Introduction
Learn how to sharpen a chef knife with master knife maker, Bob Kramer.
www.cutleryandmore.com/bob-kramer-knives-by-zwilling
Learn his techniques and master the ark of hand knife sharpening. Discoverer and learn to use his sharpening kit. Zwilling is proud to partner with "The Master of the Blade" -- Bob Kramer. Bob Kramer created his original artisan knives on his own studio workshop. With a relentless pursuit of perfection, he has forged the best raw materials into some of the most beautiful and sought-after cutlery in the culinary world.
Video
So cooking is the whole process of buying the food cutting it up finding a recipe and preparing the food as well as cleaning up afterwards and taking care of your knives is a part of that process.
And if you just incorporate it on a regular basis of either honing or stoning your knives, you can keep them very sharp.
So this kit will will make it very easy for you, because you've got the three primary stones that you need and the sink bridge as well as the cleaning stone here's what's in your sharpening kit.
You've got a sink bridge.
And we've got three stones a 400 grit, stone, 1000, grit, stone and a 5000, grit stone and a cleaning stone.
Now, these stones are synthetic they're made by choice.
Sarah they're, the it's, the best Japanese synthetic stone company in Japan and we're, very pleased to have them.
These were custom made for his willing.
Now the sink bridge is meant to work either on the sink where you can loosen these two wingnuts and expand it to fit the sink and then tighten this down, or it has these rubber feet on it.
So that you can use it right on the countertop in which case I'd make it as small as possible, and then it will stick nice and firmly to your butcher block or your countertop.
What this kit will do for.
You is sharpen your knives, bring them back to razor surgical sharpness now, here's a blade that's, absolutely dealt and I'll show you what that edge looks like the edge of this knife is now shaped somewhat like that.
And this kit will allow you to reestablish this edge by removing material.
Now one test for this knife is cutting paper.
This knife is so dull it will not cut the paper at all not even with a sliding cut.
So the first thing we're going to do is set the stone bridge up, so it will accept the coarsest stone.
This is the 400 grit stone.
And this stone is going to remove material from each side of this radius edge, remove material from each side.
And once those two planes intersect, it will cause a wire edge or a beard or a burr.
Those words are all synonymous the angle and the pressure are very important.
So you can use a matchbook lay it on the stone lay your knife on the matchbook that's about 15, or excuse me, 12 to 15 degrees now, I'm going to hold the knife in my right hand.
Because my right hand is my dominant hand and I'll spread my left hand out over the blade to get even pressure on the blade.
Now the pressure is important.
People often don't use enough pressure.
One way to check yourself is to use a postal or a baking scale.
Now I'm not going to put my hand on top of the scale, which will give them misleading reading, but I'll use the blade and just press down until you see four to six pounds of pressure that's, a normal amount I may use a little bit more this time because this knife is extremely dull.
These stones are very nice, because you don't have to soak them in water.
All you need is a little bit of water on the top that's, all the lubrication you need.
You can see it's not soaking in so twelve to fifteen degrees and I'll probably use about six pounds of pressure on this and take a number of strokes on one side, maybe five or six strokes on this I, try to utilize the full length of the stone.
Now you can go straight back and forth, or you can make a sweeping action, or you can go backwards, I, prefer this style, or this shape, I know, I have to remove a fair amount of material, because of how dull this knife is now remove the grit and I want to feel the edge this way.
And this way now the burr will only show up on one side of the knife.
So right now, the burr is over on this side and I can feel it here, but I can't feel it here and that's.
Perfect I'll.
Just take a couple more strokes, just to make sure it's, nice and centered.
So once I feel that burr all the way down the length of the knife that's, my indication to move to the next stone.
The first stone has done its job as far as establishing.
The geometry now, the second stone I'm going to use is a 1,000 grit stone, you'll.
Notice, a significant difference in the way.
This stone sounds much quieter, much classier a little bit of water on the surface, make sure the knife is nice and clean again, same angle 12 to 15 degrees with about 4 to 6 pounds of pressure, trying to use the whole surface of the stone here.
Now this stone is just polishing the geometry that we set with the first stone.
So I'm, just polishing those two sides that we created with a 400 grit stone.
This doesn't take a whole lot of strokes.
And now I'll just go side to side side side.
The second stone, you're, just going to use your intuition, or you can visually inspect the edge to see how the the surface quality changes from the 400 grit to the 1000 grit.
Now I'll do my final stone, my finishing stone, which is a 5000 grit stone, a little bit of water.
