My Global knives don't stay sharp for very long
Discussion
Now, I'm sure I'm going to get a load of people telling me 'how could you possible use that thing" and I know I should probably be spending hours and hours becoming a whetstone master, but at the moment I use this: https://www.kitchenknives.co.uk/minosharp-sh550-br...
After I've spent a few mins sharpening my knives with it, they are as sharp as I can imagine a knife being, cutting tomatoes, chicken, onions etc exactly how you'd want a sharp knife to do it.
BUT......this sharpness doesn't seem to last very long......so I find I have to put them through the sharpener fairly regularly to keep them razor sharp. Is this normal? I guess I see chefs on TV using one of those long metal stick-type things every time they pick up a knife, so maybe it's not that strange that I need to keep doing this to keep them at their best?
I just thought that expensive knives like Global were meant to stay super sharp for a while, but I might be wrong.
After I've spent a few mins sharpening my knives with it, they are as sharp as I can imagine a knife being, cutting tomatoes, chicken, onions etc exactly how you'd want a sharp knife to do it.
BUT......this sharpness doesn't seem to last very long......so I find I have to put them through the sharpener fairly regularly to keep them razor sharp. Is this normal? I guess I see chefs on TV using one of those long metal stick-type things every time they pick up a knife, so maybe it's not that strange that I need to keep doing this to keep them at their best?
I just thought that expensive knives like Global were meant to stay super sharp for a while, but I might be wrong.
sherman said:
Depends on what you are cutting and cutting on. You dobt cut on a glass choping board by any chance?
God no, luckily I'm not that stupid. I'd say given my limited imagination with my meals, I cut mostly chicken, onions, garlic, tomatoes......using plastic chopping boards.
Global Knives are good and should stay sharp for a good while. That said, no stainless steel blade takes an edge quite as well as a carbon steel one, but at least they don't go rusty or get stained.
Two thing to mention. 1, you should be using a steel and giving the blade a few strokes on both sides before each use. This is to straighten out the very edge of the blade, which tends to roll over in use. You can feel with a finger when it is sharp on both sides. Doing this will mean that you only have to use the sharpener occasionally when the steel no longer brings the edge up. Over sharpening will wear the blade away much more quickly.
2, how you look after a sharp knife is impt. Do you keep it in a proper block, or rattling around in a drawer? Also, only chop on a wood, plastic etc chopping board. Something softer than the blade. And don't scrape food off the chopping board with the sharp edge, use the back of the like for that.
Your sharpener actually looks pretty good for that kind of thing. Yes a whetstone and lots of practice would probably be better, but that's not for everyone;)
Two thing to mention. 1, you should be using a steel and giving the blade a few strokes on both sides before each use. This is to straighten out the very edge of the blade, which tends to roll over in use. You can feel with a finger when it is sharp on both sides. Doing this will mean that you only have to use the sharpener occasionally when the steel no longer brings the edge up. Over sharpening will wear the blade away much more quickly.
2, how you look after a sharp knife is impt. Do you keep it in a proper block, or rattling around in a drawer? Also, only chop on a wood, plastic etc chopping board. Something softer than the blade. And don't scrape food off the chopping board with the sharp edge, use the back of the like for that.
Your sharpener actually looks pretty good for that kind of thing. Yes a whetstone and lots of practice would probably be better, but that's not for everyone;)
Thanks for the responses guys
Knives are stored on the global magnetic rack, and they don't go near the dishwasher, unless the wife is lazy and puts them in there, but I've told her to leave them out for me to wash rather than chucking them in the dishwasher, so I think she's finally learnt to leave them alone.
Good point on scraping food with the blade, especially with chicken maybe I'm guilty of doing that when cutting into slices or whatever.
And I'll also look at getting a sharpening stick-thing which I think is what you're referring to above? Is there an exact science as to how you use them, or just a couple of 'swipes' either side before you use the knife?
Knives are stored on the global magnetic rack, and they don't go near the dishwasher, unless the wife is lazy and puts them in there, but I've told her to leave them out for me to wash rather than chucking them in the dishwasher, so I think she's finally learnt to leave them alone.
