Honing Steels

Regardless of the quality of your blade, every knife needs the occasional sharpening to function properly. However, taking your knife to get professionally sharpened on a regular basis can certainly get costly. Luckily, you can get a high quality honing steel to instantly hone your stainless steel knives for prolonged use. Below, we’ll dive into four of the best knives currently on the market. With a variety of sizes, styles, and steel lengths, you’re sure to find the perfect steel for your kitchen.

One of the most popular gifts for new homeowners and for first-purchases of new apartments and condos is the kitchen knife set. It comes complete with a chef's knife, serrated bread knife, steak knives, and maybe a pair of good scissors. But what about that steel rod that comes with the block? That's the honing steel, a crucial component in any quality knife set that is usually the one kitchen tool a lot of home chefs have no idea how to use. But a quality kitchen knife is only as good as the sharpness of its steel. The purpose of the honing steel, while not to actually sharpen the blade, is to retain each knife's edge without stripping away much metal (which standalone sharpeners are designed to do). In case your knife set didn't come with one, or you're looking for a quality replacement, here are a few great honing steel options to consider. Read on to discover our top picks!