My grandpa told me to never sharpen a boning knife with a steel, tried it anyway

So my grandpa has been a butcher in Omaha for like 40 years, and he always said using a steel on a boning knife ruins the edge. I thought he was just being old school and stubborn, you know? Last month I was breaking down a whole pork shoulder at the shop and my blade felt dull halfway through. I grabbed the steel anyway and gave it 10 passes on each side. Next cut I made, the knife slipped off the bone and went straight into my thumb guard, thank goodness. The edge was actually way more jagged and uneven, just like he warned. Now I stick to a ceramic rod like he always told me, and my cuts stay clean for the whole shift. Has anyone else had an elder butcher give you advice that seemed outdated but turned out to be dead on?

3 comments

3 Comments

zarar679d ago

That thing about the steel making the edge jagged really hit home for me. It's funny how a lot of the "old school" stuff is just hard earned common sense that gets forgotten until you mess up and learn it yourself the hard way.

miles9469d ago

Hard earned common sense" is the perfect way to put it. Most of that old school stuff is just people figuring out what works through trial and error. We're all too busy looking up fancy new methods when the simple answer is already sitting there.

troyreed9d ago

Trial and error" is right. People waste so much time overcomplicating stuff that's already been figured out.