Honing vs Sharpening Your Knives: What’s the Difference?

Some people use the words honing a knife and sharpening a knife interchangeably, but do these words mean the same thing? Is the process and purpose of honing a knife similar to that of sharpening one?

In this article, we explore the difference between the two, when it is most appropriate to hone or sharpen, and how each process is done?

What’s the Difference Between Honing and Sharpening a Knife?

Both honing and sharpening are procedures for retaining the knife’s edge. Knife sharpening involves grinding the blade to remove material from the edge while honing involves polishing the edge to realign it. The main purpose of honing is to maintain an already sharp edge while sharpening is done on a dull knife edge to make it sharper.

Over time, as you use your knife, the blade may lose its alignment even if it is still sharp. Honing realigns the blade’s edge by pushing it back to the center. It corrects that alignment without having to shave off the blade’s material. Although it does not sharpen the knife, it helps to retain sharpness. Ultimately, it improves the cutting efficiency by ensuring your cuts are smooth and straight.

Typically, honing is done more frequently than sharpening. Expert chefs hone their knives after every use and sometimes more often if using the knife continuously for a long time. If you take the necessary measures to maintain your knife’s edge and hone regularly, you will only need to sharpen your knife one to three times per year depending on the frequency of use.

Tools for Honing and Sharpening a Knife

Some tools for sharpening or honing a knife are often used interchangeably while others are specific to a particular function. Below is an overview of the various tools and their functions regarding sharpening and honing.

• Honing or Sharpening Steel – Honing
• Sharpening rod – Sharpening and honing
• Sharpening stone – Sharpening and honing
• Electric sharpener – Honing
• Whetstone – Sharpening and honing

Steel is the only material that is exclusively used for honing a knife. Although it is often referred to as a sharpening steel, honing steel is a honing tool.

An electric knife sharpener cannot be used for honing as it shaves of too much material from the knife blade. For tools such as a sharpening steel rod, whetstone, and sharpening stone that are used interchangeably, the difference comes in the mechanism.

When honing, the edge is passed lightly over the tool for a few strokes. When knife sharpening, the strokes are firmer and more aggressive to enable the tool to strategically shave off some material from the blade.

How Do You Tell if a Knife Needs Honing?

To tell if your knife needs honing, lightly run your fingertips over the blade’s edge. It should feel smooth, straight, and well-defined. If it feels indistinct and rounded, it needs to be honed.

How Do You Tell if a Knife Needs Sharpening?

One of the easiest ways to tell if a knife is sharp enough is to cut a tomato. If it is sharp, it will easily cut through the outer skin. Otherwise, if it is dull, you will need to exert significant effort as you make back and forth motions to penetrate the skin.

Another common sharpness test is using a piece of paper. Hold the paper up in the air with your non-dominant hand and hold the knife in your dominant hand. Attempt to slice the paper. If the knife is adequately sharp, it should make a smooth cut.

Alternatively, attempt to cut through an onion with skin. A sharp knife should bite through the onion’s skin without sliding.

How to Hone a Knife Using a Honing Steel

Below is a step-by-step process for using a steel honing rod to hone your knife.

1. Hold the honing steel with your non-dominant hand. Plant the tip of the honing rod firmly on your kitchen counter and hold the honing rod vertically, at a 90-degree angle.
2. Hold the knife with your dominant hand. Position the heel of the blade near the handle of the honing rod at a 15-degree angle to the steel. The tip of the knife should be pointing upwards.
3. Make feather-light sweeping motions with the knife against the steel rod. The strokes should be such that you pull the knife backward and downwards until the entire length of the blade has made contact with the rod. You should start each stroke with the heel of the blade near the handle of the rod and finish with the tip of the blade near the bottom of the rod. Repeat for 10 strokes.
4. Follow step 3 with the blade positioned on the inner side of the honing steel rod.
5. Test the knife’s edge for alignment by smoothly passing your fingertips over the edge.

How to Sharpen a Knife

There are several ways you can sharpen your knife. See this article on the various types of knife sharpeners and our top picks. Also, see this article on “How to Sharpen a Knife Without a Sharpener”.

Tips for Keeping Your Knife Sharp and Preserving Its Edge

Below are tips for keeping your knife sharp and retaining its edge:

• Hone it regularly
• Use the knife only for its intended purposes. For instance, do not use a ceramic knife to cut bones or a bread knife to cut meat.
• Use the right surface when cutting. Use a plastic, polyethylene, or wooden cutting board. Do not cut on concrete or metallic surfaces.
• Avoid scraping your cutting board with the knife.
• Hand-clean your knives and do not use a dishwasher even if the manufacturer says that the knife is dishwasher safe.
• Keep your knives dry to prevent rusting.
• Store your knives appropriately. Do not leave your knives in a jumbled drawer with other utensils. Store your knife in a dedicated knife block, drawer organizer, or on a magnetic strip.

Conclusion

Both knife sharpening and honing are crucial procedures for keeping your kitchen knife operating at optimal efficiency. Hone regularly (if possible after every use) and sharpen when needed to avoid a dull knife. b