Sure the knife is clean again, 12 to 15 degrees and I'm.
Just polishing the edge established by the first stone you'll.
Notice on the 5000 grit, stone because it's such a fine and dense stone that a little bit of metal particles are being left behind, and it will load the stone up and keep it from cutting as efficiently as it can and that's where your cleaning stone comes in just put a little bit of water on the stone use your cleaner stone.
And it works a lot like an eraser, and it will just pick up and remove any metal particles that are on the surface of this fine stone, which will make the cutting action, which will actually depress the cutting action a little bit.
So once you get the stone nice and clean there's, actually a little slurry, a little paste left behind, which will help to actually polish the edge of the night.
And the last few strokes are nice and light.
Now, hopefully I'll feel no burr on either side.
And if I was successful I should be able to easily slice this paper and sharpening your knife should just be incorporated into your cooking process.
The same way you would go out and buy vegetables before hand or the fact that you have to clean up the kitchen after you're done cooking, keeping your knives sharp will only take four or five minutes per knife.
If you do it on a regular basis, you can actually get it done in like two or three minutes.
So I've, shown you how to use the stone holder effectively on the countertop.
Let me show you how to fit this to your sink first you're, just going to open these wing nuts and stretch it out till it's the right length tighten, the wing nuts down and then it'll fit right into the containment.
The nice thing about sharpening over your sink is that you've got water right there.
And any grit that may come off the stone can just be washed away easily it's, actually the preferred place where I like to sharpen.
Okay.
So you can see with this kit.
You can make your knives.
Razor sharp, slice Tomatoes paper-thin.
But if you'd like it to take it to the next level, we have a couple of other stones that are available.
We have a three thousand grit stone.
And the nice thing about this is the closer you want to incrementally move up from stone to stone.
So you would insert this stone between the 1000 and the 5,000 grit.
And then to really finish your knives off with an unbelievably high polish.
We have a 10,000 grit stone.
And as a companion to all of these stones and I would highly recommend that you add the stropping block to the selection of stones or this kit.
Now, this is a leather coated block.
And what this will do is give a final polish in removing the wire edge generated from even the 3,000 of the 5000 grit stone or even the 10,000 grit stone.
So this is really the final finishing step that you'll use when using any or all of these stones, you need to make sure when using this that you go backwards, you don't want the edge to go into the leather, because it will actually cut the leather so you're going to place the knife.
Just the same way you did on the stone 12 to 15 degree angle I'm going to put about the same pressure on this blade, but I'll start at the tip rather than at the heel I'm going to start at the tip and go backwards, and then flip the knife over and go backwards.
And what this does is polish off that very fine little wire edge on the knife and gives it just a slight polish.
So this is the polish that you can achieve with the 10,000 grit and the leather stropping block.
And this smooth polished edge is just razor sharp hair, pop and sharp I would much rather break the stones out and sharpen my knives than I would clean pots and pans.
Yet we you know most of us, clean pots and pans every day and have to clean the stove top up take out the garbage.
This is really very easy to do very accessible.
And it gives you a tremendous amount of satisfaction when you can notice that hey, my knife is not as sharp as it should be.
Let me get these stones out.
Take 10 minutes put a razor-sharp edge back on the knife, and then you're ready to go for the next time, you're, cooking.
You.
FAQs
What Stones does Bob Kramer use? ›
Bob Kramer by Zwilling Water Stones
Grit #400 will change the angle of the edge and also repair the knife blade from nicks & chips, #1000 grit is used for fine sharpening, #5000 grit is for extra fine finishing, polishing and will place a very sharp edge onto the knife blade.
1) Anchor the tip of the hone on a cutting board. 2) Place the edge of the blade against the hone at a 10 – 15 degree angle. 3) Put your finger at the heel of the blade, and press into the steel. 4) Keeping the angle, pull the blade down in an arching motion from heel to tip.
Can Henckels knives be sharpened? ›Who is Knife AID? HENCKELS is proud to introduce you to Knife Aid, professional mail-in knife sharpening, to help keep the edge on all your knives. With proper maintenance, your knives will last a lifetime.
What is the most expensive Bob Kramer? ›Kramer's Escher-Inspired Pegasus Knife Available for $50,000
Kramer Knives are, without doubt, America's most highly-regarded and most coveted chef's knives, with a years-long waiting list just to be considered for a bespoke blade.
The reason is simple: the metal. This knife is made from 52100 carbon steel, which is the same type of steel that Bob Kramer uses in many of his handmade knives. It's incredibly good at holding very fine edges due to great apex stability and hardness., especially when it's made with modern heat-treating techniques.
