone you must physically hold the knife against a sharpening stone at the specified angle. Each knife blade is designed to have a specific blade angle for optimum performance. Additionally, too sharp of an angle can make the blade more likely to bend or break. A pull through knife sharpener takes the guess...

•Caring For Knives
Caring for your knives goes beyond an occasional sharpening. In fact, there are many steps you can take to keep them in good condition, although the knives will eventually become dull through use and require sharpening. Whether you have a high-quality knife investment or have purchased a set of discount kitchen knives, proper care and maintenance can often extend their life by several years. To keep your knives in top condition, always wash and thoroughly dry them after use, especially if you...

•How to Use a Sharpening Stone
A sharpening stone is the easiest way to return your knives and other cutlery to a useful state once they begin to dull. Not only knives but also scissors, razors, chisels, and plane blades can be sharpened with a stone. Sharpening stones are made of very hard stone or a manufactured material, such as ceramic or diamond stone. Usually in the form of a block that you hold in your hand or set on a flat surface, although they can also be found in the form of bench stones, wheels, or rods, these...

•Know Your Knives Knife Handle Materials and Construction
Knives come in a wide array of styles and materials. Though you may not realize it, the handle of your knife is often just as important as the blade. Different knife handles give different performances; the materials from which they are made affect grip, balance, and other characteristics of the knife. Many handles, especially on rugged knives designed for outdoor use, are specially textured to allow for easier grip. Knife Materials - Many hunting knives have handles made of stainless steel....

•How to Choose a Knife Sharpener
Knife sharpeners are very important if you want to keep your knives in top condition. There is a wide range of sharpeners available, including small hand-held blocks to large electric sharpeners. All knife sharpeners are designed to restore the blade of a knife to its original sharpness. Since most people are not professional chefs with a lot of experience sharpening knives, they do not know what to look for when purchasing a knife sharpener. However, a knife sharpener is a very useful tool to...

•Electric Sharpeners
Electric sharpeners are one of the easiest ways to sharpen your knives. Electric knife sharpeners work the same as a sharpening stone, except that the machine does all of the work. Particularly useful if you do a lot of sharpening or have to remove a lot of material to expose a sharp edge on your knives, an electric sharpener is a good choice to make the job go much faster. Most electric sharpeners have an adjustable angle guide, with removable sharpening stones or ceramic plates to polish the...