edge finishes for food prep

[hardheart]

what do you guys use for fruits/veggies, meat in the kitchen, field dressing, skinning, filleting, sushi, carving garnishes etc. angle(s) and finishing grit, please.

refer to specific blade patterns as well if necessary. thx

 

[siguy]

i've experimented with 120 belt finish followed by power strop followed by handstrop vs 9 micron belt followed by power strop followed by handstrop in the kitchen.

i haven't noticed too much of a difference to tell you the truth. the theory is that the micro teeth of the courser grit will slice better and the polished edge of the finer grit will chop/push cut better, but i've found that as long as the burr is removed and the edge is thin enough, there really isn't too much difference in my hands.

i like a thin edge on all my knives, especially on the kitchen cutlery. they are all around 1/32" thick at the bevel, three flat ground and one saber hollow ground (of my 4 chefs knives that i use almost exclusively). they are all sharpened at...i'm really not too sure but i would say less than 15 degrees inclusive...with a convexed edge bevel. right now they all have a worn 15 micron belt finish followed by a power strop followed by a hand strop and they work very well.

three of my knives are fairly cheap, one i got at a resale shop and ended up liking it, one is my dad's favorite so we have to keep it around, one is a cheap chinese 10" chef's that i cut down to about a 6" blade. the fourth is a slim light wustof that is nice to use. the edge used to be a little thinner, but when i was little i dinged it knocking it against another knife playing swords so i had to remove a fair amount of metal to fix it. its still thin, a tiny bit thinner than the others, but it used to be a real laser.

so basically in my experience i've found thin and sharp are all that really matter.

 

[Trace Rinaldi]

I like a thin toothy edge on kitchen knives.. It will bite into tomato's or whatever instead of sliding around like smooth polished edges can IMHO..

 

[Roger999]

I like a thin toothy edge on kitchen knives.. It will bite into tomato's or whatever instead of sliding around like smooth polished edges can IMHO..

Polished edges will only slide off tomatoes if you roll the edge, the knife I use for cutting tomatoes, I have tested it with 360grit @ 4degrees/side and 0.5 micron CrO @ 4degrees/side, with the 360grit sharpened one, It sliced without much pressure, but with the CrO polished one, it just went right through, It does not slide on the tomato at all.

For general cooking knives, I use 20degrees/side, I wouldn't take them any lower because my Mum abuses knives(prying a metal container with the damn edge and cutting on a plate when there's a nice bamboo cutting board 5ft away).

 

[thombrogan]

Polished edges 1000 grit or higher (0.7µ BC on leather or 1µ or 0.3µ AO on polishing paper or lapping film over glass are favorite finishes when polishing beyong 1000 grit) and I generally use a chef knife for all of my kitchen prep, though a parer, Mora, santoku, or serrated utility knife will all see use once in a while.

Feeling the blade fall through every food it sees is such a sick treat. First felt it with my Shun Elite chef knife and have been hooked ever since.

 

[guyfalks]

2000 grit sandpaper, usually followed by 3 micron diamond paste. Toothy, but very small toothes.

 

[yoda4561]

1000 grit shapton pro, 2 licks per side on the strop. Nice toothy but fine edge. I've tried going to 4000 and stropping more for a really polished edge but the 1000 works better for most kitchen duty, less effort getting it sharp too.

 

[scubadoo97]

Polished edges will only slide off tomatoes if you roll the edge, the knife I use for cutting tomatoes, I have tested it with 360grit @ 4degrees/side and 0.5 micron CrO @ 4degrees/side, with the 360grit sharpened one, It sliced without much pressure, but with the CrO polished one, it just went right through, It does not slide on the tomato at all.

For general cooking knives, I use 20degrees/side, I wouldn't take them any lower because my Mum abuses knives(prying a metal container with the damn edge and cutting on a plate when there's a nice bamboo cutting board 5ft away).

I agree. My edges are taken to 8000 grit glass stone then finished on leather/Cr0 to a mirror finish. They are not toothy. They push cut through paper and fall through a tomato.

