Proper use of a honing steel
This question is similar to Honing Steel Forward or Backward, however the answers to that question don't really get to what I want to know.
When honing a knife I see many places online indicate you move the knife into the steel as if you are cutting it (where the knife moves toward the edge of the blade). When I watch Gordon Ramsay's video on how to hone a knife (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBn1i9YqN1k) he moves the knife out of the steel (where the knife moves toward the spine of the blade). This makes more sense to me as the purpose of honing a knife is to straighten out the "bent" edges of the blade... moving toward the edge could further "bend" the blade whereas moving away would only be able to pull the blade back inline.
So the question here is: when honing a knife, do you move the knife along the steel toward the blade or the spine?
Best Answer
As a quick clarification, honing is going edge first, stropping is going heel first.
Honing will help to straighten the edge. Stropping will help to polish the edge (after honing).
In every other video I've seen (and on the Wüsthof website) they say to hone the blade. Stropping is more of a finishing method, so I would say to hone the blade first, and, if desired, strop the blade after.
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What is the purpose of a honing steel and when should it be used?
A honing steel, sometimes referred to as sharpening steel, whet steel, sharpening stick, sharpening rod, butcher's steel, and chef's steel, is a rod of steel, ceramic or diamond-coated steel used to restore keenness to dulled blade edges.Should you use a honing steel?
Unlike sharpening, honing doesn't remove any metal fibers. Instead, the friction caused by running your blade along the surface of a honing steel helps straighten and align metal fibers on the knife's edge that get bent during the cutting process. Without honing, your knife's edge will quickly become dull.How do you use a honing steel to sharpen knives?
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 to Use a Honing Steel - Two Different Methods
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