Happy Wednesday! Cooking isn't the only time for sharp knives; we pastry chefs need to keep our knives sharp as well. When you cook or bake often, the edges of your knives become dull, which makes it harder to perform concise slices. As a result, a gorgeous fruit pie will have chunks of peaches instead of wedges; a beautiful tart will have strawberry mush instead of slivers...you get the idea. The amount of times you will need to sharpen your knives every year will depend on how often you use them. Obviously the more use, the more sharpening.
Once you know that you need to sharpen your knives but don't want to depend on taking it to a professional constantly, you should consider investing in your own sharpener. Many knife blocks come with a honing steel, which looks like a long rounded steel stick with a handle. To use one, you should angle the knife and carefully brush it against the side of the steel in a downward motion. If this seems too tricky, but you're still not ready to commit to an automatic tool, check out the hand-held sharpeners (like Wusthof). With the knife in one hand and the sharpener in the other, you carefully pull it across the steel to sharpen the blade. Do it on a cutting board to keep your counters safe! The hand-held is easy and efficient for a quick sharpening at home.
For a more complete list of sharpening options, check out Williams-Sonoma or your favorite kitchen store. Happy baking!
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