Old timer at the shop said something that stuck with me

Guy who's been breaking down sides for 40 years told me "the best knife is the one you sharpened yesterday." Made me realize I've been rushing my edge setup before the rush and it shows in my trim work by the end of the shift. Anyone else notice their cuts get sloppy when they skip a proper hone?

2 comments

2 Comments

rivera.susan1d ago

My shop starts at 5am and I spent ten years breaking down whole loins before I ever heard that saying. @wade_young86 I get what you're saying about the Japanese butchers, but I think there's a difference between a daily ritual and actually needing to sharpen before every shift. I keep a 1000 grit stone on my bench and I touch up during breaks, not before I start. That way the edge is fresh right when I need it most, not dulled from sitting for an hour before first cut. The old timer's wisdom is good for mindset but in a real kitchen timing matters just as much as habit.

wade_young861d ago

Read somewhere that Japanese butchers treat their knives like an extension of their hand and sharpen every single day even if they don't cut anything big. That old timer's basically saying the same thing just in a way that sticks. If you treat your edge like something you gotta maintain constantly instead of just fixing when its dull the work stays clean no matter how many hours in.