When chefs sharpen a knife before cutting into veggies and meat, shouldn’t we be concerned of eating microscopic metal shaving residue from the sharpening process?

Question

I always watch cooking shows where the chefs sharpen the knives and then immediately go to cutting the vegetables or meat without first rinsing/washing the knife. Wouldn’t microscopic metal shavings be everywhere and get on the food and eventually be eaten?

In: 5225

Answer 1

What you’re seeing probably isn’t sharpening. When they slide the blade of the knife up and down or back and forth over the metal rod, it’s actually honing. Typical use causes the very edge of a knife to roll over a bit. Honing straightens out the microscopic edge of the knife to both provide a better cutting edge and reduce dulling (so you don’t need to sharpen as often). Sharpening does remove tiny amounts of metal from the blade but typically wouldn’t be done just before using a knife (more like a regular or semi regular maintenance) and it’s also usual to at least wipe off the blade afterwards if not rinse/wash it afterwards.