how to sharpen a knife with a chef steel?

Answer 1

a chef steel isn't really for sharpening a knife.. it's meant only to hone the blade after it's been sharpened.. when a knife has been sharpened there is a thin strip of metal at the edge that has a tendency to bend one way or the other, because it is so thin. Honing it gets that strip of metal to stand straight..

Answer 2

As a number of other people have said already, a steel doesn't actually sharpen a knife but rather hones or gives the edge it's final sharpness.

Important safety note:-
Always use a steel that is at least two inches longer than the blade of the knife you wish to hone. This will help keep your hand holding the steel well away from tip of the knife as it is honed.

Assuming you are right handed, proceed as follows:

The steel is held in your left hand. There is a ring on the end of the handle; pass the little finger of your left hand through the ring and grasp the handle firmly with the other fingers and thumb of your left hand - as if holding a hammer.

Another safety note:-
By passing your little finger through the ring you are making sure that the hand holding the steel will be well away from the blade of the knife that is being sharpened.

Hold the steel in front of your body at a 45 degree angle with the handle down and the tip of the steel uppermost.

Grip the handle of the knife to be sharpened in your right hand with the edge down.

Bring the steel and the knife together with the knife between you and the steel. Bring the tip of the steel to bear against the heel of the knife (next to the handle) and brush the steel with the knife - as if trying to "shave" the steel - with a downward, circular motion using the wrist of the right hand.

The steel does not move, it is held firmly in one place by the left hand - only the knife moves.

The next stroke is with the steel between you and the knife, again as if you are trying to shave the steel with the knife.

Continue in this fashion brushing the knife on alternate sides of the steel. Start slowly, one stroke at a time. The optimal angle between the steel and the knife is about 10 degrees. After about ten stroke on each side, check the "edge" (sharpness) of your knife by brushing the blade carefully with your thumb. Repeat as necessary until your knife is sharp.

Using a steel to hone a knife properly takes patience and practice, you will get better at it the more you do it. After a while you will know when the knife is sharp by the feel of the knife edge against the steel as you hone. Good luck.

Answer 3

a Butcher's Steel: A round steel rod approximately 1 1/2 feet long with a wooden handle, used to maintain an edge on a knife. it does not sharpen the edge but merely straightens it and breaks off the burrs after sharpening. It is magnetized to remove the burrs.

Answer 4

Start with a relative sharp knife. Hold the Steel in the left hand and stroke the knife along the Steel as if you were shaving hair off the Steel. Make a stroke on one side of the knife and then the other. It takes some pracitse and yes, you can cut yourself whilst learning. Be careful ! .

Answer 5

The steel doesn't actually sharpen the blade. It only realigns the metal.