Knives: Honing vs. Sharpening

One of the best cutlery tips we hear time and time again, keep your knives sharp to be in the best working conditioning. To do so, knives need to be honed and sharpened. So what's the difference between the two procedures? We turned to Victorinox Swiss Army for their expert advice in answering that question. Victorinix, a Swiss company creating cutlery since 1884, began selling cutlery in America in 1937 through the Connecticut distributor R. H. Forschner & Co. Known for their butcher scales, Forschner became the exclusive U.S. distributor for Victorinox knives and the name by which the knives were known. In 2011, Victorinox marketed all its product lines under one umbrella- Victorinix Swiss Army.

Honing is to straighten the edge of knives that already have a sharp edge

A knife's edge will become rolled or turned, mainly from its direct contact with cutting boards, bones or other hard items during usage. Honing will straighten its edge.

Sharpening is to actually remove steel from a knife's edge, thus applying a new, sharp edge. 

This procedure is needed after significant use. The steel particles are damage and honing will not bring that edge back.

From The Sharpest Sales Training Manual, The Insider's Guide to Victorinox Cutlery, Victorinox states, " When honing no longer results in a sharp edge, it may be time to sharpen your knives." The professional chef knows that a sharpened knife will not only perform better, but it will last longer. A well sharpened knife will slip less often. Victorinox offers a line of steel knife sharpeners, portable knife sharpeners and sharpening stone mineral oil. Replacement sharpening stones for Victorinox sharpening systems are also available.

In their manual, Victorinox recommends item number 49002 SwissSharp, a hand held sharpener. This knife sharpener is an economical way to keep your blades sharp. Perfect for busy kitchens and new cooks, as this carbide knife sharpener has a finger guard and it's ergonomically designed so it requires less pressure to sharpen. The Victorinox / Forschner 49002 is tough on dull knives, not your cooks!

Update: The 49002 has a a new part number and is now known at 7.8715.