Good point on scraping food with the blade, especially with chicken maybe I'm guilty of doing that when cutting into slices or whatever.
And I'll also look at getting a sharpening stick-thing which I think is what you're referring to above? Is there an exact science as to how you use them, or just a couple of 'swipes' either side before you use the knife?
A friend of mine is very knowledgeable on knives, informs me that you the problem with kitchen knives is that need to be very corrosion resistant which means they need a high chromium content, but chromium doesn't hold an edge. So the more corrosion resistant the knives, the less they stay sharp.
Then you are into price, and if you bough a set of kitchen knives with the same high quality steel that is used for high-end pen knife blades, you would be into hundreds for even a small knife set.
VG-10 is an extremely high quality Japanese steel which is considered a premium material for kitchen knives, but expect to pay around £70-100+ per knife.
As an aside, and from the website you provided, I have one of these and I think it is amazing:
https://www.kitchenknives.co.uk/knife-sharpeners/p...
5-10 strokes through it really sharpens blades an impressive amount. I have a classic Victorinox Swiss army knife that has a couple of blades on it, and even when brand knew they are comically blunt and ineffective. Even more so after a couple of years. I keep it on my desk at home for opening parcels. I ran it though the Anysharp for a good 20 strokes or so the other day, and it is bonkers sharp
can practically slice through a piece of paper using just its own weight.
Then you are into price, and if you bough a set of kitchen knives with the same high quality steel that is used for high-end pen knife blades, you would be into hundreds for even a small knife set.
VG-10 is an extremely high quality Japanese steel which is considered a premium material for kitchen knives, but expect to pay around £70-100+ per knife.
As an aside, and from the website you provided, I have one of these and I think it is amazing:
https://www.kitchenknives.co.uk/knife-sharpeners/p...
5-10 strokes through it really sharpens blades an impressive amount. I have a classic Victorinox Swiss army knife that has a couple of blades on it, and even when brand knew they are comically blunt and ineffective. Even more so after a couple of years. I keep it on my desk at home for opening parcels. I ran it though the Anysharp for a good 20 strokes or so the other day, and it is bonkers sharp
can practically slice through a piece of paper using just its own weight.Little and often with a steel is best, those anysharp will sharpen anything quickly and easily but at the expense of removing a lot of metal.
If you've never used a steel before just check a YouTube vid first.
https://youtu.be/EKYPCxx20zg?t=71
If you've never used a steel before just check a YouTube vid first.
https://youtu.be/EKYPCxx20zg?t=71
Edited by Bacon Is Proof on Tuesday 30th November 10:05
My 2p.
Knives don't hold an edge for very long and need a quick sharpen, ie use a honing ceramic steel, if in use frequently.
Mino are a very good sharpener; but something you should be aware of is the angle at which you sharpen, not entirely sure but are Global 10 to 15 degrees? which is a very steep and easy to blunt
Plastic cutting boards are great for blunting knives, as are glass. Wood is far far better and ideally end grain.
Alot of knife sharpeners work by stripping metal off, a sharpening stone brings a nice edge without damaging the blade. Wet sharpening is better than dry, as you are not heating the blade up.
In my view, find a sharpening device that caters for the knife edge angles you have will help you.
Youtube has a lot of helpful demonstrations
ETA sharpeners like these https://uk.zwilling-shop.com/Kitchen-World/Inspira... are very good
Knives don't hold an edge for very long and need a quick sharpen, ie use a honing ceramic steel, if in use frequently.
Mino are a very good sharpener; but something you should be aware of is the angle at which you sharpen, not entirely sure but are Global 10 to 15 degrees? which is a very steep and easy to blunt
Plastic cutting boards are great for blunting knives, as are glass. Wood is far far better and ideally end grain.
Alot of knife sharpeners work by stripping metal off, a sharpening stone brings a nice edge without damaging the blade. Wet sharpening is better than dry, as you are not heating the blade up.
In my view, find a sharpening device that caters for the knife edge angles you have will help you.
