Had a chat with an old timer about knife sharpening and it finally clicked

My grandpa's buddy Ralph told me I was overthinking angles and just need to feel the burr form. Now I'm getting edges that actually hold up through a whole side of beef, what's your go-to trick for knowing when a knife is truly sharp?

3 comments

3 Comments

victorb1726d ago

Honestly I used to be one of those guys who thought chasing burrs was just some old school macho thing. I'd sharpen my knives till they sliced paper and called it good. But then Ralph actually had me run my thumb across a "sharp" blade under a magnifying glass and I saw all these tiny little teeth and ragged spots. It clicked for me too once I felt that first real burr form and then knocked it off three times. Now I get edges that hold up through prepping like 40 pounds of onions without needing a touch up. That feeling of a truly finished edge is totally different from just sharp, it's more like the knife wants to cut on its own.

king.derek26d ago

Ralph got you chasing burrs on a side of beef like you're prepping for a Michelin star.

simonp4726d ago

Wait, have you actually watched someone do that? My old chef used to make me chase burrs on a side of beef for like 45 minutes every morning, and it felt absolutely pointless. But then I learned that if you don't get those tiny little hairs and imperfections off, the whole thing looks terrible under the lights. It's like polishing a car after you've already washed it, but if you skip it, the customer sees some weird fuzzy spot and thinks the meat is bad. Honestly, that kind of obsessive prep work is what separates a decent steak from something that actually looks like it belongs in a fancy kitchen.