I've realised that I've not been posting recipes, like I thought I would be and I feel a bit bad about this. So some recipes will be forthcoming this week.
However to cook you need to be able to chop and to chop you need a sharp knife. I've spent a few years working out how to use a steel and I think I've got it now. The trick is that all the guides tell you how to keep an edge, but if you neglect your knives badly enough then you need to know how to get an edge in the first place.
To keep an edge hold the steel in one hand and then draw the blade of the knife from the point to the hilt quickly back along the steel. You need to do this on alternate sides, left then right then left, otherwise you build a false edge.
If you've neglected your blades, then you need to ensure that the steel is firmly held and essentially do the same thing. I usually put the tip of the steel on the top of a block, but you could use a countertop, it need to not skate about, then you slowly draw the blade back left and right in a similar manner, but you need to press harder. Placing the tip of the steel on the countertop gives you the ability to press hard enough.
UPDATE: Photos for this howto on flickr, finally.
Buy a new Kitchen knife, I like Sabatier
