Do You Need a Honing Rod?

We’ve all watched our holiday host put on a show before carving the roast, slashing a knife in the air against a honing rod. It looks impressive, but does it really sharpen the knife?

To find out, I bought nine honing rods. All had the same design: a sticklike rod with a handle on one end. The rods ranged from 8 to 12 inches long and were made of steel, ceramic, or diamond-coated steel. The surfaces of the rods varied, too, ranging from smooth to ridged to a combination of textures. To test them, I bought nine copies of our favorite chef’s knife and headed to the kitchen.