Do you push or pull when sharpening knives? ›Push the point you want to sharpen with your fingers. While keeping the angle and pushing the point with your fingers, stroke the blade until it reaches the other edge of the whetstone, then pull the blade back until it reaches the edge of the whetstone. This back and forth is counted as one stroke.
What is the best angle for the sharpest knife? ›In fact, a 20 degrees angle is often considered the best sharing point for most knives. It is our experience that kitchen knives sharpened to 17 to 20 degrees cut very well and are still durable. For pocket or outdoor knives, a 20 degree angle would be on the low side of ideal.
Are pull through knife sharpeners any good? ›Pull-through sharpeners are the most popular way to sharpen knives, and with good reason: They are quicker than whetstones and more precise than sharpening steels. However, they shed the most amount of metal, which weakens the durability of knives.
What is the sharpening angle for Zwilling Henckels? ›The blade- edge angle for all Zwilling J.A. Henckels cutlery, with the exception of santoku knives, is 15 degrees on each side (30 degrees total). The blade-edge angle for santoku knives is 10 degrees on each side (20 degrees total).
What is the difference between Henckels and Zwilling Henckels? ›Difference between Zwilling and Henckels Knives
They are essentially two brands under the same company Zwilling JA Henckels. They are also in different grades. Zwilling is the premium brand in the company's portfolio, while Henckels, also known as JA Henckels or Henckels International, is the entry-level brand.
Is Zwilling the same as Henckels knives? ›
Zwilling J.A. Henckels is the parent company of the Henckels brand (also known as J.A. Henckels or Henckels International) as well as the Zwilling brand. Within each brand you'll find a multitude of different series to explore.
What knives Cannot be sharpened? ›Serrated knives have teeth that are ground into a stainless steel blade. The resulting edge is often razor sharp—great for cutting cleanly through bread or a tomato—but, again, the blade can't be sharpened, so don't use it on meat.
How old is Bob Kramer? ›| Bob Kramer | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1957/1958 (age 64–65) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Knifemaker, Bladesmith |
| Awards | American Bladesmith Society Master Bladesmith (1997) American Craft Council Rare Craft Fellowship Award (2015) |
Robert Kramer was born on 22 June 1939 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a director and writer, known for Route One USA (1989), Guns (1980) and The Edge (1968). He was previously married to Erika Kramer. He died on 10 November 1999 in Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Haute-Normandie, France.
Who is the knife maker on Top Chef? ›The world's top chef knife maker in the world is, without a doubt, Bob Kramer.
Do you wet or dry sharpening stones? ›The results were clear. Use your stones wet. The stones used wet worked far better than the ones used dry, the only exception was the 220 grit waterstone which performed the same. In all cases, the wet stones continued to function from start to finish with no loss in cutting ability.
How often do you flatten a sharpening stone? ›We recommend flattening them at the beginning of every sharpening session-it's a 15-second job in most cases. Flatten oilstones about every 10 sessions.
How often should you use a sharpening stone? ›You should generally sharpen your knives at least every two weeks, though it depends on how often you use them. Your daily, go-to knives should definitely get a sharpening, but for those that you only use once in a while, that's up to you.
What is Gordon Ramsay's favorite knife? ›According to MasterClass, Ramsay prefers Henckels knives, which are a German style brand. As Acit Group states, German style chef's knives are noted for their bulky blades that are tough enough to handle the likes of chicken bones owing to their extra heft.
What knives did Michael Myers use? ›In Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, the knife was a 8" Victorinox Forschner With Rosewood Handle. In Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later, the knife was a 14" Wusthof chef's knife. In Halloween: Resurrection, the knife was a 12" Victorinox Forschner with Rosewood Handle.
What brand chef knife does Gordon Ramsay use? ›
Wusthof Knives
Chosen by seven Michelin star Gordon Ramsay for their sharpness, functionality and design.
“A sharpening stone or whetstone is used primarily by professional chefs to sharpen knives, razors, scrapers and more. They can be designed to require either water or oil for lubrication, which also helps to clear or wash away the metal that comes off the edge of the implements during sharpening,” he explains.
How many times do you pull a knife through a sharpener? ›If you're using an electric sharpener you won't need to use any force, the sharpener does it all for you. As you pull the knife through the sharpener, follow its curve to sharpen the entire length of the blade. Repeat this action three times for a mildly dull blade, or six times for a severely dull blade.
