leep33•4d ago

Question about knife sharpening after a chef called me out

I was prepping onions on the line last Friday and the head chef walked over and said my cuts were 'more tear than slice' because my knife was dull. He made me stop and watch him sharpen it on a 1000 grit stone for 5 minutes. Anyone else have a wake-up call about how often you should really be honing your blade during a shift?

2 comments

2 Comments

tessa_hill864d ago

Twenty minutes on a 1000 grit stone seems like a lot for a line knife during service. I've been told the real trick is stropping between tasks, not just honing. Did he say anything about how often you should run the blade on a steel or strop to keep it working through a whole shift? Because I've heard some chefs swear by a quick 30 second touch-up every hour or so. Just trying to figure out if the 5 minute sharpening session was a one-time thing or if he expects you to do that regular too.

nina_butler3d agoMost Upvoted

The heat from constant line work changes the metal temper way more than people realize, so a full 20 minute session might be his way of resetting an edge after it's been cooked. I've had knives that felt fine on a steel but were actually microchipping because the edge got soft from being near the flattop all shift. That hour touchup routine probably works if the blade isn't getting hammered, but on a busy line five minutes every few hours might actually prevent bigger problems later.