Care guide
How to sharpen and care for a chef knife.
A good chef knife stays sharp for months with two habits: the right daily care and a few strokes on a honing steel. Here is what to do, what to avoid, and how to sharpen it properly at home.
Daily care.
- Hand wash only, with warm water and mild soap. Never put it in the dishwasher: heat, strong detergent and knocks dull the edge and damage the handle.
- Dry it immediately with a soft cloth, especially in the monsoon and in humid cities such as Karachi. Even stainless steel can spot if it stays wet.
- Store it safely: in its gift box, on a magnetic strip or with a blade guard. Loose in a drawer, the edge gets chipped.
Use the right board, and the right knife.
Cut on a wooden or plastic board. Glass, marble, steel trays and ceramic plates blunt an edge in a few strokes. Do not use a chef knife on bones or frozen meat: that is a job for a cleaver.
Honing and sharpening are not the same.
- Honing straightens the edge, which bends a little with use. Do it every few uses with a honing steel. It removes almost no metal.
- Sharpening grinds a new edge on a whetstone. For home use, every one to three months is usually enough.
How to use a honing steel.
- Hold the steel upright, tip resting on a folded towel on the counter.
- Place the heel of the blade against the top of the steel, at about 15–20 degrees.
- Draw the blade down and towards you so the whole edge, heel to tip, touches the steel.
- Repeat on the other side. Five or six light strokes per side are enough.
How to sharpen on a whetstone.
- If it is a water stone, soak it for about 10 minutes, then set it on a damp towel so it does not slide.
- Start on the coarse side (around 1000 grit). Hold the blade at about 15–20 degrees to the stone.
- Push the edge across the stone, heel to tip, with light, even pressure. Keep the angle steady.
- When you feel a small burr along the whole opposite side of the edge, switch sides and repeat.
- Finish on the fine side (3000–6000 grit) with lighter strokes, alternating sides.
- Test by slicing a tomato or a sheet of paper, then rinse and dry the knife.
Pull-through sharpeners are quick but remove more metal and are less precise: fine for an occasional touch-up, not as your main method. Street knife grinders use fast grinding wheels, which suit cleavers but can overheat and thin a chef knife edge.
Handles and small rust spots.
- Teak wood: dry after washing and, now and then, rub in a few drops of food-safe mineral oil.
- Resin: simply wipe dry.
- Rust spot: rub gently with a paste of baking soda and water on a soft sponge, rinse and dry.
Warranty.
Our LEOPARD chef knife sets carry a 1-month warranty against manufacturing defects. Damage from use against these care instructions, such as dishwasher damage, is not covered: see returns & warranty. Choosing a knife? Read best kitchen knife in Pakistan.
See the Teak set See the Sapphire set