Equipment and tools

In class, George is showing us the various small equipment and hand tools used in the commercial kitchen. Working on the chef's station, spoons, spatulas, whisks, ladles and oil skimmers are the tools I am most familiar with this week. I have not done much knife work so far. Apparently the vegetable station is where most of the chopping is done. We have seen a demonstration of a whetstone for sharpening knives, and it surprises me to learn that a steel does not sharpen a knife, it only hones or straightens the blade after or between sharpening. I plan to do some research on electric knife sharpeners for my Wusthof knives that I will use in my home kitchen when I'm finished with them in school. I have an electric sharpener now, but am afraid it is not the quality stone I need.