There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
Any tips on how to care for it, keep it in good condition, sharpen it, etc.
Thanks!
Clean it as soon as you're done with it, including drying it immediately. Even stainless steels like VG10 like to be dry.
Don't put it in the dishwasher ever. It likely won't damage the knife badly, but its very unsafe if anyone else unloads the dishwasher, or you forget its in there, or whatever. Also, handle materials generally don't like the temp swings, especially the mahogany those handles are made of. If it gets shaken around by the water, it may get dulled faster. Don't keep it in a drawer. The best option is a magnetic knife rack I like ones where metal won't scratch the blade as its all covered in wood, there's good options all over the internet, some cool stuff can be found on Etsy too. Sheathes are next in the list, if there's one designed around the knife that's usually best. Then comes knife blocks in third, and a distant 4th is a drawer or somewhere it can bump around next to other knives.
Oil the wood every once in a while, I don't have wooden handle knives so I'm not certain of how often or what kind to use, give that a google.
Don't twist while you cut, clean slices every time, forcing the blade to flex sideways can damage it.
Don't try to cut bones with it, that's what a cleaver is for.
Use a honing rod (correctly) at least every other time you use it, ideally right before every time you use it.
Sharpen when you just barely begin to think the honing rod isn't working. You remove less metal to resharpen an already sharp knife than a dull one. For sharpening, if you don't know what you're doing, get a guided sharpener for sure. A Lansky system or a knockoff edgepro is usually going to get you going well. You could of course step it up in many different directions of price on sharpening, but those are your more affordable guided sharpeners.
Most of your other knives are probably at a 20-22 degree edge angle, whereas japanese style knives like the one you got are usually 15-18 degrees. 17 is usually what you should aim for if you don't know offhand though. Any guided sharpener should let you adjust to that.
Per @b9d9ffdad3ac59e7f6f: End grain wood cutting board made from usually hard maple is best. This is followed by edge grain (much cheaper, but a bit harder on knives) followed by plastic. Avoid the bamboo ones, they're worse than plastics. Most any other material is crap to cut on, but especially Glass.
Per @Mastermung: When moving ingredients from cutting board, drag with the spine of the knife, not the edge. I've had to train that bad habit out, it's a tough one.
I think thats most of it, let me know of any other questions you've got.
And yep, moving ingredients from cutting board, drag with the spine of the knife, not the edge. I've had to train that bad habit out, it's a tough one.
Edit: Added to whats turning into a little FAQ
I cringe every time my wife drags the knife across the board... She gets all pissy when I tell her not to do that...
VG10 is too hard for a "steel". Don't use those handheld sharpeners.