Knife Care and FAQ

The simple answer to this is:

When your knife stops doing what you think it should be doing and how you think it should be doing it, sharpen it.

If you are struggling to cut through your product and finding that you are using more force then nessecary then its time for a face lift. Just like any other tool , your knife is an extension of yourself. You should be doing minimal work while letting the knife do the heavy lifting.

Most professionals will sharpen their knives after every shift (even if its just a quick fix, or adjustment). Home cooks should have their knives sharpened once a month depending on how often it is being used. In most cases with home cooks I find that sharpening should happen every 1-3 months.

I usually make this decision after the diagnosis of your knives.

Typically most knives will benefit from a simple belt sharpening. I’m able to perform this with very minimal steel removal and give you your knife back incredibly sharp with a refined edge that can muscle through any job. Of course this is if you are using the right tool for the right job.

Any higher end knives, including high carbon, Japanese knives are only sharpened by hand using professional grade whetstones. This is optimal for very minimal steel removal and razor sharp edges. Please see the “Sharpening” page under services to read more about hand sharpening.

It is crucial to ensure that your knife stays dry. Any time I use a knife I keep a dry towel either next to men, or on my hip to make sure that I can easily wipe away any moisture on the blade. I wash my knives with soap and waster by hand and immediately make sure that it is dried off.

NEVER PUT YOUR KNIFE INTO THE DISHWASHER!!!

This also goes for any acidic foods such as tomatoes, oranges, lemons, etc. The acid in the food can break down the steel in your knife (especially high carbon steel). Be sure to wipe your knife dry after cutting any acidic foods.

Your knifes edge will last much longer with a soft, wooden cutting board. Avoid bamboo, glass, stainless steel, plastic, or your bare countertop. If you can help it, always cut across the grain on your wooden cutting boards. This helps to make sure that your knife edge does not cut too deep into the board and get caught between the grains causing your edge to roll.

Patina is a natural protective layer on your carbon steel that protects further oxidization and helping to prevent rust.

Patina can come from the oils in your hands to various acids in foods. A natural patina cam be quite beautiful and really show off the knifes true character. However, you can also force a patina on to your knife using a couple of different methods. Forced patinas act in the same way as a natural patina, it just speeds up the process.

Sharpening is the removal of material in your blade creating an edge, or bevel. This creates burrs on the edge (rough edges at the apex of the knife refined and aligned to creat a sharp edge).

When cutting through food the microscopic burrs will are slowly bent out of alignment after a period of time.,

Honing is the process of realigning these burrs to bring the sharp edge back to your knife.