Should you use water or oil when sharpening a knife? ›The preference of lubrication–water or oil–is left up to the user. Both will do the same job, swarfing the surface of the stone so it does a better job sharpening. However, there are other cases where one or the other must be used with a particular stone. Natural sharpening stones, for instance, mostly use water.
What is the last thing you must do after sharpening a knife? ›The last step in sharpening is to remove the burr. This is done by simply repeating the same steps, only this time with less pressure. You are cleaning the blade versus sharpening it now. Be sure to test the blade to make sure you are satisfied with the final result.
Is it better to sharpen knives at 15 or 20? ›If you are using a given knife for heavier cutting or chopping if probably is best sharpened at 20 degrees. If you use a small or medium size knife only for light work such as paring, peeling, or light slicing you may prefer to sharpen it at 15 degrees in order to take advantage of its increased sharpness.
Should I sharpen my knife at 20 or 25 degrees? ›Most blades manufactured in North America are approximately 20 degrees, providing a good balance between durability and sharpness. This range contains the best angle for knife sharpening when you're looking for a general-use blade.
Are diamond sharpeners better than stone? ›The sharp diamond particles cut faster than any other abrasive of the same grit. The only real downside for diamonds is in the finer grits. An 8000 grit diamond stone will cut significantly deeper scratches than an 8000 waterstone. This is simply because the diamonds don't wear as smoothly.
Is an electric knife sharpener better than a manual one? ›Both manual and electric sharpeners have pros and cons. Manual sharpeners are generally less expensive, don't require a power source, and since they're not automated, offer better control. But they can take some experience to use effectively, and often don't work on serrated knives.
Why not to use pull through knife sharpener? ›Because of the mechanics of use, it is impossible to apply the same amount of pressure throughout the blade. As a result, the edge tends to go out of shape changing the original blade profile. There is absolutely no way you can sharpen a knife with a bolster using a pull through sharpener.
What are the different levels of Zwilling knives? ›
| 8” chef knife | 6” cleaver |
|---|---|
| 7” fillet knife | 6” slicing/carving knife |
| 10” bread knife | 5” utility knife, serrated |
| 8” slicing/carving knife | 7” Chinese cleaver |
| 5.5” boning knife |
The majority of kitchen knives are sharpened to a 17 to 20-degree angle. Many Western knife angles fall into the 20-22 degree category. Asian knives sold in the U.S. usually have a more acute angle and both sides are sharpened to about 15 degrees.
Do professional chefs sharpen their own knives? ›Most professional chefs will sharpen their personal knives themselves using whetstones, which are just what they sound like: rectangular stones, lubricated with water, used to sharpen blades by rubbing the alternating sides of the cutting edge against the stone at an acute angle.
What's the difference between sharpening and honing a knife? ›In short, sharpening is used to restore a dull or damaged edge by removing metal, while honing is used to maintain and straighten the edge (which can bend over time). It's good practice to hone a knife often to maintain the edge and only sharpen it when it becomes dull.
Do Henckel knives have a lifetime warranty? ›Kramer by ZWILLING J.A. Henckels Warranty
The Bob Kramer by ZWILLING J.A. Henckels knives have a lifetime warranty. For any questions concerning warranty please click here.
The Henckels Zwilling Pro is a serious workhorse, pulling ahead of the pack in nearly every one of our tests and earning the top spot as Best Overall Chef's Knife. This high-carbon steel German knife weighs in at 9.5 ounces, making it one of the heftier knives we tested.
Is Zwilling made in China? ›Most of Zwilling's higher end knives are manufactured in Solingen, Germany, while others, including Henckels branded knives are made in Spain and China.
Is Henckels the same as Wüsthof? ›Henckels typically get a score of 56-57 on the scale and Wüsthof gets a 58, so technically Wüsthof is a slightly harder steel. This is good because it means Wüsthof knives vs. Henckels will hold their sharpened edge better. On the flip side, a softer Rockwell score means a knife is easier to sharpen.
What is the difference between Henckels 2 man and 1 man? ›A: There are 2 brands like how General Motors makes Cadillac & Buick- ZWILLING brand (2 stick dudes) (Cadillac) is made in Germany or Japan with German steel, the J.A. HENCKELS International (1 stick dude) (Buick) is made in Spain or China with German steel, this line has a wider spread of of cost & quality.
Can you ruin a knife by sharpening it? ›Oversharpening a knife will also ruin the blade
There comes a point at which a knife blade can't be sharpened anymore, and if you continue to pound it on a steel or whetstone, you'll only be shaving off the blade itself and shortening the knife's life span.
