| When buying knives & other equipment, | | | | far more effective. Keeping your knife sharp is |
| really consider what you need before you buy it. | | | | essential for both safety and ease of use. Blunt |
| When you go into shops you often see | | | | knives are dangerous due to the fact that you |
| comprehensive knife sets with different knives to | | | | have to use extra pressure when cutting thus |
| do every job you can possibly think of. Having | | | | increasing the chance of the knife slipping, causing |
| worked in the professional cooking trade for over | | | | you to possibly cut yourself. |
| 20yrs, I have come to notice that all the chefs | | | | In restaurant kitchens you will always find a steel |
| generally only use 3 or perhaps 4 knives to do all | | | | close to each chef, because they will be |
| the jobs. Therefore you are far better off | | | | sharpening their knives 3 or 4 times a day. So to |
| spending your money on a limited range of | | | | sharpen your knife the best method is to take a |
| knives, but buy good quality. A good quality knife | | | | damp cloth, put it directly in front of you on the |
| will hold its sharpness (edge) for much longer and | | | | bench, place the tip of the steel on the cloth and |
| will be easier to re-sharpen. When you buy knives | | | | hold the steel vertically in front of you. With your |
| the most important thing you should consider is | | | | other hand take the knife and holding it at a |
| "Is it comfortable to use?" | | | | 15° angle to the steel, starting with the heel |
| The most important item on the subject of | | | | of the knife (end closest to the handle) draw the |
| knives is the best way to keep them sharp. This | | | | knife blade towards you, finishing at the tip. |
| is to constantly sharpen them with a good steel, | | | | Repeat this process on the other side and keep |
| don't let them get too blunt because once they | | | | repeating this process until your knife feels sharp. |
| have you will need to go to an ironmonger or | | | | Using this technique is far more accurate than |
| your butcher to have them re-ground. After this | | | | doing it in the air, and also a lot safer. A good tip |
| all you need to do is maintain the edge on your | | | | is always best for one person to sharpen the |
| knives by using a steel. You can get two types of | | | | knives, so they always sharpen them at the |
| steel these days, traditional round steel or the | | | | same angle. You would never get one chef |
| more modern flat diamond tip steel. Of the two | | | | sharpening another chef's knives. |
| we recommend the diamond tip steel, they are | | | | |