Chef Frank Proto demonstrates and explains everything you need to know in order to properly sharpen, clean, and store the knives in your kitchen. Frank breaks down his preferred methods and go-to accessories for every aspect of knife maintenance, giving you all the knowledge you need to keep your blades sharp and ready for action.
VIDEO HERE (13:27 minutes)
I knew not to put good kitchen knives into the dishwasher, but I thought the reason was to avoid damaging the handles. That the temper of the steel could be effected by dishwasher temperatures I didn't know.
ReplyDeleteAn old man gave me a jackknife one day. My mother was there and took it and said it's too sharp. The old man said a dull knife will cut him quicker than a sharp one. Over the years I figured out what he was saying. A sharp knife cuts so nice and a dull one ya gotta put some real muscle behind it to get it to cut. That is dangerous. I use a wet stone. As a kid I spit on it. Today I use a water stone. I use Chicago Cutlery stored in a block which are far from the best of knives but I keep them sharp and they do me well.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure about losing temper at 200 degrees....I reckon anything is possible with chink steel.
ReplyDeleteR
For many carbon steels tempering is done between 250 deg C and 650 deg C depending on the desired hardness/ductility performance. The 200 degrees he is referring to in the video is 200 deg F or 93 deg C. Not even close to the critical temperature to effect the temper.
DeleteDon't put your knives in a mechanical washer because it knocks the around.
This guy knows how to sharpen a knife just not science behind it.
Scurvy
Mackey School of Mines, class of '85
Also, corrosion will shorten the life of the cutting edge. That's why I hand dry all my knives and even the razor.
ReplyDeleteI worked at a Hoffritz for Cultery store during my college years and sold some very good kitchen knives. We had training to teach us about storage, cleaning, sharpening, and over-all maintenance of knives. We took pains to educate our customers, as well. Everything he said corresponds exactly to the training I received. It's how I've maintained my knives for almost 40 years.
ReplyDeleteDishwashers really do ruin temper. 180c is what I use to temper knives I forge. I have seen a knife break after being put through a dishwasher a few times
ReplyDelete180 C is 356 F. Dishwashers dont get anywhere close to that. Personally, I found out not to run carbon steel blades through a dish washer, in fact dont leave them to soak in a pan of water. Wasn’t good for the wood handles either.
DeleteNEVER put your good knives in a dishwasher. It's not the heat, it's the phosphates that'll attack whatever the handle is made from and the rivets. High carbon steel will rust up too.
DeleteA 200 degree change damaging the temper is absurd. Right up there with jet fuel melts steel and the vaccines are safe and effective. Chef Proto must have skipped science class in High School.
ReplyDeleteI have seen first had hydrocarbons on fire, did not melt steel I beam, but damn sure weakened them where the flame impinged directly on the steel.
DeleteInteresting. I don't pull my knives across a waterstone, I push them.
ReplyDeleteSubmerging a water stone accomplishes absolutely nothing. The water, like oil, is on the surface to keep the steel shavings from clogging the surface of the stone. His basic technique is exactly right but an awful lot of what he says is absolute nonsense. He probably should just stick to cooking.
ReplyDeleteNot true. My high quality Japanese water stone (1000/6000) will sit and bubble for several minutes after being submerged. When you splash water on it, you can see it being absorbed in.
DeleteDo you think they just made this shit up?
The Japanese have been using and making waterstones for at least a thousand years. And they immerse them in water. They are extremely porous, and absorb water. And no, the water both lubricates, and helps to create an abrasive slurry from the wearing of the stone, a slurry that is a critical part of the cutting function of waterstones. I don't use them because...well, I like diamond stones for my chisels and plane irons. Waterstones are too messy...and flattening them is a real bite. But while *someone* here is spouting nonsense... it's not the chef. Next, you'll tell me oilstones don't soak in kerosene, or light oil. You can literally watch it happen, if the stone isn't saturated already, and you pour some on top.
Delete