A good knife is essential for many recipes. Therefore, it is crucial to take care of your knives. Suppose you have your expensive knife block sitting on your counter; you will need to ensure that all your knives are clean and in good condition to do the cutting, cubing, and shredding for your meals. You can do more than store your knives properly to prevent dulling the blades. Here’s a quick guide to knife sharpening.
How Often Should You Sharpen Knives?
It is a general rule of thumb to sharpen your knives at least once per year. You can adjust the frequency depending on how frequently you use your knives and what you are cutting with them. Some items may make them duller faster than others. Your kitchen knives should be sharpened at least once a year.
Why Is A Sharp Knife So Important?
A sharp knife can be used to cut through food, whether using it as a paring knife or chef’s knife. You want your knife to cut through food quickly and cleanly. You will find it more challenging to use a dull knife, as it requires more force to cut through food. If you find yourself cutting through a beef tenderloin, you will need to sharpen your knife first.
Sharp knives are also more efficient. A sharp knife is perfect for exact, precise cutting, whether you are dicing vegetables for a salad or chiffonading fresh herbs for garnish. Regardless of whether your food is being roasted, sautéed, or boiled, if your food is cut the small size, it cooks evenly and at a faster rate. This results in better-looking and more delicious food.
What Is The Difference Between Sharpening & Honing?
Most likely, you’ve seen someone use a honing tool to “sharpen” their knife. Sharpening your knife is quite the opposite. The steel rod does not sharpen your knife, but it just straightens the blade’s cutting edge to make safer and smoother cuts. So yes, both are necessary. You should sharpen your knife at least once a year or every other few months, depending on how frequently you use it and how quickly you notice any dulling.
Different Types Of Knife Sharpeners
Electric Sharpeners
Many electric sharpeners use a 2- or 3-step process to create, sharpen, and hone a blade’s edge. To sharpen dull blades, the first step uses a coarse grit. The last step uses fine grit to hone sharp blades. A sharpener turns on by spinning the sharpening stones. This will sharpen blades when the knife is drawn through the slots. Almost all the electric sharpeners come with guides that make it easy to find the right angle.
The Professional
Although he may not be the exact man, a local knife sharpening expert is an excellent resource for anyone who doesn’t have a stone or steel. Although prices vary, you can be confident that your knives will arrive sharp and ready to slice or dice. You can also take advantage of a professional knife sharpening service.
You can sharpen your paring knife or chef’s knife at home. However, serrated and scalloped knives are more difficult to sharpen. These knives should be taken to a professional for sharpening.
Handheld Sharpeners
Handheld knife sharpeners are similar to electric ones, but they have fewer slots for sharpening. The advantage of handheld sharpeners is their portability. They are ideal for professionals in the kitchen who frequently travel since they are small in size and easy to operate.
The handheld sharpener’s design will dictate whether the knife can be drawn through the slots and the sharpener placed on a flat surface. Or, the sharpener can be drawn down the length while the knife is held spine-down on a countertop or table. Both handheld sharpeners can easily sharpen dull knives to the perfect shape.
Sharpening Stones
A sharpening stone, an essential tool in professional kitchens, is a proven method of honing knives. Why? When used correctly, it’s durable and reliable. Although it isn’t the most efficient way to sharpen your blade, it will give you an even cut that can be used on almost any material.
It’s not necessary to use a stone for daily maintenance. However, it is best to use it if your knife has become significantly duller. If possible, you may need to use a stone once a week or once a month, depending on how frequently you use your knife.
Serrated Knife Sharpeners
Because serrated knives are difficult to sharpen with a knife stone, most standard sharpeners (both manual and electric) will cause damage to your serrated blades. There are some knife sharpeners that can accommodate serrated knives. You should check the manufacturer’s manual or literature before buying. In their literature or manual, manufacturers will indicate whether sharpeners are compatible with serrated blades. This information is also included in the product descriptions.
