Hey guys, salut this is Alex.
In this episode of the chef knife makeover series,
this is the fourth and final one, sadly,
uh... I'm gonna show you how to sharpen
your custom chef knife.
That being said, you can also learn to sharpen your chef knife,
even if it's not custom
I'm just saying
This is my chef knife makeover
How to customise the chef knife,
new design, new shape, new handle, new edge,
and of course, new style.
To catch a specific result hit the link.
Viewer discretion is advised.
In this series we're using dangerously sharp and stupidly... powerful... tools.
So would you ever want to use your fingers or your eyes in the future
Wear protections!
Working with a dull knife doesn't seem dangerous
but it is 'cause you will definitely put much pressure on it
then it will slip and go right into the opposite hand.
#$@&%*! Bad!
Six stitches... bad.
Trust me when I say something.
So my custom chef knife—which is beautiful by the way
We made this lovely, tattooed blade in the previous episode.
It's not dull
But, you know... it can be sharpened a bit more.
The first method to sharpen a chef knife is to use
a honing steel
It's fast but truth be told, it doesn't actually sharpen your blade.
It's more like "correcting" in fact.
So it's good to improve the edge, but not if you have a dull knife.
A sharpening stone usually has two sides
A rough one—quickly smooth it down. And a finer one to properly finish it.
In order to use it I'm soaking that stone in water first
For a few minutes or until no bubbles come out of it.
Then I'm securing it on the table with kitchen paper.
To sharpen the chef knife just imagine you have to
cut slices out of that stone at a 15 degrees angle.
15 degrees angle? What?!
I know it's not super easy to get the angle right
So here's how I cheat on this every time:
If you lay the blade flat, this is zero degrees.
If you hold it vertically, this is 90 degrees.
Between those is 45 degrees.
Between those, 22.5 degrees
and between those about 11 degree-ish, so just a touch more than that will be 15 degrees.
Ah, don't worry. It works perfectly.
Each side gets 3 passes, then 2 passes...
then one... done.
Studio update about cookbooks.
I have a few Japanese cookbooks
But the one I use the most is not the most common
Let me give you a quick look.
And this is the most useful Japanese cookbook ever.
It's called "OISHINBO" and it's a manga story.
I've got six of them and every one is about a specific theme
Like... this one is about rice, vegetables, sake. This one is about fish, sushi and sashimi.
This one is about izakaya—which is the local Japanese pub. And this one is about ramen and gyoza.
Ramen being the Japanese soup and gyoza, being some Japanese dumpling.
So the reason why I like those books so much is that it's about learning of course but in a funny way...
...in a very casual way.
You know grabbing every bits, learning every tricks, eh like remembering every recipe.
It's great to learn.
Aaand of the..(x__x ) I should work on my abs...
And of the studio update.
A whetstone is great, however...
it's hard to be consistent and to keep the angle...
And to keep the stone flat as well so...
...that is why I am using an electric file instead.
I've got powerful problems.
First off, switch any rough sanding belt for a finer one.
This one is a smooth 320 grit.
Then I'm running it on the slowest speed.
Again, just imagine you're cutting out slices of that belt at a 15 degrees angle.
Each side gets, 3, 2... 1 passes.
Done!
Although I would not do this on an expensive blade...
I find that this works perfectly for me.
And my chef knife is definitely way sharper now.
As much as I like cutting paper, you know...
Let's cook a few veggies and cut them into slices.
The chef knife is now complete with a new edge, a new style, a new handle, and of course a new shape.
You know it's not only about showing off.
Indeed it's a bit about showing off, but mostly it's about bond between a random tool and a person.
And now it's not a random tool anymore. It's my little buddy.
And he's ready to go with me in all my adventures.
And now people this is your turn. I want to see your creations. Your work. Your tattoo.
Your, your sharpening style. Your, your new handles. Just post them online.
On Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, whatever. Just tag me in "French Guy Cooking" most of the time.
And also add the hashtag #spreaditlikebutter
I will showcase the best one.
So I really hope you enjoy the whole series and this project as much as I did I mean.
And if you did give it a "like" thumbs up and share that to various social media using the hashtag...
#spreaditlikebutter
This is my favorite hashtag ever.
Guys subscribe to the channel of course 'cause I make new videos on Sunday.
And it's mostly about getting the posh out of cooking in general.
But also, eh, making obsessive series about things in the kitchen like for example:
Pizza, or bread, or tartines (open-face sandwiches).
If you want to see something completely different than this knife adventures then you can check out
This video where I made four twists out of brioche bread dough.
Take care guys. It's been a pleasure. Bye bye. Salut.