The day I found out my knife sharpening was backwards for 2 years

I was working a Friday rush at this little spot in Portland and a line cook from the other station grabbed my chef knife to borrow it, then handed it back saying 'you know you're sharpening the burr off the wrong side, right?' I had been dragging the blade at the wrong angle on my whetstone since culinary school, thinking the little shine meant it was done, but turns out I was just flattening the edge into a useless wedge. Anyone else have a basic skill they faked for way too long before someone finally called it out?

2 comments

2 Comments

craig.parker12d ago

Okay but hold on, maybe that line cook was just messing with you. I’ve seen plenty of folks swear by dragging the blade flat and getting a nice edge that way. That little shine you saw? That’s just the steel glinting off the surface, not proof of a wrecked edge. I’ve used knives sharpened that exact way for years and they cut tomatoes fine. Sure, it might not hold up like a razor, but it’s not a useless wedge either. People love to act like their way is the ONLY way in a kitchen, and half the time they’re just trying to look smart in front of the new guy. If your knife worked, it worked. That’s my take, anyway.

joseph4812d ago

Craig, that reminds me of something that happened to my buddy Ron at his old gig. He was prepping for a busy Friday service and this older cook comes by, grabs his chef's knife, and starts dragging the flat side across the steel, just like you said. Ron was about to say something, but the guy handed it back and said, "Now try that tomato." It cut fine, no squish, no struggle. Ron used that same knife all night and never noticed a difference. He still sharpens his own stuff the traditional way, but he stopped lecturing people about it after that. Different strokes, you know?