How to Use a Culinary Sharpening Stone

Keeping your knife sharpened is essential to high quality preparation.

Whether you are a professional chef or a fabulous cook, taking care of your knives is a vital part of successful prep, and is critical to the utensils' care. There are three types of sharpening stones, and the most standard size is eight by two inches. Carborundum have a fine and medium side. Arkansas stones come in many grades of fineness. The diamond-impregnated variety are chosen for their quality but are the most expensive. Choose the one that works best for you and continue with the most successful practice. Does this Spark an idea?

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Instructions

- 1
  
  Choose a lubricant to moisten the stone, such as mineral oil or water if you feel that works best, or use it as is. The option is up to you. Using a lubricant helps to reduce friction, which may harm the blade, and helps to float away metal and abrasive dust that remains after sharpening. This can clog up the stone making it less useful. If you choose to go with oil, continue that practice for future use because you cannot get the oil out.
- 2
  
  Decide which type of stone you should use by what knife you are sharpening. If the stone is too coarse you might not get the edge you want. If it's too fine, you won't be able to have much control over how much gets sharpened. Stones with a fine surface (grit) work best for tools where an extremely sharp edge is needed. Boning knives, for example, are used to bone meat, poultry and fish so the sharper they are the faster and more accurate you can accomplish the task.
- 3
  
  Hold the stone down so it doesn't move and, starting with the coarsest surface, pass the edge of the knife over the area at a 20-degree angle. Don't try to cut into the stone. Drag it from tip to heel or heel to tip. This is also a personal preference but both will work fine. Pass the knife down the stone to the end with the finer surface. Keep the pressure even throughout.
- 4
  
  Keep the amount of strokes even on both sides. Wash the knife after sharpening before you use it or store it away.

Tips & Warnings

Use a damp cloth or rubber mat to keep the stone in place when using carborundum and diamond shaped stones.

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Photo Credit Creatas/Creatas/Getty Images

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