Knives Are Tools For Cutting Food

My knives are tools designed to cut food extremely well and retain a sharp edge for exceptional periods of use. My knives are made with harder steels and much thinner geometry than a factory knife. Using them for tasks other than cutting, such as twisting food apart, using them as a prybar, crushing things with the flat of the blade, and cutting frozen foods, bone or shell may damage or break the blade potentially beyond repair.

Edge Maintenance & Sharpening

Using a sharp blade is much safer than using a dull blade and is much better for your knife. Cutting on stone, glass, or engineered stone will dull your knife very quickly. I recommend a natural cutting surface. Endgrain cutting boards are arguably the best available, but I also really like maple boards and any natural wood is better than synthetic or stone. Always protect the edge while your knife is in storage. I really like magnetic boards, but blocks and blade slips work great as well. I also offer custom leather blade slips for purchase with your knife.

Never put your knife in the dishwasher. The heat combined with prolonged water exposure can crack the handle, while detergents often contain abrasives that will immediately dull the edge.

Knives should be honed often. Honing re-directs any rolled edge back to true and helps maintain the cutting edge for much longer than it would otherwise last. I recommend a fine ceramic honing rod. Steel rods are ineffective at best, and diamond rods may damage the edge. My blades should be honed at 8 degrees per side to match the sharpening angle. In commercial kitchens your knife should be honed every 2-3 hours. At home, honing before meal prep is ideal.

Even the longest lasting edge needs to be sharpened. Sharpening grinds away the old edge and replaces it with fresh steel in the correct geometry. I recommend hiring a good professional sharpener, ideally one that uses waterstones. In Seattle I recommend the Epicurean Edge (also available by mail) and Sea Rose Knifeworks. If you’d like to return your knife to me for sharpening by mail, please email me at sam@reedhammerandneedle.com for details. If you’re sharpening at home, I recommend Ohishi waterstones. Sharpen at 8 degrees per side. Don’t use sharpeners with pre-set angles as they are almost all set at an incorrect angle for my knives.

Caring for Carbon Steel

High-carbon steel will oxidize and patina with use and requires different care from stainless knives. Always wash your knife by hand - never put your knife in the dishwasher. Washing your knife in the dishwasher will destroy it. After handwashing, dry it with a cloth rather than letting it air dry. Air drying will result in rust. If your blade does rust, use ultrafine steel wool (type 0000) to remove rust while preserving the patina. Lightly coating the blade and handle with butcher block oil or camellia oil after washing can help slow oxidation. Coat the handle with mineral oil, camellia oil or Axe Wax every three months to best preserve the material.

Please note commercial kitchen sanitizer will rust carbon steel blades very quickly. Don’t let your blade sit with sanitizer on it’s surface for any longer than necessary.

Caring for Stainless Steel

Always wash your knife by hand as washing your knife in the dishwasher will destroy it. Practice regular edge maintenance as outlined above. Coat the handle with mineral oil, camellia oil or Axe Wax every three months to best preserve the material.

Caring for Leather Goods

Apply occasional coats of a leather conditioner - particularly after exposure to moisture. I recommend a conditioner based on natural oils like shea butter, almond oil, or beeswax. Neatsfoot oil works well but tends to darken the leather quicker than some other conditioners. Other than that, sit back and watch the leather get better as it breaks in!