Skip to content
Honed Knives

Article type: Explainer

ExplainerWhat Is a Nakiri Knife Used For?What a nakiri knife is used for: chopping vegetables with a flat, rectangular blade. How it compares to a santoku and chef's knife, how to use it, who needs one, and two nakiris worth buying.ExplainerWhat Is a Paring Knife Used For?What a paring knife is used for: peeling, coring, trimming, deveining, hulling and in-hand cuts. Blade shapes, how to hold one safely, what it can't do, and two paring knives worth buying.ExplainerCan You Put Knives in the Dishwasher?Can kitchen knives go in the dishwasher? What Wüsthof, Shun, Mercer and Victorinox say, what the dishwasher does to edges, handles and steel, and how to wash knives by hand in a minute.ExplainerIs Damascus Steel Worth It?Is Damascus steel worth it for kitchen knives? What modern Damascus really is, what the pattern does and doesn't do, how to spot fake etched patterns, and when it's worth paying for.ExplainerKnife Steel Hardness (HRC) ExplainedWhat HRC means for kitchen knives: the Rockwell C scale, typical hardness for German and Japanese knives, how hardness affects sharpness, chipping and sharpening, and which number suits you.ExplainerWhat Is a Bread Knife Used For?What a bread knife is used for: crusty loaves, sandwich bread, tomatoes, cakes, citrus and more. How serrated edges work, which length to buy, how to use one and how to keep it sharp.ExplainerWhat Angle Should You Sharpen Kitchen Knives?What angle to sharpen kitchen knives: 15 vs. 20 degrees, what 'per side' means, which brands use which angle, how hardness and use change the choice, and how to hold an angle by hand.ExplainerDo “Never Dull” Knives Really Work?Do knives that 'never need sharpening' really work? How micro-serrated edges cut, why they feel sharp for years, what they're bad at, and when a regular knife plus a honing rod is the better deal.ExplainerWhat Is a Chef’s Knife Used For?What a chef's knife is used for: chopping, slicing, dicing, mincing and more, what it shouldn't be used for, how to hold it, what size to choose and how it compares to other knives.ExplainerWhat Is a Boning Knife Used For?What a boning knife is used for, how flexible and stiff blades differ, curved vs. straight, boning vs. fillet knives, how to use one safely and which one to buy first.