Category: Tips

How to use a honing rod properly — steel, ceramic and diamond rods compared, the right angle, two safe techniques, how often to hone, and when you need a stone instead.

A clear, step-by-step guide to sharpening kitchen knives on a whetstone — choosing a stone, holding a steady angle, raising and removing a burr, and caring for the stone.

A practical guide to sharpening kitchen knives at home — honing vs. sharpening, choosing a method, the right angle and grit, step-by-step whetstone sharpening and how to test the edge.

Pull-through, electric, whetstone, guided system or honing rod? We compare every type of knife sharpener on ease, edge quality, metal removal and price.

How to clean a wooden knife block safely — clearing crumbs from the slots, washing, sanitizing, dealing with mold, drying properly and oiling — plus tips for plastic and bristle blocks.

Learn how to hold a butcher knife, break down and trim large cuts of meat, choose between breaking, cimeter and boning knives, and keep your fingers safe.

The hole near the spine of a meat cleaver is there so it can hang on a hook or rack. Here’s the real reason, the common myths, and what other holes in knives are for.

The right angle, the right grits and a steady technique: here’s how to sharpen a butcher knife on a whetstone, keep it keen with a steel, and know when to sharpen.

A clogged or dished stone sharpens badly. Here’s how to clean water stones, oil stones and diamond plates the right way, and how to keep a whetstone flat.

How to close a Gerber folding knife or multi-tool safely — identify your lock type, then follow simple steps for liner locks, frame locks, lockbacks, button locks and plunge locks.