SC - What did Santa bring?

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Shari Burnham wrote:
> 
> I got a set of wustof Trident (spelling?) knives with the butcher's block.

Cooool! Wusthofs are good knives!
  
> A set of seven including the sharpening stick.

Umm, please forgive me if I beat a dead horse, but as a non-rational
being who responds only to pre-set programming, I have to say this:
unless you're talking about a ceramic or diamond sharpening rod or
something like that, a steel does not sharpen. Rather, it hones or
deburs. You sharpen the knife on a stone or equivalent tool, then hone
it on a steel, which, through magnetism and friction, realigns the
little pointed crystals of iron and carbon that form the blade into a
more durable edge. Without it you get a somewhat jagged edge that is
reeeeelly sharp for about a second and a half, and then needs to be
resharpened. If all you have is a steel, it's fine for maintaining a
good edge on a sharp knife, but won't sharpen a dull one.

Again, sorry if I'm rehashing stuff you already know, but with such a
lovely (and probably rather expensive) new set of knives I wouldn't want
you to be disappointed because of a little misunderstanding. If you
don't have one, a good stone doesn't cost much, probably between 5 and
10 dollars if you shop around between hardware stores or cooking supply
places. 

Enjoy your new toys!

Adamantius
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com
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