DaveB: I sharpen my knives when they seem to need it. The steel only "refreshs" an existing edge. Once the edge is worn or damaged, it's time to sharpen the knife. If you use a reciprocating diamond honer, such as the one illustrated in the article, you won't be removing much metal when you sharpen your knives. It is coarse whet stones that grind away the metal. Some people are now using "steels" coated with a fine diamond abrasive as sort of a middle ground before putting the knive to a sharpener.
KyleW: I agree, there's a certain Zen to preparing large quantities of mirepoix! |