How to Hone a Knife

Many people confuse honing with sharpening, but there is a distinct difference. We've already discussed using a water stone to sharpen a dull knife. When you sharpen a knife, you're actively removing material from the blade, creating a brand new razor-sharp beveled edge.
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Last week we shared Master Bladesmith Bob Kramer's helpful advice on how to tell if your knife is sharp enough — but how do you sharpen your knife in the first place? Here are two more videos from Kramer demonstrating how to correctly hone and stone your knives, processes which take just a few minutes, but make such a difference in cooking.

Knives need sharpening less often than you might think, but they do need regular honing on a steel to keep their cutting edges aligned. Norman Weinstein, the knife skills instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, provides a close-up look at just what honing does and how to hone with confidence.

A dull knife is a cook's worst enemy, and easily the most dangerous tool you can have in your kitchen. Thankfully, keeping your knives in good condition to use isn't terribly difficult, and you probably already have the tools required to do it. You can reach Alan Henry, the author of this post, at , or better yet, follow him on .
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