How to Sharpen a Knife with a Whetstone | Kenji's Cooking Show

The masks 😂😂

This looks like a great way for a novice to fuck up their knife.

stupid maskies, you looked dumb then, you look dumber now

thanks could you also make a vid on how to be honing knives?

Wearing masks outside in your garden with one other person lmao I hope you feel stupid now

how can you tell if your japanese knife is single or double bevel

I notice your stroke doesn't involve the very tip. is this intentional? or do you work on the tip separately

face mask proofs that you are an ignorant person

Incompetent

I've watched so many sharpening vids and they all leave something out, this is the first one where as someone who has never done it before can get it. Also you record it over your shoulder! Everyone records it facing the opposite way making it SO difficult to replicate.

Raising the blade 1/4th the height sure enough works for 15 degrees because the tangent (opposite over adjacent) is about 0.25. So raise the blade 25% of the height for 15 degrees. A three to one ratio is actually 18.3 degrees

I have touched up my Japanese knives (Shun ,et al) with a ceramic hone for at least ten years. No problems and much quicker than stropping.

What's all the water bottles off to the side there for? You making a soup later on?

Can’t trust anyone wearing a mask in the backyard 🤡

Thank you

I come back here every 6-9 months or so 🤠

Why say that European knife are made from softer steel? Have ever bin in Europe and know European knife?

"You have to know it's sharp" like you would do when grabbing a knife :D But agreed, even average market knives start to shine if you learn to sharpen them. It made cooking so much more enjoyable. Like imagine just gently driving the knife through a tomato instead of pushing or sawing, or doing a rocking motion on a carrot that is hard and round and difficult to handle, and the knife just bites it and keeps it steady and cuts through. My kitchen accidents also saw a big diminish after learning to sharpen knives.

Slow your commentary down. I'm exhausted listening to you. Are you on speed??

That camera on the tripod has a lens with barrel distorion, so the whetstone appears curved and I was so confused for a moment.

Why did you wear a mask?? Incredible how strong was the brainwashing... As for the sharpening I stick with the traditional Japanese method, way better.

What a disorganized complicated demonstration.

The goofy jersey sales guy doesn't need to talk? Let Ken do his demo? Wtf

Just you wearing a mask made unsubscribe

Where are they made?

Where are Kan knives made?

I hate idiots that wear masks in videos for no reason. Muffled voices and loud breathing ruins the videos

A bit of advice for you folks who are nervous about getting started—don't be. Get one of your cheaper knives and tilt it up until the cutting edge is on the stone and just get started. Take it slow and get the feel of it. You really can't do it perfectly at first. If you get the knife somewhat sharper, you're doing great. If not, don't worry, you're not alone. Watch another video or two and get back on that horse. As you get more practice you'll do better and it'll be more satisfying. It's a great feeling to keep your knives sharp.

the cover masks hahahahahaha fuckin bozos

I know that King is a recommended whetstone brand, but any suggestions for a flattening/fixing stone?

Ok wear can I get a set of stones?

I like your videos but in this one you invite a knife sharpening expert and you do not let him sharpen the knife to show us. You barely film him or let him talk and when he does you literally start talking yourself and don't let him finish...

Why are they wearing masks outside??? Let's go Brandon

But, grinding front and back stroke - you're sharpening and dulling it?

If you don't know what a single bevel blade is just don't sharpen. They aren't 90 / 10 more like 99/1. They are right or left handed and while exquisitely sharp will skew cuts either left or right. Sharpen one side only and deburr the other.

While I was watching this video, my husband informed me that you hate Conservatives. Sorry to hear that. No use going further here.

How long do you soak the stones before using them?

For a knife in "really bad shape" (500 micron chips or larger) don't waste your time and energy on a whetstone. Go for a $50 dollar belt sander (designed for wood) with a 3x18 400 grit belt. You set the sander upside down, and clamp it to your table or workbench. Don't let the blade get hot! It takes maybe five minutes, so you can go lightly and lift often to keep the blade cool. Once you have the chips out, go to a whetstone.
Learn to use a belt sander. Keep the edge pointing in the direction of the belt travel (always edge trailing, never have the edge going into the motion of the belt). Wear eye protection, and a face mask left over from "Covid-19". I think most belt sanders have a sawdust collection bag, so metal dust should be a minimum, but a face mask won't hurt. Go lightly, as that's all you need. One advantage is that since the edge is not moving as it does on a stone, it is easier to hold a consistent angle and get a nice even bevel.
Once you get over the romance of sharpening, and get your angle consistent, sharpening / restoring / repairing a knife should not take more than an hour, going from a sander at 400 grit to a 1K - 3K - 6K - 8K - strop (or whatever, depending on your steel quality). Once your knife is sharp, refreshing the sharpness shouldn't take more than a minute on a strop. After a few months (domestic kitchen use), you may want to go to a fine grit stone like an 8K (assuming no chips) for five minutes. Once you know how, it is not at all hard. You do not need scalpel sharpness to chop vegetables and slice steak. Just be warned that very sharp, very hard steel, is very fragile; it will chip easily if you don't know how to USE a knife properly.
Most of "sharpening" is proper use and care, to avoid dulling. To reiterate that point, if you have a good HRC 60+ steel, use it properly (gently), and care for it, in your home kitchen it should stay nice and sharp for a few months before you need a whetstone at all to re-refine the edge. If you bang it around and twist and pry with it, you'll find yourself repairing chips often.

Pro tip : just pick a flat stone from the river it works a lot better than you would think. I found one that was arround 2500 grit

not looking for too much intimacy with my knife thanks!

Gave this a try after watching and all I can say is I’ll never have a dull knife again. As a total noob I was able to get my knife sharp enough to shave. Thanks.

the last frame :^D !

Hi Kenji -- how often do you need to use a stone fixer? After every sharpening session? Thanks

Why do you divide it by 4?

Where did you purchase the leveling stone?

I so needed this demo, thank you! I do wish you'd done a before & after with the tomato slicing, but maybe on another video someday.

That table is beautiful

How sharp is ANY knife? Just TOUCH the blade to your thumbnail at a slight angle. If it catches, it's sharp. If it slides off, keep sharpening.