How to Use a Kitchen Knife Sharpening Tool
Good kitchen knives represent an investment. With a little practice, you can protect that investment by learning how to sharpen your knives. Nothing is more frustrating than trying to slice or dice with a dull blade, and paying for professional sharpening isn't always in the budget. That's why having a whetstone and honing steel comes in handy.
Determine whether a knife needs sharpening by using the paper test. Hold a sheet of paper on one end, and use the knife to slice ribbons from it. If the knife snags, it needs some attention.
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Instructions
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Apply a coat of vegetable oil to the top surface of a coarse oil whetstone. Let it sit for 15 minutes.
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Hold the knife you want to sharpen in your strong hand and the whetstone in your other hand. Turn the knife so it's at a 20-degree angle with the blade facing the stone. Put the heel of the blade on the stone on the edge farthest from yourself.
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Pull the knife toward yourself, making an arc motion. After the first stroke, turn the knife over and repeat this movement on the other side of the blade. Repeat 10 times per side, and test for sharpness.
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Follow the same procedure using honing steel. This time, however, draw the knife in one direction five times per side. This removes small fragments of metal left from sharpening with the whetstone.
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Tips & Warnings
Put sharpened knives away safely to protect their edges between uses.
Use honing steel to sharpen a knife before every use.
Do not sharpen knives with a whetstone more than once every three months.
References
- Cooks Illustrated: Sharpening Knives by Hand
- InMamasKitchen.com: Kitchen Knives: How to Care for Knives and How to Sharpen Knives
- Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension Service: Putting an Edge on Knives; R.L. Henrickson and George W. Newell
- Kitchen Daily: How to Sharpen a Knife; The Culinary Institute of America
- Chef Depot: Types of Kitchen Knives
- Photo Credit Brand X Pictures/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