Youtube has a lot of helpful demonstrations
ETA sharpeners like these https://uk.zwilling-shop.com/Kitchen-World/Inspira... are very good
Edited by carinatauk on Tuesday 30th November 10:16
Lord Marylebone said:
A friend of mine is very knowledgeable on knives, informs me that you the problem with kitchen knives is that need to be very corrosion resistant which means they need a high chromium content, but chromium doesn't hold an edge. So the more corrosion resistant the knives, the less they stay sharp.
That's correct, although stainless kitchen knives are a relatively new thing and I expect that marketers had a big role in convincing us all we need them. My mum's knives were carbon steel Sabatiers - wedding present in the early 60s - and lasted her for well over 40 yrs of daily use. I still used one of them fairly recently but the handle is no longer safe.
They took a razor sharp edge and kept it for ages. They did stain and the blades went black from acid in tomatoes etc. But they only rusted if you didn't wipe them down after use. I'd rather wipe a knife that stays sharp than have to sharpen it twice as often)
carinatauk said:
My 2p.
Knives don't hold an edge for very long and need a quick sharpen, ie use a honing ceramic steel, if in use frequently.
Mino are a very good sharpener; but something you should be aware of is the angle at which you sharpen, not entirely sure but are Global 10 to 15 degrees? which is a very steep and easy to blunt
Plastic cutting boards are great for blunting knives, as are glass. Wood is far far better and ideally end grain.
Alot of knife sharpeners work by stripping metal off, a sharpening stone brings a nice edge without damaging the blade. Wet sharpening is better than dry, as you are not heating the blade up.
In my view, find a sharpening device that caters for the knife edge angles you have will help you.
Youtube has a lot of helpful demonstrations
ETA sharpeners like these https://uk.zwilling-shop.com/Kitchen-World/Inspira... are very good
The sharpener I'm using is apparently made for the exact angle of Global knives, part of the reason I went for it, so I couldn't get it wrong. Knives don't hold an edge for very long and need a quick sharpen, ie use a honing ceramic steel, if in use frequently.
Mino are a very good sharpener; but something you should be aware of is the angle at which you sharpen, not entirely sure but are Global 10 to 15 degrees? which is a very steep and easy to blunt
Plastic cutting boards are great for blunting knives, as are glass. Wood is far far better and ideally end grain.
Alot of knife sharpeners work by stripping metal off, a sharpening stone brings a nice edge without damaging the blade. Wet sharpening is better than dry, as you are not heating the blade up.
In my view, find a sharpening device that caters for the knife edge angles you have will help you.
Youtube has a lot of helpful demonstrations
ETA sharpeners like these https://uk.zwilling-shop.com/Kitchen-World/Inspira... are very good
Edited by carinatauk on Tuesday 30th November 10:16
Good to know about wooden chopping boards, maybe time to chuck my plastic ones away then.
I think you are doing what you can and like you say, you do have the right sharpener (many don't and use a generic minosharp).
The next stage is honing on a steel, ceramic or diamond sharpener to maintain an already sharp blade but that's not just "wiping" the blade and again needs a bit of practice. Doing that before every use will help.
However... a minosharp does not actually get the blade that sharp. A whetstone or a sharpening system will but again, needs time and patience.
Plenty of stuff on reddit, I did start a thread on here ages ago.
The next stage is honing on a steel, ceramic or diamond sharpener to maintain an already sharp blade but that's not just "wiping" the blade and again needs a bit of practice. Doing that before every use will help.
However... a minosharp does not actually get the blade that sharp. A whetstone or a sharpening system will but again, needs time and patience.
Plenty of stuff on reddit, I did start a thread on here ages ago.
I use that sharpener OP (mainly with Globals, now around 20 years old & used practically every day) & found that I got best results when I stopped being gentle. I sharpen maybe once a month. Fill the Mino with water (you'll be surprised how warm it can get, with friction) & give each knife 20-30 strokes through each wheel/parabola-thingy. Use some pressure - you'll get a feel for the wheels "grinding". Then 4-6 strokes each side down a metal honing steel. (Mine's a regular steel £20 Amazon jobbie). Teatowel on the worktop to anchor the steel tip. Steel vertical & again, go slow, use some pressure & feel it working against the edge. Hone every use. My knives look very well used though, probably through the years of shambolic "practice". I prefer to hone as I put them away (in a block - the dots rub off the super stylish global model pretty quickly, but TBF mine's next to the sink so gets splashed every day). They never go in the dishwasher. Above also works for my Blenheim Forge, which is a completely different steel.
