Honing steel

Okay kiddo, so you know how we use knives to cut stuff, right? But did you know that after we use our knives, they can get a little bit dull? That means they won't cut things as well as they used to.

That's where honing steel comes in! It's a long, skinny stick, usually made of metal, that we use to help sharpen our knives. We call it "honing" because it helps make the knife's edge straight and smooth again, which makes them cut better.

Here's how it works: we hold the honing steel in one hand and our dull knife in the other. Then, we slide the blade of the knife against the honing steel at a certain angle, usually around 20 degrees. We do this a few times on each side of the blade, and ta-da! The knife is sharper and can cut things more easily again.

Now, honing steel isn't the same thing as sharpening a knife, which is when we actually remove some of the metal from the blade to create a new edge. But using a honing steel regularly (maybe once a week or so) can help keep your knives in good shape, so they'll last longer and work better.

So there you have it, kiddo! Honing steel is like a magic wand for our knives, helping them stay sharp and cut like champions.