Honing Steel Forward or Backward
I'm really confused before I thought when you hone a knife you bring the edge towards you however the other day I was watching gordon ramsay bringing the edge away when honing. I tried searching on this topic however couldn't find anything. Could someone explain to me if this is a different technique or what? Thanks appreicate it. The video of him doing it is linked below https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBn1i9YqN1k
Best Answer
I have a very simple reason for taking the edge away: It's less dangerous - for you, don't do this before someone.
I don't know if it makes for better or worse honing (should be the same as long as the angle is the same I'd say).
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Which direction do you hone a knife?
Apply forces when pushing the knife away while the cutting edge is facing yourself (edge trailing stroke) is recommended. Pulling the knife towards yourself while the cutting edge is facing your side (edge leading stroke) is not recommended because it is generally harder to handle and more dangerous.Should you push or pull a blade when sharpening?
Honing can be used frequently- even after each use. Sharpening a knife actually takes a small amount of steel off the blade. Depending on how often the knives are used, they may only need to be sharpened once or twice a year.How many times should you hone your knife on each side?
Touch the heel of your knife to the top of the steel at a 22-degree angle and apply a little bit of pressure. Slide the knife down the steel with a left to right motion. The idea is to touch the entire edge of the blade in every pass. Repeat on the other side, about four or five passes.How to Use a Honing Steel - Two Different Methods
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Answer 2
Think of how metal gets an edge; you can get an edge on metal either forwards or backwards. My personal belief is when you sharpen a knife the traditional way you are honing the metal and thin edge back into the knife; when Gordon Ramsay hones in reverse, he's going forward, not folding backwards, so I believe you get a sharper edge because the metal is now pointing towards the part of the blade you cut with and has a sharper hone.
I have asked at least six chefs about what their training said; they could actually see the point of folding the blade towards the cutting edge. Obviously, you're supposed to use a stone afterward, but it works for a quick solution in the kitchen. The first time I saw Gordon Ramsay sharpen the knife that way I was surprised. After considering and asking questions it seemed quite logical. To each their own, but it is pretty hard to get away from what you have been taught. You never know, in a few years everyone may be honing the knives the other way; after all, everything evolves.
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