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TIL a sharpening steel can ruin your edge if you use it wrong
Used to run my knives across that steel 20 times before every shift, thinking it was sharpening them. Found out last month from a guy at Detroit Packing that I was actually rolling the edge over. He showed me how to use it right in two passes and now my steaks cut cleaner.
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wade2501d ago
found out last month from a guy at Detroit Packing that I was actually rolling the edge over" - man, that hit close to home. I did the exact same thing for years, thought I was keeping my chef's knife sharp by hitting the steel hard and fast. A buddy at a steakhouse finally told me to use light pressure and a consistent angle, and suddenly my blades actually started cutting again. Feels like they should put a warning sticker on those things or something.
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the_drew1d ago
yeah that Detroit Packing guy knows his stuff. reminds me of when I was working the line at a BBQ joint in Texas and this old timer saw me struggling with a dull boning knife. he just shook his head and pulled out a worn down stone from his apron pocket. told me to slow down and feel the burr instead of watching for sparks off the steel. took me about three tries to get it right but once I did my knife started gliding through fat like butter. still dont know his real name but he saved me from buying a new set of blades every few months.
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cole_flores441d ago
Holding the steel at the right angle and using barely any pressure changed everything for me too. But I still see people in kitchens who hit that steel like they're trying to start a fire and swear by it. To each their own, but once you feel a properly aligned edge there's no going back. It's just one of those things you gotta see in person to really get.
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