Global make outstanding knives. Unless you are extremely experienced with sharpening knives I would not suggest you try to cut a new edge on them "freehand", i.e. without one of the many devices that use a guide rod, etc. to make sure you are cutting at an exact angle. I sharpen my There are various similar systems out there that draw the stone across the knife at a consistent angle, or clip rollers onto the knife so you can roll it across a stand-alone stone at a steady angle. All of them work well with a bit of study and reading up on the subject. Suggest you go to rec.knives and read the FAQ there first. There are volumes written about how to sharpen, what kind of stones there are, dry versus wet stones, water versus oil, and so on.
In short, one must scrape away until one can feel a microscopic "burr" rise on the opposite side, then switch sides and do the same. There are various ways to finish that edge by honing it with a steel, stropping it, cutting at a second angle to sort of round off the tip so it doesn't get pushed over as it presses against a cutting board, etc. The more you read about the subject the less you feel you know, but it's really not hard to get an edge you're pleased with in the kitchen.
Vegetarians doing it for the causeMULLINERú Easy enough. She most likely disagreed with the treatment of food animals prior to dissolution and processing, so refuses to be a consumer. Thus ethically excluding herself...
Don't mess up your knives with some sort of electric grinder or ceramic "crossed sticks" handheld gizmo. If you don't want to really learn to sharpen them, have a very good professional do it, but don't settle for half measures.
RFC 1855: Netiquette GuidelinesRFC 1855: Netiquette Guidelines ===================================================================== RFC 1855 Netiquette Guidelines Status of This Memo This memo provides...
Also, don't confuse steeling your knives with a steel rod with actually "sharpening" them. Running them over a steel straightens imperfections on the edge that occur with use, but does not remove metal which is what is needed to actually sharpen them. Using a diamond or ceramic steel will remove metal but it's practically impossible to hold a steady angle and not mess up the edge. I steel mine for about six months and sharpen about twice a year. I should probably do it more as much as we use them. FYI, most kitchen knives - even the very best ones - are relatively soft metal and easily dulled compared to hunting or combat knives, but what they lose in edge retention they gain in stain-rust resistance so you don't have to lose sleep if you don't get around to washing and drying them immediately. Don't be worried if you have to sharpen them regularly if you use them a lot. Wearing out knives is a sign that you're really a serious cook!
Al
