[Marcella]

“I use diamond faced sharpening plates. I never use a steel.”

I haven’t thought about sharpening knives. I have a set of kitchen knives in a block of wood and there is a sharpening rod of metal of some kind in the block. My husband used that for sharpening kitchen knives so I guess it works to some degree. I’ve never used it.

[JRandomFreeper]

I never use a steel, except for crushing things like cloves and peppercorns. 3 or 4 swipes across a fine diamond stone is all it takes for a well-maintained knife to stay sharp for a couple of hours of heavy use.

In culinary school, 3 full months were devoted specifically to knife skills. Daily grade included sharpening knives. Chef instructor could hear, across the room, if someone was screwing up. ;)

/johnny