I've tried whetstones & just couldn't get them to work reliably enough (esp with larger knives), had an old 2 wheeled minosharp, several little v-shaped honing steel gadgets & also some rubbish facebook purchase contraption that looked like a cross between a bench vice & a toy helicopter. It was a complete con. Whod've guessed, eh?
Before I got the 3-wheel mino I put my paring knife away & got a Kyocera Ceramic paring knife - it's ridiculously sharp & a bargain @ <£30. Obvs, now the 3 wheeler brings the old paring knife up a treat, which is fine, because my wife uses it. She daren't even pick up the ceramic, let alone actually use it.
The only other info I've picked up over the years (from Tim Hayward, FT food critic https://www.waterstones.com/book/knife/tim-hayward... ) was never to use a diamond steel, as they're too savage. Above posters suggest otherwise. He's also very dismissive of TV chef's "slashing away" at a knife edge for the cameras.
TLDR: Mino 3 wheeler is great. Hone with a steel every use. Go slow & use some pressure. Hand wash. Use a block/rack. Don't treat them like ornaments - yes they're v pretty knives, but ultimately, they're tools.
Good luck - globals are v nice things. CF
I've tried whetstones & just couldn't get them to work reliably enough (esp with larger knives), had an old 2 wheeled minosharp, several little v-shaped honing steel gadgets & also some rubbish facebook purchase contraption that looked like a cross between a bench vice & a toy helicopter. It was a complete con. Whod've guessed, eh?
Before I got the 3-wheel mino I put my paring knife away & got a Kyocera Ceramic paring knife - it's ridiculously sharp & a bargain @ <£30. Obvs, now the 3 wheeler brings the old paring knife up a treat, which is fine, because my wife uses it. She daren't even pick up the ceramic, let alone actually use it.
The only other info I've picked up over the years (from Tim Hayward, FT food critic https://www.waterstones.com/book/knife/tim-hayward... ) was never to use a diamond steel, as they're too savage. Above posters suggest otherwise. He's also very dismissive of TV chef's "slashing away" at a knife edge for the cameras.
TLDR: Mino 3 wheeler is great. Hone with a steel every use. Go slow & use some pressure. Hand wash. Use a block/rack. Don't treat them like ornaments - yes they're v pretty knives, but ultimately, they're tools.
Good luck - globals are v nice things. CF
Interesting thread. Same here as the OP - have Global knives (well, two - don't need many knives for regular cooking IME) and sharpen with the same Minosharp wheel.
I tried a whetsone and, while I'm sure it produces a great result with lots of practice, for a home user I wasn't getting to it enough to get proficient. In fact at times I was sure I was doing more harm than good..!
I tried a whetsone and, while I'm sure it produces a great result with lots of practice, for a home user I wasn't getting to it enough to get proficient. In fact at times I was sure I was doing more harm than good..!
CardinalFang said:
Before I got the 3-wheel mino I put my paring knife away & got a Kyocera Ceramic paring knife - it's ridiculously sharp & a bargain @ <£30. Obvs, now the 3 wheeler brings the old paring knife up a treat, which is fine, because my wife uses it. She daren't even pick up the ceramic, let alone actually use it.
I have a ceramic knife too. A fairly deep 6 inch blade. Picked up for around 15quid from John Lewis quite a few years ago now.I use it a lot, great general purpose chopping and slicing knife and it is still sharp enough to slice a soft tomato without squashing it. You do have to be careful as the blades can't be sharpened and they will break if you bend the blade much.
My sister broke hers within a fortnight, but most of her metal knives have bent or broken tips so no surprises there really;) She is a great cook all the same.
OMITN said:
I tried a whetsone and, while I'm sure it produces a great result with lots of practice, for a home user I wasn't getting to it enough to get proficient. In fact at times I was sure I was doing more harm than good..!
My mum taught me how to use a whetstone when I was a kid. One of her first jobs included sharpening surgical scalpels between uses before they went disposable!It is a bit of an art doing it freehand.
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