Is it worth sharpening a cheap knife? ›
In short: yes, sharpening cheap knives is definitely worth it. And the Knife Aid team loves giving those knives the sharp edge they deserve and never had. They will return to you sharper than the day you bought them.
Can you ruin a knife on sharpening stone? ›Sharpening too often – or sharpening with a coarse stone or an inferior sharp pebble – can shave off too much metal, damaging your knife. While sharpening your knives too often can quickly ware them down, you should hone them every few uses.
What stones does Paul Sellers use? ›Paul recommends the 3” (76mm) x 8” (203mm) diamond stones from EZELAP, this width is so you can comfortably fit the width of a chisel and a plane blade on the stone. The length of 8” (76mm) gives you enough distance for a full stroke, any shorter and you will have to do more work to get your bladed tools sharp.
What is use Arkansas Stone? ›Arkansas Stones are a natural sharpening stone mined only in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas. They are quarried by blasting and the use of diamond saws. They are then cut into rectangular shaped whetstones to be used for sharpening knives and tools.
What is Arkansas sharpening stone made of? ›Novaculite, also called Arkansas Stone, is a microcrystalline to cryptocrystalline rock type that consists of silica in the form of chert or flint. It is commonly white to grey or black in color, with a specific gravity that ranges from 2.2 to 2.5. It is used in the production of sharpening stones.
What grit is Gordon sharpening stone? ›| Manufacturer | Gordon |
|---|---|
| Material | Stone |
| Grit Description | Medium Grit,Fine Grit,Medium,Fine |
| Batteries Included? | No |
| Batteries Required? | No |
For diamond stones, we recommend water. But occasionally a customer will want to know if oil works instead of water on their diamond stones. The answer is yes, but it's not something we recommend. Oil has long been associated with Arkansas, Crystolon, India or similar stones.
Is it better to sharpen a chisel with oil or water? ›Cost - Oil stones are the most economical sharpening stones. Stay Flat Longer - Oil stones do stay flat longer than water stones. However, once they are no longer flat, they are not as easy to flatten.
What liquid to use on diamond sharpening stones? ›The best lubricant to use for diamond sharpening stones is a product called Krud Kutter. While plain water, windex ect. will work, Krud Kutter is the best lubricant to use for diamond sharpening stones.
Should you use oil or water on sharpening stones in Arkansas? ›You can use either water or oil with Arkansas sharpening stones. A light mineral oil is preferred by most users. It does a better job of preventing the stones from clogging. Water is thinner than oil.
What is the difference between hard and soft sharpening stones? ›
The softer the stone, the coarser the surface of the stone feels; harder stones, such as the True Hard and Translucent, have a smoother glassy feel. Soft Arkansas (Medium) is the most popular of the grades of novaculite.
What is the finest natural sharpening stone? ›Diamond is the hardest natural material on earth. That is why generally-speaking diamond-coated sharpening stones don't wear out and offer a lot of results. It quickly removes material which means you don't have to sharpen long. You also don't need water or oil during the sharpening process!
What is the finest grade sharpening stone? ›- Shapton Glass Stone HR grit 1000 medium 14.7 micron sharpening stone, 50202. ...
- Naniwa Professional Stone, P310, grit: 1000. ...
- Skerper Professional stone grain 1000 SVSP1000. ...
- Shapton Pro Stone grit 1000 medium sharpening stone, K0702. ...
- Skerper Glass Stone SVGS1000 sharpening stone, 1000 grit.
Conventional wisdom says that using water or oil with a sharpening stone is better than sharpening dry because the fluid helps float away the swarf, or waste material, and prevents the stone from clogging.
What sharpening stones do chefs use? ›Many chefs, including Tran, favor whetstones for sharpening, and almost all recommend getting a variety of grit options. Tran recommends a double-sided whetstone, with one side having a coarse #1000 grit and the other side a finer #6000 grit. “You use the [#1000] side to get your edge back,” says Tran.
What grit is best for dull knives? ›Furthermore, for repairing a dull knife you should go for 1000 to 3000 grit. And, 4000 to 8000 grit is used for refining the edge of a knife which is the finishing process. Finally, if you are sharpening a knife used for cutting meat you should choose 4000 to 6000 grits.
What grit is best for sharpening dull knives? ›Less than 1000 grit is typically used to repair knives with chipped edges, 1000 to 3000 grit are used to sharpen dull knives, 4000 to 8000 grit are finishing stones and are used to refine your knife edge.