One aspect of caring for your knives is maintaining the edge and, when needed, sharpening the blade. But it’s also important to be aware of how you’re using your knives on a daily basis.
Cutting Surface
The cutting surface you are using will directly affect the blades edge. A good cutting board will help retain a sharp edge for substantially longer. Wood, wood composite and polyethylene boards are all excellent choices. Tile, ceramic, marble, granite, or any kind of glass cutting boards are poor choices and will dull your blade very quickly.
Cutting Technique
Shun knives are designed to be used in a smooth, slicing motion - never in an up and down “chopping”, piercing or stabbing motion. Imagine cutting wood with a handsaw, then slice through your food with a similar motion, intentionally pushing the knife forward and down as you slice, then pulling it back toward your body.
Always pay attention to where your fingers are in relation to the knife. Your skill and experience level should determine the speed at which you cut. When first slicing with a Shun, it’s best to slow down and enjoy the effortless precision and cutting ability of your new knife.
Use your knife in a smooth, slicing motion and don't chop up and down (unless you are using a Kai knife specifically designed for this action e.g. Seki Magoroku Shoso Deba, heel only)
Please do not use Shun knives on hard materials such as bones, joints, frozen foods or very hard vegetables like pumpkin. Use on these or similar items can damage the cutting edge or cause the blade to fracture and break.
Care must be taken, as with all knives, not to subject the blade edge to sideways forces or twisting as this can result in chipping or cracking.