 

[willy m]

ive been sharpening everything with my nwgs there is a neat little spot between the top platen wheel and the top of the platen itself it worksgreat ive become fond of 45 or16 mmicron deprnding on the cutting job then a good strop with gr chr and it will wittle hairsevery time....willy

 

[Hard H2O]

I do not like a "toothy" edge on any of my cutlery. Whether they are EDC, field dressing, fillet, or kitchen blades they all get pretty much the same polished edge. Not as polished as some but through the ultimate finishing hone on the GATCO and then to the strops with white and red polishing compound.

My kitchen knives go though a tomato like it is not even there.

I wonder if the sale of serrated knives marketed as "tomato" knives has anything to do with the fallacy that you need a "toothy" edge to get through the skin of a tomato?

 

[Hard H2O]

I wouldn't take them any lower because my Mum abuses knives(prying a metal container with the damn edge and cutting on a plate when there's a nice bamboo cutting board 5ft away).

Sounds like you need to aquire a few knives to keep to yourself. Take those and lower the angle but keep them away from your mum.

 

[scubadoo97]

My kitchen knives go though a tomato like it is not even there.

Don't you love the feeling. :thumbup:

 

[Hard H2O]

Don't you love the feeling. :thumbup:

Yes I do. I love using a freshly sharpened and stropped knife in the kitchen.

I used to abuse and never sharpen. I went fishing and brought three fillet knives. I had a little hand held crock stick type of tool thinking it would refreds the edge when needed. It would have worked had the knives been sharp to begin with. I decided then and there that I was going to get some sharpening equipment and really sharpen my cutlery.

I found this and another knife forum. I did a bit of research and ended up with the GATCO system I have. It was an epiphany the first time I cooked and used a truly razor sharp blade. I added the two finer grit accessory hones and added a stropping regimen. It really took my edges to the next level of refinement.

The GATCO and the two forums have allowed me to learn a lot about how to sharpen and what level of sharpness I needed. I quickly realized that I did not want to make sharpening the hobby. I wanted to use sharpening to enhance my efficiency in other hobbies. I have learned through experimentation that I do not like toothy. I like polished. I have learned what test I can do that will let me know if an edge will work for me.

 

[Dog of War]

I've always found the finish left by fine ceramic -- the white Sharpmaker or Crock Stick rods -- to be very satisfactory for all-round kitchen use. Plus with touch-ups being so quick and easy ... well, it's easy to see why these sharpening tools are so popular.

What a shame Spyderco's old "Galley V" kitchen sharpener is no long available.

 

[mitchshrader]

my kitchen knife drawer runneth over onto the wall, and much of the countertops..

and i've more stones than knives.. and my working knives stay at about 2000 grit sharp mostly.. faintly toothy but not polished mirror edges. I have those for showoff, but i might go 3 days, or a week, between a REAL knife using session of cooking (stir fry or something else requireing a lot of knife prep).. and i just don't need ultimate sharpened knives for daily use. In a production kitchen the finer edge would allow steeling or stropping back to utility and likely work all day.. but my knives will all cut 10 slices out of a tomato and that's sufficient unto the day. i question the NEED (other than esthetic) for mirror polished edges in a NON production kitchen. might be, it's funner for you. I put that sort of edge on a few things and stored them, and a few others and display them, but USERS I keep @ 2000(ish) and drop back to 1200 if i've been lazy and let them get dull. full convex edges, 1200 grit King stone, 2000(ish) grit finnish mudstone for a working edge.. just *barely* toothy, cleanly shave armhair with the faintest pull.. yeah, hairpopping is just another step up but I don't want that in working knives, UNLESS THAT STANDARD IS MAINTAINED ACROSS ALL THE BLADES.. which'd mean mirror-edging a hundred knives. nope. ain't going there. 2000 grit works dandy and I can put it back in 5 minutes. mirror edge works 5% better and i can spend 5x as long getting there. . and enjoy the process.. once or twice.. but not 100 times. fuggedaboudit.