How do I use a sharpening steel?

Firstly, you need to make sure both your kitchen knife and sharpening steel are completely clean and dry.  Western kitchen knives are usually sharpened at between a 20 and 30 degree angle and Japanese kitchen knives are usually between 10 and 20 degrees.  Hold you sharpening steel in your guide hand and rest the tip of the steel onto a chopping board.  Hold your kitchen knife in your knife hand, line up the spine of your kitchen knife with the handle of your sharpening steel at your desired angle.  Now pull your kitchen knife hand across and down the steel, moving from the kitchen knife heel to the kitchen knife point.   

You now need to move the blade to the other side of the sharpening steel and again, line up the spine of your kitchen knife with the handle of the sharpening steel at your desired angle.  Pull your kitchen knife across and down the steel, moving from the heel to the point.



Repeat both of the above processes 3 to 5 times.

You do not need to apply force. The weight of your kitchen knife is enough to do the job.

Remember to clean both your kitchen knife and steel  when you have completed the above processes, as this will remove any metal particles that may have come off your kitchen knife whilst sharpening.