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Danny_Dawson
9
Dec 6, 2017
Frankly I'm just a college student who likes cooking but is too lazy to do it, but I've just purchased a couple of Zhen knives from the drop (The 7-inch Santoku Micarta & the 8-inch TPR Cleaver) as my first set of proper kitchen knives, I got the cleaver because it is very versatile in Chinese cooking. But my main question is maintenance, how does one do so, sharpening stones and what not, I have no clue whatsoever, sharpening it and such. Heck, I'm still learning to cut things up properly to be honest.
Danny_Dawson
9
Dec 6, 2017
Danny_DawsonAlso, what is edge retention, tang, etc etc. I'd like to know more about knife terms.
djfluffkins
157
Dec 6, 2017
Danny_DawsonHere's my recommendation for keeping your knives sharp.
First you should have a honing steel, these are the stick things that everybody rubs their knives against (i.e. Gordon Ramsay's go to fidgeting task, honing knives quickly). These are good for more or less refreshing your edge and aligning / polishing off some of the burrs that might have formed. This is probably your go-to method or maintaining a good cutting edge on a day to day basis (honing steels don't sharpen).
When that's not enough, you'll need to get into some of the stone action. For multipurpose use I'd recommend a 1000/6000 stone (like 30$ on Amazon). You'll use the 1000 side to basically reshape your edge and the 6000 side to polish. As for actual technique, korin has some good videos on youtube, Bob Kramer also has a few sharpening videos that are very accessible. Remember, you'll probably need to soak the 1000 side for it to be effective, you don't soak the 6000 side.
You're going to want to sharpen at about 15 degrees or so (Bob Kramer has a video where he says the angle of a matchbook). There are tools you can get to maintain alignment. When you get more comfortable you'll be able to feel what the appropriate edge is.
For the basic 6000 stone polish you'll need a nagura stone to help form a bit of a slurry so it can polish/sharpen that final edge. Sometimes you'll need a stone fixer to make sure your stone is flat, but that's another problem for a another day.
Make sure you keep roughly the same about of work on both sides of the blade and you can test the sharpness on paper afterwards. A lot of people recommend magazines for the right amount of strength to test sharpness against (I just save those stupid ads you get in the paper).
Other quick and dirty tips since it sounds like you're just starting up on this knife journey. Get a decent cutting board. The rule of thumb is, cut on something your knife can cut through. What does this mean? Bamboo is not great, it's a popular wood to see in cutting boards, it's almost always too hard and will add wear to your knives. Thin plastic? Also not good, you can cut through it, but it's basically transferring the pressure of the surface you put it on. If you can maintain it, wood is the best option, something from Boos is probably a good staple in a kitchen and you can get one of their less fancy options for 30-50. Or get some plastic ones like you might see in a professional kitchen, they might be harder on your knives than the wood but they're still pretty safe all things considered.
Dzerh
39
Dec 6, 2017
djfluffkinsYour advise is good for enthusiasts crowd but for someone who is not into knife sharpening or knives in general I'd recommend buying good electric sharpener with diamond wheels. It is much better then having dull knives. And cheap thick polyethylene boards that can be put in dishwasher.
Dr.McCoy
345
Dec 6, 2017
DzerhEhhhhhh, I dunno. Those things take off so much metal that I'm really skeptical they should be used for anything that isn't an outdoor knife.
murdermouse
9
Dec 6, 2017
Danny_DawsonThere's lots of options available and lots of opinions too. For years as a cook I used a cheap Smith Tri-Hone, it has a coarse, medium, and fine stone, all 6 inch. Several years ago they were selling for about 20-22 bucks. They also come in an 8 inch version if you want to upgrade. As for how to sharpen there are lots of vids on YouTube to show you the basics. You can also visit Kitchen Knife Forums for a lot of info. VG-10 is a harder steel than you're probably used to which means the edge will chip easier so no frozen foods or bones and never, ever, ever use a glass cutting "board".
Deadly_Peanut
5
Dec 6, 2017
Danny_DawsonI am also a student and I want to learn how to sharpen my own knives, but right now it isn't a super high priority... So what I do to maintain my knives is every time I pull it out of the block I use the steel on it really quickly (the long stick thing you see that @djfluffkins was talking about). Then, when it isn't sliding through things so well, I take it to get it sharpened. Get on yelp and look around, there is probably a nice kitchen store or even a place that specializes in sharpening knives around you if you live in a city. I know many people here may cry about doing this...I know someone can screw up your knife if they do it wrong...but it costs like $2 and is super convenient. I also cook a lot and only need to do this every 6 months or so... Just do a little research and read some reviews first!
