TIL my knife sharpening method was wrong for 3 years

I used to push the blade straight down on my whetstone, but a cook from a sushi bar in Seattle showed me how to hold the angle steady and pull it back slow. Now my cuts are way cleaner and my knives last longer. What's the one kitchen skill you learned totally wrong at first?

3 comments

3 Comments

dylanwilliams2d agoMost Upvoted

My Seattle butcher taught me the same thing, just like @joseph_hart said.

joseph_hart29d ago

Isn't it funny how many basic skills we get wrong by just assuming we know? I did the same thing with sharpening for years. It makes you wonder what else we're all doing wrong without realizing it, like maybe the way we hold a vegetable peeler or even how we boil an egg.

xenar1429d ago

Oh man, @joseph_hart, you are so right. I used to just hack away at a knife with one of those pull through sharpeners and thought I was a genius. Turns out I was just ruining my blades. I watched one video on using a whetstone and my mind was blown, it's a totally different skill. It really does make you question every little habit, like the "right" way to fold a t-shirt or even how you load a dishwasher. The internet has been a real humbling experience for my supposed life skills.