You’re no doubt familiar with the rhythmic, metallic beat of a chef striking a knife across a honing rod before service. But, aside from offering up a romantic vignette into what it’s like to work in a kitchen, what does a honing rod actually do? Before we can know what a honing rod is, we must first understand what it is not – it’s not sharpening, it’s honing. Contrary to popular belief, honing rods don’t sharpen knives at all.
What is a honing rod?
Picture the cross section of a knife like an isosceles triangle (its tip being the cutting edge). Sharpening is the act of eroding metal from each side of the triangle to ensure the tip is as pointed, and therefore sharp, as possible. This is achieved by drawing it against a coarse, gritty texture like that of a whetstone.
Over time and with regular use, a knife dulls because the tip of this triangle warps due to recurrent contact with food and chopping boards, forcing the cutting edge out of alignment. On a microscopic level, the blade will resemble an uneven ridge of toothlike grooves and, although the blade will still be able to cut, its consistent structure is weakened, leaving it duller than it could be. Honing removes these minute inconsistencies by realigning the cutting edge, making the blade razor sharp again without removing any of its metal. It bypasses the need to constantly sharpen and therefore wear down your blade by manipulating its edge rather than stripping it. It is worth stressing that this article’s message is not at all that honing is better than sharpening, but that it accompanies sharpening beautifully. Imagine sharpening a knife like painting a portrait: the broader brush strokes that illustrate the subject’s features and skin tone are the whetstone sharpening, and honing lies in the finer details like the streaks of light across the eyes. Both are essential and share a complimentary relationship.
How to use a honing rod
Firstly, find the angle that your knife has been set to; most Japanese knives are sharpened to between 10º-15º on each side, whereas western blades are usually set to 20º. Place your blade against the rod at your chosen angle and draw it across on each side equally, starting at the heel and finishing at the tip. You’ll know when you’ve finished honing your knife when you feel an even modicum of resistance on each side.
The two methods of using a honing rod are emblematic of the long standing quarrel between style and substance – for beginners, at least. The fashionable technique used to introduce this article is known as ‘freehand’. Evocative of a Michelin star level of expertise, it both sounds and looks sexy. However, unless you really know what you’re doing, it’s incredibly easy to get your angle wrong. Plus, its speed risks chipping your knife on the rod when switching sides, and its inaccuracy opens you up to a whole host of potential risks that could quite quickly shatter the debonair culinary image you’re wanting to portray to your dinner guests. This doesn’t mean the freehand method isn’t in your future, however.
We recommend a more humble, safe, and static approach to knife honing. Hold your rod vertically by its handle and press its tip down onto your work surface. Set your angle and draw your blade across, as if you’re attempting to slice a thin strip off the honing rod itself.
How often should you use a honing rod?
This really depends on how often you use your knives. Professional chefs, for example, swear by honing their blades before every service, where they’ll be using their knives constantly for hours on end. For a home cook who won’t use their blades nearly as frequently – let’s say a maximum of three relatively short bursts in a day – we’d suggest once or twice per week as a rule of thumb. You can of course dull a knife with a honing rod if you press too hard, or if you get the wrong angle, which can be avoided by approaching the task with care and patience.
To conclude
Honing shouldn’t be used in place of sharpening, but as a beneficial accompaniment that will increase the longevity of your knife. Our Honing Rod is made from carbon steel and our iconic walnut wood handle. Its brass cap is forged to the exact same 12 degree angle as our knife blades. This means that - by lying the knife flat to the cap - you can effortlessly hone your knife to precisely the right angle.