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Another good tip To keep your knives or any blade is sharp as possible is by always keeping them dry. This is why no matter how much you spend on your knife none of them are recommended to be put in the dishwasher. I don't understand the science but the same Is true for your shaving razors. Any blade should be washed then dried immediately in stored in a dry place. I used to go through one expensive Disposable razor per week until I learned this tip. By rinsing then quickly drying the razor as well is not storing it in the shower I now get up to 3 or even 4 months before having to replace it. The same is true for my kitchen knives as well as my food processor blades and disks.
Is It Bad If I like ceramic knives?
They are cheap, sharp and stay sharp for a long time.
I know I can't drop, throw (!) or use it for sheering and chopping
crock sticks
Hi Hannah, I'm a novice cook but a very good modeler and I have never seen instructions tell you to cut with a dull knife or blade! Also, what about ceramic knives? Do they need it and how would you sharpen them?
Stropping can keep knives sharp longer.
Great job, Hannah!
"It's not like every time you sharpen, your knife gets littler"
That's exactly what happens, but done properly, this is measured in microns. It should take several hundred sharpenings for a knife to shrink by a noticeable amount. Abusive tools like pull-through sharpeners, and unskilled use of power tools will accelerate this.
Honing a knife regularly is definitely best, it will lessen the need for sharpening which increases the lifespan of the knife! Barbers hone / strop their razors regularly but don't sharpen them with stones very often!
Hi Hannah, I just subscribed and on a lark decided to watch this video. Although you have a lot of great points, it's a bit scattered and heads off topic pretty quick. I don't want to call you out right off the bat, but I have to comment on how often to sharpen. First, the amount of steel removed by basic sharpening is negligible. When your knife comes from the manufacture, or craftsman, it's likely to be reasonably sharp, Wusthof for example come very sharp as many of the high end knives do. I hand sharpen my own vintage straight razor so I have a chuckle when someone says their knives are razor sharp. When you first get your knife, take a few minutes to polish the edge. This can be done with a 4000 grit whetstone. It doesn't matter if you do it by hand or machine, only the skill level differs. You are polishing rather than sharpening at this point. Great you point out the honing your knife (with a butcher steel each time you use them) is perfect. Sadly many people start "sharpening" with a course grit. This is not at all needed, unless you have put a light chip or nick in the edge. If you really damaged it… well take it to a pro and they will put a new profile on it and "learn your lesson" this is where a real amount of steel is removed, and it will be depend on how abused the knife was. If you really let your sharpening slide, you might… might need to hit the edge with 400-800 grit. Normally 1000-2000 is more than enough to put a very keen edge on it again (read fine stone). Then polish with a 4000 grit (optional). At this level you are removing only the smallest mount of steel. You can do this for a life time and not see a reduction of steel. 2 or three generations would hardly see a difference. Once a year or once every 6 months is more than adequate, as long as you hone between uses. Given the amount of use a high quality knife gets in the home, I hit my knives with 2000 – 4000 every 6 months and fine that great. Of course mileage will vary depending on how often they are used, the quality of the steel, and if you use the wrong knife for the wrong job. I look forward to seeing more of your posts. Cheers
Is it bad if I fry without oil?
I've seen many low fat/oil-free recipes out there, and I always wondered if the frying oil adds to the dish.
This is Hana, Who???
Hannah is too dang cute.
If you decide not to sharpen your knives, or a specific knife, you do not have a kitchen tool, you have a kitchen ornament. Tie pretty ribbons around the handle and nail a hook on the wall and hang it there, congratulate your inner Martha Stewart (who incidentally DOES sharpen her knives) and you have just completed your first kitchen decorating project!
it's weird to see this type of video from america's test kitchen. not necessarily bad, just weird.
This video should have been filmed in a kitchen at least.
I spoke to some pro sharpeners (guys obsessed with sharpening who’ve been doing it for years and hang out at knife forums) about honing my Shun chef’s knife with Shun’s honing rods – they basically told me that the new steel used by Shun is much harder and wouldn’t respond well to a hone. I’ve been using a Sharpmaker (30 degree setting) on the knife and it works great.
The gunk on sheet pans can look a lot like "seasoning" on cast iron.
Up to a point, anyway.
we rent our knives and turn them over once a month
I sharpen them each time I use them! But, I don't grind them down. I do sometimes check if they'll cut baby hairs on my arm. But really, I don't have expensive knives. I find that I can get a really good knife I like for about 25 dollars. I have 2 that are that nice, and the rest kinda aren't. If you keep them sharp and tell them you love them, those cheap 5 dollar knives also will do the job.
Honing you knife is probably the most important thing you can do to keep it sharp. I remember thinking I needed to sharpen a knife and for some reason, I honed it instead and the thing cut like new after that. I haven't felt like the knife needed sharpening in over a year, but I don't use the knife every day.
Don't listen to the haters! I thought your original video and this expansion on the subject were well done. I appreciate some personality being brought to the channel! Looking forward to future "basics" you intend to cover 🙂
2:47 PLEASE tell me you're not saying you would put a Kramer "into" a sharpener, because YES, that would be a crime! 😱
hannah is cute
This is BS. Always sharpen a knife if it's dull. If you can't sharpen it, don't use it. Plain and simple.
WTF is going on with this channel. It used to be so good but know it's a bunch of pseudo-science or plainly retarded statements that no sane cook ever would follow.
I think this young woman is refreshing and charming. The topic may be a bit simple, but if it's too simple, just don't watch it. Good job!
I still say electric sharpeners are on the same level of "why exist" kind of bad as electric carving knives. Nice vid, though. Hannah really has that star charm.
This channel has changed, but not in the right direction. Why don't you have vids just for adults and let the children watch this junk?
A dull knife is far more dangerous than a sharp one.
is it bad to ferment sriracha in a bowl on the counter? Should I seal it up?
Use them. Sharpen them when they need it. Take care of them and enjoy them. Or throw them out. Geez.
Very nice and beautiful👌👍👍👍✨🎇🌟🌷🎆🌿💥
I recently purchased a Chef's Choice knife sharpener recommended by you all. I will be using it to sharpen my kitchen and pocket knives at home with it.
I Love this channel
I for one loved the anecdotes and personal insights. A question for a future video: what are some of the kitchen tool/pantry/recipe essentials for university/postgrad students? Especially curious since I’m going to go study abroad in a few months.
Now I am in suspense about what to do with my sheet pans!
Production quality and overall format of this video is so poor
Nicely done. Despite some angry people below who can't seem to take a little humor for what it is. I think the key phrase is "knives are meant to be used." If your knife is so expensive and fancy that you don't want to sharpen it, then either get it professionally sharpened, or just don't use it. It won't get dull if you're not using it. Mount it in a shadow-box and hang it on the wall. Yes, you want to take care of them and keep them nice, but, sooner or later, the best knife in the world will still need to be re-sharpened eventually if it's used, no matter how gently you care for them, or how much you baby them.
If this show was a test balloon, pop it.
When is the best time to hone or sharpen your knife? When that one person, that one waiter or banquet director you HATE walks by. You sharpen your knife and give them, "THE LOOK".
I missed the other videos. I'll check them out. I like to sharpen my own knives. I once had someone else do it and they took off about 1/4 inch. I know because it looked different and the person told me that they had to take off a 1/4 inch to sharpen it. I have sharpened my own knives ever since. Even ones that have a lifetime of free sharpening.
Another elitist video.