What I should have pointed out is the steel I use is an Analon oval shape . Diamond one side smooth the other . I rubbed the smooth side with wet and dry paper then buffed it to get rid of all ridges after purchasing it .It is now completely smooth . I have never used the Diamond side as it would take off too much metal .
Mundial steels are also too severe in the metal they take off . The Analon has done the job for me for over fifteen years as stated previously . Not harsh like some other steels . I also inherited a 25CM Dick brand Steel my great grand father used . Round and completely worn smooth .I keep it with my fishing kit . I use it for my filleting knives whilst cleaning fish .
Honing is an interesting topic due to the different bevels on knives .I find 15 or 20 degree easy to do . Stepped bevels like some Japanese knives use more difficult .
Perhaps you could start a new topic on knife honing and share some of your expertise with us .
This is where people can get confused, when manufacturers call a hone a steel. My understanding is that a steel is not intended to remove material at all, it polishes and aligns the material in the edge, as with your Dick brand. So if it has diamond dust or carborundum it aint a steel in my book.
Why should anybody picky about terminology? This isnāt an affectation, different tools have different uses and you employ the appropriate technique that suits the tool and the use. If names can be used interchangeably conversations become too Alice in Wonderland as we talk past each other.
That is why I buffed and used wet and dry on the Analon steel as quoted above . I agree with you . It was advertised as diamond one side smooth the other . Not smooth enough for me as I use the Dick as my standard . Most steels , as you rightly say , act more like hones as they add an edge . A steel should just polish and align the edge .
My Buck filleting knives are over 30 years old . Always steeled them with the Dick .No problems . If I had used a so called modern steel there would be no metal left on the knife .
Regarding Alice in Wonderland . Very interesting comments about the author .
As I mentioned before a steel should only be about polishing the blade, it may remove a minuscule amount of metal in doing so but this should be in no way perceptible.
Steels with ridges on them strip metal from a knife blade and donāt really polish a blade. 1200 grit at least should be the grade of paper used to finally polish the steel, further finer grades are even betterā¦In our case we use 2000 grit either silicon carbide or aluminium oxide coatings. To get the ridges off I often rust the steel first as some others prefer to do or with a thick enough steel a grinder on itās finest stone can be useful. Donāt go cheap on a steel it is just not worth it compared to the years you can get out of a great steel both for the steel and the blades it polishes. We do the steels for family and friends, mine is a handme down from my grandfather. I learnt this working many years ago at Huttons and KR Darling Downs Meatworks.
Borrowed a knife with the steel he uses from a friend . We purchased the Mudial filleting knives at around the same time . He used the standard Mundial steel and I used my Analon flat steel which has been polished with wet and dry paper ( 800 -1200 grit ) I think the photos speak for themselves . The Analon steel has the wooden handle .
Happy wife, happy life. For what itās worth, my wife who cooks a huge amount is very happy with our set of 8 Furi knives plus carving fork. Iām also very happy with the (no longer sold) Furi 3 level sharpening system which makes it very easy to keep them razor sharp, or give a quick touch up, or just remove the slight burr that any fine edge gets during sharpening or average use. They keep their edge reasonably, so with the sharpening set it is a good practical compromise.
Weāve used them for 12 years without problems. They cover every kitchen use from 20cm carving to 20cm cooks knife, plus filleting, paring, 2 sizes of serrated knives & even a special peeling knife for round fruit. My wifeās favourite is the Furi 17cm Santoku style knife. The key feature for many female cooks would be the perfect balance & one piece design with a truly great ergonomic handle which always feels good even when cutting large quantities of food, plus the good weight compromise for average kitchen use. Oh, and a 25 year guarantee. There are probably better knives for very heavy use or to keep sharp edges for longer, but for the family who are not knife nuts and donāt butcher their own carcases, Iād fully recommend them.
A heel is important for a general purpose knife, your typical chefās knife, where you are cutting down on to a board. Not all need one however, for example paring or boning knives are often not cut against a board.
The butcherās knife illustrated is often used with the hand lifted a little to clear the knuckles off the block which means the forward half is doing more cutting than the blade near the handle. The shape is particularly suited to slicing, the broad flat blade assists you to maintain a fixed angle when making parallel cuts to produce steaks. As we know wedge-shaped steaks are a pain. Unless you are doing much slicing there are better shapes for general work.
For cutting pumpkins any decent sized stiff blade will do. In general one should not be forcing a blade through material as that is how accidents happen and your knife ought to be sharp enough to make that unnecessary. Pumpkins are an exception, where you do need to put some weight on it. While you are doing so the blade ought to be thick enough not flex and having a broad back will allow you to put your off hand on the back to add to the weight which you would not normally do. The exact shape of the blade is not important if it has those characteristics,
I always tell people that if they put my good knives in the dishwasher they (the knives) will lose their temper, and so will I. The reason for not putting good knives in the dishwasher is that the dishwasher soaps have abrasives in them and they tend to blunt the knives. A chef I once knew said āhot water is very bad for knivesā - really suggesting that a knife you cherish for its edge needs to be hand washed. Most chefs are very particular about how their knives are treated, for good reason.
I agree good knives should be hand washed but not because the dishwasher causes the steel to lose its temper that happens at a much higher temperature. You are conflating two things together.
Yes, I realise that, itās actually about the abrasive particles in the dishwasher soaps. It was more about this than any notion of altering the temper of the steel and dropping in a good throwaway line from my chef mate.
Are all dishwasher detergent/tablet products abrasive?
We also wash our good knives by hand, although eons past some did go in the DW. It seemed many businesses selling same were happy to say āof course they are dish washer safeā if only to ensure a sale was not dismissed. Everything used to go into the DW, otherwise it was a wasted resource!
Have several that need new aluminium rivets in the handles as a result.
Iām pretty certain they are. I donāt put anodised aluminium gadgets like the dough hook from my Kenwood and my garlic press in there for the same reason. But Iām not an expert on the contents of dishwasher powders.
The problems with soft alloys such as aluminium or die-cast is that the dish washer chemicals are caustic. They dissolve these metals but not steel. It is not an abrasive action if that is what is suggested.
Assuming the various dish washer formulations all contain abrasive additives it would seem likely they would also damage any similar of softer materials placed in the DW. Perhaps there are other good reasons not to put your good carbon steel knives in the DW. Our plastic handled Victorinox steak knives seem just as sharp today after 12 years of regular use and DW visits.
