How to Sharpen Kitchen Knives
One of the most annoying things to encounter when cooking is a blunt knife, and this becomes very evident when you try to slice a tomato or dice an onion. A sharp knife is a chef's best friend and therefore it's helpful if you know how to sharpen kitchen knives.
Home sharpening methods include using a sharpening steel, drawing knives across a flat sharpening stone, or using a commercial knife sharpener.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
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Using a Sharpening Steel
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1
Hold the steel - a metal rod designed for sharpening knives - in one hand.
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2
With the other hand, hold the knife by its handle.
-
3
Place the knife just under the handle of the steel, with the knife handle touching the bottom of the steel handle.
-
4
With the knife at a 10- to 25-degree angle to the steel, hold the steel rod steady and draw the knife blade down the steel.
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5
Repeat several times until the entire cutting surface of the knife has been drawn across the steel on both sides of the blade.
Using a Sharpening Stone
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1
Use a wet or dry sharpening stone.
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2
Place the stone flat on a stable surface.
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3
Holding the knife by its handle, put the blade at a 10- to 25-degree angle to the stone.
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4
Draw the knife toward you and across the stone.
-
5
Repeat process on the other side of the blade.
Using a Commercial Knife Sharpener
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1
Review instruction booklet that came with sharpener.
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2
The process usually involves drawing the knife blade through the mechanism toward you until the knife is sharpened. This method is not recommended for fine knives.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Serrated or especially fine knives should be sharpened professionally. (Look in the yellow pages under Sharpening Services.) If you have purchased fine knives, the manufacturer may sharpen them for you at a nominal cost.
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Comments
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How long ( years) can you sharpen and use a knife? What is the average life of a knife? Is there a commercial place where you can sharpen a knife?
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steels are not for sharpening, the are to remove burrs only, duh.
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jcha1985
Jan 23, 2011
Knives that are put against a steel are usually at an angle of 15 to 20 degrees.
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nealn
Mar 31, 2009
This article provides a high level overview of sharpening, but doesn't provide enough detail to enable a beginner to sharpen a knife successfully.1. First, a steel doesn't sharpen anything at all. It merely realigns the micro edge of the blade that gets bent over during use. Steeling is important, but provides no help for a dull knife. BTW, the steel itself should be as smooth as possible, ideally with no pattern at all. A ceramic "steel" also works extremely well, but use a light touch.2. There are dozens of choices in stones, both in their composition and their degree of abrasiveness in the marketplace. Most people will need three stones -- a coarse for removing nicks or blade reshaping, a medium for the bulk of the sharpening work and a fine to put a finished edge on the knife. The stones themselves can be Japanese water stones, naturally occurring materials like Washita or hard Arkan
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nealn
Mar 31, 2009
This article provides a high level overview of sharpening, but doesn't provide enough detail to enable a beginner to sharpen a knife successfully.1. First, a steel doesn't sharpen anything at all. It merely realigns the micro edge of the blade that gets bent over during use. Steeling is important, but provides no help for a dull knife. BTW, the steel itself should be as smooth as possible, ideally with no pattern at all. A ceramic "steel" also works extremely well, but use a light touch.2. There are dozens of choices in stones, both in their composition and their degree of abrasiveness in the marketplace. Most people will need three stones -- a coarse for removing nicks or blade reshaping, a medium for the bulk of the sharpening work and a fine to put a finished edge on the knife. The stones themselves can be Japanese water stones, naturally occurring materials like Washita or hard Arkan
