There is nothing more frustrating than a dull knife in the kitchen. Not only does this make prep work a chore and your finished product less attractive, but it’s also downright dangerous. A dull blade requires more pressure to cut a food, and can easily slip off the skin of a tough onion and between your fingers. Ouch.
How to sharpen and sharpen a knife
Most home cooks should sharpen their knives at least twice a year, and more frequently if they use their knives daily. There are three ways to go about it.
Method 1: Use an electric sharpener.
Quality electric sharpeners are an option, but I strongly discourage their use. First, they remove a lot of material from your ends. Sharpen your knife a dozen times, and you’ve lost a good half-centimeter of width, throwing it off balance and rendering any blade with a bolster (i.e. most high-end forged blades) useless. Second, even the best models provide only an adequate edge. If you don’t mind replacing your knives every few years and are happy with the edge they give you, they’ll do the trick. But I liked it a lot…
Method 2: Send it to a professional.
This is a good option, if you have a good knife sharpener and are willing to pay to have the services performed. If you plan on sharpening your blades a dozen or more times a year, like I do, it can get pretty expensive. All but the best professionals use a grinding stone which, again, will take more material from your blade than necessary, shortening its life. Want to build a stronger relationship with your blade? Then you’ll want to…
Method 3: Use a sharpening stone.
This is the best method so far. Not only will it give you the best edge, it also removes the least amount of material. With a gentle enough flick, you should be able to remove the hair from your hand when the knife is finished. Additionally—and I’m not kidding about the importance of this—the act of sharpening your knife will help you form a stronger bond with your blade, and a knife that is treated with respect will behave better for its owner. The only problem? It takes a little know-how.
That’s where we come in. Get yourself some whetstones (also commonly referred to as waterstones), follow the instructions, and practice. You won’t believe the difference a sharp knife can make in your cooking.
Purchase and maintenance
When purchasing a waterstone, look for a large one, at least two and a half inches wide by eight inches long and one inch thick. Stones come in a variety of grit sizes from about 100 to 10,000+. The lower the number, the thicker the stain, and the more material it will strip from your knife.
Remember: the higher the grit, the sharper the edge you’ll get, but the more strokes it will take to get you there. Read more: How to cut green onions
I recommend having two stones in your kit. With a medium grit (about 800 or higher) to perform major sharpening tasks and with a fine grit (at least 2,000) to secure the edge to a razor-sharp finish. For true professionals, a stone with an ultra-fine grit (8,000 and up) will leave a mirror-like finish on your blade, but most cooks won’t notice the difference in cutting ability.
