Ceramic Honing Rod

Honing rod for maintaining your edge between sharpening. 

Noticing your knife start to skate over waxy skinned veg like peppers and tomatoes? 

These ceramic honing rods make bringing your edge back to life a breeze. 

To check your edge, stand underneath a bright light, or outside in the sun. With your edge up and facing your light source, check for any reflection along the edge. If your edge is worn from use, you should see a slight reflection in the areas of the edge that are used most heavily, often up towards the tip. A sharp edge will reflect no light, as the apex of the edge should be microscopic. If your edge has not been sharpened in over a year, or has been used heavily, you will need to resharpen your knife. 

If your knife has been sharpened recently, but is still reflecting light in the most used parts of your edge,  this honing rod will bring it right back, and extend the life of your edge. 

Place a folded towel on your cutting board or counter, ensuring that the area around you is clear. With the handle of the rod in your non-dominant hand, place the tip of the rod securely on the towel so it does not shift easily. Make the rod perpendicular with the counter, and with your knife in your dominant hand, place the edge at a 12-20 degree angle (depending on your knife) and pull the knife from heel to tip along the rod, using only the weight of the knife to move. Flip your knife over, or reach it around to the other side and repeat for the other side of the edge. Repeat 5-10 times, checking the reflection of the edge after a few swipes. Once the reflection is gone, your knife is honed and ready for use. If no difference, increase your angle. If no difference again, your knife needs sharpening. Do not use excessive force while honing your knife, this will abrade material more than necessary, and possibly can damage or change your edge profile. 

To find the appropriate angle for your knife, place the blade of your knife flat on your cutting board, with the edge facing your other hand. With your fingernail, try to get underneath the edge, as you raise the spine while keeping the edge on the board. Once you can see and feel that there is no gap between edge and board, that is your edge angle.