If you spend any time in a professional kitchen, you'll see one tool come out far more often than a whetstone: the sharpening steel. It's that long, rod-shaped tool chefs use to "steel" their knives before prep. You've probably seen it in movies—quick, rhythmic strokes before the cook dives into slicing onions like a magician.
But what exactly are they doing? Are they sharpening the knife? Why do they do it so often? And how should you do it at home without nicking your fingers or wrecking your edge?
In this guide, we'll walk through how to steel a knife properly—the difference between honing and sharpening, the right technique, and why it's one of the easiest ways to extend the life of your blades.
See also: Victorinox Fibrox 8" Chef's Knife Review and our Knife Care Guide.
Steeling a knife is not sharpening it. When you sharpen a knife, you remove metal from the edge to create a new bevel. When you hone or steel it, you're simply realigning the existing edge that's bent or rolled from use.
A honing steel brings that fine edge back to center, making your knife feel sharp again—without grinding away precious metal. Think of honing as alignment maintenance; sharpening is edge reconstruction.
When you need actual sharpening, check out our guide on sharpening with a tri-stone for professional results.
Regular honing is quick and prevents your knife from dulling prematurely—a small ritual with big returns.
From Purple Café: At Purple Café, we honed knives before every service. Two hundred covers nightly meant knives needed to be sharp constantly. A quick session with the honing steel—15 seconds per knife—kept our Victorinox and specialty blades performing perfectly throughout rush. It became muscle memory: clock in, grab your knives, steel them, then start prep.
The essential tool here is a dependable honing steel. The Henckels 10-Inch Sharpening Steel is a classic: balanced, grippy, and durable, with just enough abrasion to realign an edge without stripping metal. It's the same kind I've used for decades in professional kitchens.
Your knife should already be sharp. The Victorinox Fibrox 8-Inch Chef's Knife is perfect for home cooks, while the Victorinox Fibrox 10-Inch Chef's Knife offers extra reach and heft for larger jobs. Both respond beautifully to a steel.
Keep movements deliberate and consistent—speed isn't the goal; precision is.
| Action | Tool | Purpose | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honing | Honing steel | Realigns edge | Every few uses |
| Sharpening | Whetstone or sharpener | Removes metal to form new edge | Every 3–6 months |
We earn commission at no extra cost to you.
See also: Best Kitchen Knives for Everyday Cooking and our complete Kitchen Starter Kit for chef-approved essentials.
Learning how to steel a knife is a simple but transformative skill. Once you master it, every prep task feels smoother, cleaner, and more professional. Your knives will last longer, perform better, and turn kitchen work into a true craft.
Grab your Henckels Honing Steel, pick up your favorite Victorinox Fibrox Knife, and keep that edge chef-sharp—because the best cooks always respect their tools.
Honing (using a steel) realigns the edge without removing metal, while sharpening (using a stone) removes metal to create a new edge. At Purple Café, we honed knives before every service but only sharpened every 2-4 weeks. Think of honing as straightening a bent edge and sharpening as rebuilding a dull edge. Honing maintains sharpness; sharpening restores it.
Steel (hone) your knives every 2-3 uses for home cooking, or before every shift in professional kitchens. At Purple Café (2007-2012), we required every cook to hone their knives at the start of service. Regular honing extends the time between sharpenings from weeks to months. If honing no longer restores sharpness, it's time to sharpen.
Hold the knife at 15-20 degrees against the steel—roughly the angle of a matchbook. This matches the factory edge angle on most kitchen knives. Consistency matters more than precision. After 6 years honing knives daily at Purple Café, the angle becomes muscle memory. Start with the matchbook visual until it feels natural.
Traditional steel rods realign edges (true honing), while ceramic steels lightly abrade and sharpen. For daily maintenance, traditional steel is better—it's gentler and extends knife life. Ceramic steels remove metal and should be used sparingly. At Purple Café, we used traditional Henckels steel rods exclusively. Save ceramic for knives that need more than realignment but less than full sharpening.
Use 5-8 strokes per side for regular maintenance. At Purple Café, our standard was 6 strokes alternating sides (12 total). More strokes don't improve results—consistency and proper angle matter more than quantity. If 8 strokes don't restore the edge, honing won't help; the knife needs sharpening.
Honing steel realigns edges but doesn't sharpen dull knives. If steeling doesn't restore sharpness, your knife is dull and needs actual sharpening with a stone. Other causes: wrong angle (too steep or too shallow), damaged steel rod (inspect for grooves), or applying too much pressure (light pressure works better). Remember: steeling maintains sharp knives; it can't fix dull ones.
You can damage knives by using excessive pressure, wrong angle, or cheap diamond-coated steels that remove too much metal. Traditional smooth steel rods used properly won't damage knives—we honed the same knives daily for 6 years at Purple Café without issues. Use light pressure (let the steel do the work), maintain consistent angle, and choose quality traditional steel over aggressive diamond or ceramic options.
Yes—Japanese knives need a shallower angle (10-15 degrees) compared to German knives (15-20 degrees), and lighter pressure because Japanese steel is harder and more brittle. At Purple Café, we had both: Wüsthof German knives and Shun Japanese knives. Japanese knives also need honing less frequently because harder steel holds edges longer but chips more easily with rough treatment.
Steel knives before use, not after. At Purple Café, we required all cooks to hone at the start of their shift, not the end. Honing before use ensures optimal sharpness when you need it. Honing after use when the knife is already dirty is less effective and can transfer food particles to the steel, reducing its effectiveness.
The paper test: hold paper vertically and slice—a well-honed knife cuts cleanly without tearing. Or the tomato test: rest the blade on tomato skin and slice with no downward pressure—it should glide through. At Purple Café, we used the fingernail test: gently rest the edge on your thumbnail—if it grips instead of sliding, it's sharp. These tests confirm proper edge alignment after honing.
My daily workhorse tools from 24 years in professional kitchens
No spam, unsubscribe anytime
Professional Chef • 24 Years Professional Kitchen Experience
Professional chef with 24 years of restaurant experience including Pizzaiolo at Purple Café, Kitchen Manager at Mellow Mushroom, and line positions at Feierabend, Il Pizzaiolo, and Paragary's. A.A.S. Culinary Arts from Seattle Central College, B.S. Business Administration from University of Montana. Every product tested through real professional kitchen use or extensive long-term home testing.
Read more about my testing methodology →