Henkel Knife Sharpening
Sharpening Your Henckel Knife
Working with a sharp Henkel knife is a pleasure and is much safer than using a dull knife. With a dull knife you have to apply more pressure to actually make the cut, and with a dull knife there is always a chance of slipping and cutting yourself.
A sharp knife glides smoothly through tomatoes, vegetables, meat etc. with almost no effort. This gives you much more control.
Even the best knives get dull with use. The best way to sharpen them is with a wet stone. This gives an even controlled edge but does take some time to sharpen.
The flat stone (see photo above) is used on a counter top. Add about tablespoon of water to the surface of the stone. The water acts as a lubricant and allows the metal particles to be washed from the surface of the stone. The water should be reapplied any time the stone looks dry.
The knife is held flat about 10 degrees to the surface of the stone. The back of the knife should not come in contact with the stone. The sharpening starts with a circular motion of the edge on the stone. The circles are about the size of quarter dollar. The whole edge is done on one side. The knife is turned over with more water added as needed. The second side ground the same way.
Both sides are repeated until the edge is ground to razor sharpness. The traditional way to test sharpness is to shave a few arm hairs off. The hairs should slice cleanly without pulling or leaving stubble. If you are squeamish about this, slicing a tomato as thin as you can is a good test as well.
Another way to hone an edge on a knife quickly with a bit less mess than the sharpening stone is using a diamond steel. See the above photo. A steel is an “abrasive” stick. This stick is held in the left hand and the knife is pulled across the sharpening steel as if you were slicing off a thin shaving. The knife should be held about 10 to 15 degrees from the steel.
To sharpen the other side the knife is still held edge away and is pulled on the bottom of the steel. Again it is held at 10 to 15 degrees. For an even sharpening make one stroke on top then a stroke on the bottom. Repeat until sharp. Always have the edge pointing away from you. This can be used to hone a knife but it is best to use a stone for major sharpening.
Remember a sharp knife is much safer than a dull knife and it will make the kitchen work much more enjoyable and less effort. Choose a good knife and it will stay sharp a long time, and it will only take a few minutes to sharpen back to the like new edge.
The video below helps with the sharpening technique.