Barbecue, at its most basic, is an alchemy of wood, smoke and meat

Whether you’re cooking whole cuts or burgers and bangers, there are a few simple rules to barbecuing that will take the results of your labours to the next level.

Get the fuel, heat, meat, seasoning and resting right and you’re on to a winner, but what else is crucial to achieving flame-grilled perfection?

Sharp knives.

WHATS YOUR BEEF?

Cheap cuts are best suited to slow, indirect cooking or smoking, while prime cuts benefit from faster, more direct cooking. But why spend good money on quality T-Bone, Rump and Sirloin steak, take the time to season and rest it well, and then not have the perfectly sharpened knife to slice it to perfection?

THE TORMEK T-1 KITCHEN KNIFE SHARPENER IS THE FIRST REAL KNIFE SHARPENER TO DELIVER PROFESSIONAL RESULTS FOR THE BBQ BOSS AT HOME

Tormek has 50 years of expertise in tool sharpening for woodworkers and over 35 years in knife sharpening for commercial kitchens. The Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener is the first, premium kitchen knife sharpener for the home and is available in NEW CARBON BLACK.

Quick, easy, clean and quiet, it precisely sharpens blades of any length. Based on the innovative sharpening system developed for professional kitchens, the Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener effortlessly delivers a razor-sharp and durable cutting edge and the angle won’t dull after every use.

The sleek industrial design comes fully assembled with a solid oak handle, CARBON BLACK powder-coated zinc body, diamond grinding wheel and composite honing wheel.

The method consists of three steps:

SET PREFERRED BEVEL ANGLE
You can choose any angle between 8 and 22 degrees. However, 15 degrees is a good angle to start with if you are unsure. A small angle will cut more easily, while a large angle will give a stronger edge.

SHARPEN ON BOTH SIDES
The fine-grained diamond grinding wheel sharpens all types of steel including ceramic knives – to professional sharpness. The low-speed means that there’s minimal steel wear. Insert the clean, dry knife into the guide. Follow the shape of the knife and apply only a gentle pressure. A magnet in the patented guide collects the steel particles keeping the grinding wheel clean.

HONE TO AN EXPERT, RAZOR-SHARP FINISH
Simply remove the burr* and polish both sides of the knife on the honing wheel.

* After sharpening, a ‘burr’ is created which needs to be honed off to obtain a sharp and durable edge.

Unlike some alternatives, the Tormek T-1 sharpens the entire bevel of the knife, not just the outer edge, and because the bevels can be sharpened separately, there’s the option to set different edge angles on each side of the blade, or sharpen just one side, which is particularly useful for more advanced knives.

Built to last, with an 8-year warranty, made in Sweden.

Buy it for a flame-tastic friend or treat yourself.

The Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener in NEW CARBON BLACK (RRP £330), is available from https://shop.tormek.com/en-gb