Honing Steel. How to Properly Choose and Use It?
Sharp knives are the joy and pride of every cook. And special sharpeners help to maintain the cutting edge in perfect condition.
Sharpening, straightening, and finishing
Knife blades may need both sharpening and editing or finishing. These are different processes:
During sharpening, the thinnest layer of metal is cut off on the knife blade and an updated edge of the blade is formed. Sharpening gives the edge a general shape and makes the knife fit for productive work again.
Editing involves changing the angle of the cutting edge and at the same time eliminating micro defects formed on it during the operation of the knife – the smallest chips, roughness, and irregularities. For dressing knife blades, musats, whetstones, and sharpeners equipped with additional dressing plates are used.
Finishing is the final stage, during which a high purity of the cutting surface is achieved. After the final processing, the blade acquires a mirror shine and maximum sharpness. Finishing is best done with a tool with a fine-grained sharpener.
To achieve the ideal condition of the cutting blade, an integrated approach is recommended: first sharpening for rough work, then straightening for more delicate tasks, and final fine-tuning. Although in everyday life, most users are limited only to sharpening using a convenient sharpener.
Musata sharpeners
Musat is a knife sharpener, similar in shape and principle of use to a file. They consist of a handle and a sharpening rod of a round, square, rectangular, or oval shape with ribs along it. Another feature of these sharpeners is the magnetized tip, which prevents metal chips from scattering during operation. They are used for editing – with their help, you can even out all the scratches and notches on the knife blade, and add sharpness to it.
How to choose the right knife sharpener?
There are knife sharpeners on the market not only different in cost, but also in shape, sharpening method, number of slots, etc. To choose a suitable tool, you need to consider the following parameters:
The sharpener should lie comfortably in the hand, or have a special attachment to the surface, this primarily affects safety, and also affects the result of sharpening.
It is better to choose products from reputable manufacturers, since their quality control is generally higher than that of non-names, and you will be sure of the reliability and durability of the purchased tool.
You can also choose a sharpener that is suitable not only for knives but also for other tools.
Additional criteria for choosing a knife sharpener
A number of knife sharpening levels. The largest number is three: rough sharpening, polishing, and grinding.
Setting the sharpening angles. This feature is essential for beginners. The quality of the sharpness of the blade and the durability of the knife depend on the angle of sharpening.
Device design. An optional but important criterion if you plan to keep your knife sharpener in a conspicuous place.
Choose a sharpener based on functionality. At home, you can use the simplest sharpeners. A professional chef needs a sharpener with maximum capabilities.
Find the vest sharpeners and best-quality knives available on the HexClad website.
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