Maintaining good, sharp knives in your food truck kitchen is a vital part of creating delicious food for your customers. A sharp knife provides it’s wielder with much better efficiency and more precise cuts, where dull knifes are more erratic and can lead to sliced fingers.

Many people get confused about how to care for their knives and can, consequently, do more harm than good.

How To Keep Your Knives Sharp

The first step in keeping your knives sharp is to understand the difference between honing and sharpening a knife.  Do you own one of those long, metal sword looking things most people call a “knife sharpener”?  Well, that’s actually not a knife sharpener.  It’s called a knife steel and it’s used to hone your knife.

While a well-honed knife keeps the blade of your knives sharp, it does not actually sharpen your knife.  If used properly, adjusts your knife’s blade back to the way it was originally molded (at about a 20-degree angle).  Plus, it removes metal spurs and bits of food from the knife to maintain a nice, sharp edge.

Honing

To maintain a well-honed and sharp knife, it is recommended to use a knife steel after each use of your knife.

  • Hold your knife steel in one hand so that it is pointing away from you.
  • Place the heel of the knife, which is the end that is closest to the handle, flush against the steel rod. The tip should point out at a 20-degree angle. To find a 20-degree angle, think about a 90-degree angle and then halve that, then halve that again.
  • Glide the knife down slowly, taking care to maintain that 20-degree angle and for the blade of the knife to slide from the heel to the tip.  When you are finished with this motion, all parts of the knife blade should have touched the steel.
  • Repeat this 8-10 times for each side of the knife’s edge.
  • After both sides of the knife have been run on the steel, wipe each side of the knife to clean off the microscopic remnants left behind.

Sharpening

Sharpening your knife should only be done once every other month.  Not sure if you need to sharpen your knives?  Just try slicing through a single sheet of paper.  If it cuts through easily, there’s still time.  If not, it’s time to sharpen.

  • Sharpening your knife professionally usually costs about $5-$20/knife
  • If you want to sharpen your knives yourself, you will need to invest in a whetstone these can run from $50-$500.

As a general rule, if your knife can slice through a single sheet of paper, it doesn’t need to be sharpened.

Tips:

  • Never leave your sharp knives in the sink waiting to be washed.  Instead, wash your knife in warm, soapy water, dry with a clean towel and put away right after use.
  • Never put your good knives through the dishwasher.
  • Use only wood, bamboo, epicurean or plastic cutting boards for your knives, as they don’t damage the blade like glass, granite or porcelain can.
  • If using your knife to transfer cut food from a cutting board to a skillet or bowl, use the back of the knife, not the sharpened edge.

The Bottom Line

Keeping your knives sharp will help maintain your kitchen consistency. SO why not use these helpful tips? Do you have additional tips to keep your knives sharp? We’d love to hear them. Share your thoughts on this topic in the comment section, our food truck forum or social media. Facebook | Twitter