Oh! And never let your knives sit in the sink! Wash them by hand immediately and put them back in the block! Leaving a knife wet dulls it incredibly quickly!
Danny_Dawson
9
Dec 6, 2017
djfluffkinsThanks, that helped a lot, I'm still pretty new to all this, and like I said, I am just a student, so I'll take it slow and start with something small or convenient first
Danny_Dawson
9
Dec 6, 2017
djfluffkinsAlso, I did a little reading, if I'm chopping with a cleaver through thick cuts of pork with bone in, is it better with a bamboo board for that? Cz I've read up that wooden boards are generally better but just curious about this situation, assuming that I will swing the cleaver or slam the top of the cleaver through cuts
Danny_Dawson
9
Dec 6, 2017
Deadly_PeanutAh, washing things immediately, the stumbling block of a college student, guess I have no choice now since I committed to getting better kitchen knives
justinkhanna
38
Dec 6, 2017
Danny_DawsonA lot of the places I've worked have specific "bone boards" where it's just kind of accepted that it's going to be destroyed by chopping. If you want to save your board but still go through bones, invest in a saw that you only use for meat, clean and sanitize it every time and be careful with your fingers, but saw through the bone until there's less than 1cm left and then break it by hand. Works wonders and saves your boards and cleavers.
Deadly_Peanut
5
Dec 6, 2017
Danny_DawsonYay! Happy to help!
Getting a decent knife is definitely a good investment, as is learning to properly cut and how to sharpen. But I know realistically, as students...we just have a lot going on...and I have been very happy just taking my knife in to the local kitchen store!
Also, watch some youtube videos on how to properly hold things while you cut! It keeps your fingers safe and makes your food taste and look better! (and watching the video will take 5 min...then its just practicing whenever you use your knife! No extra stuff required!)
Danny_Dawson
9
Dec 6, 2017
justinkhannaI can see the appeal, but as a student living in a small apartment I don't see that as a viable option haha. I'm already breaking bank getting my first good knives
djfluffkins
157
Dec 6, 2017
Danny_DawsonI would steer clear regardless. If you look at a lot of the Chinese butchers for cooked meats you'll see that most of the time they're just on a really thick board. I think you can be safe with plastic but the impact of the bamboo might still be too much.
Also, I'd go super cheap (like ~10) if you're going to use a Chinese cleaver for bones. European cleavers tend to be thicker and able to withstand the punishment you're going to dole out. Chinese cleavers are typically used for veggies. That being said, I multipurpose them as well and get cheap ones and bang the hell out of them. My worst mistake was taking a nice Shun Satoku to a frozen-ish turkey for Thanksgiving. I was going for a TurDucKen and needed to debone my third layer but my turkey hadn't fully thawed. Long story short I'm still trying to grind that sucker down. I'm probably just going to bring it to a professional and have them grind the heck out of it.
Danny_Dawson
9
Dec 6, 2017
djfluffkinsYeah, I know what you mean, they literally just use like half a stump, and the board is the area of the tree trunk itself. With that said, the drop is still active and I can still make changes, does it make a difference if I swap the Zhen 3-layer VG-10 8-inch Cleaver for the 6.5 inch Cleaver Bone Chopper
djfluffkins
157
Dec 6, 2017
Danny_DawsonBased on your use case I'd probably suggest the 8in for just a little more heft.
phoenixsong
1055
Dec 6, 2017
Danny_DawsonWooden boards are indeed better for such heavy duty purposes. Back home, we use this 2.5 in-thick wooden board when we're chopping up sugar cane with our chinese cleaver. It is gentler on the edge of the knife and cushions the shock of the blows well enough. With bamboo boards, on the other hand, it's either the knife or the board that will hurt depending on the alignment of the board's grain
Dzerh
39
Dec 6, 2017
Dr.McCoyBased on my experience with my friends and relatives most people just don't sharpen knives otherwise. Otherwise they are using honing steel only, at best. I started using electric sharpener when I got more than 6 knives to maintain when whole family abusing them. It was about 15 years go and don't see edges degraded due to sharpening. Now I'm using stones just for 2 most expensive kitchen knives I want having specific edge. And on all EDC and outdoor knives :)
Xalorous
9
Dec 7, 2017
Deadly_PeanutKnife sharpening becomes a meditative task, listen to some music, de-stress...
justinkhanna
38
Dec 7, 2017
Danny_DawsonHa totally hear you man!
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