How To Sharpen Knives

A blunt knife, which is not good to cut anything, can be one of the most annoying things that one can encounter while cooking. A sharp knife, on the other hand can be sheer pleasure to work with. It is not always possible to buy a new knife as soon as the old one loses it sheen. Hence, it is very helpful to have a sharp knife handy while working in the kitchen. If you don have a clue how to sharpen your kitchen knives, then this article will surely be handy.

Knife Sharpening Tips & Tricks

Using Sharpening Steel

Things Required

Kitchen Knife (to be sharpened)
Sharpening steel

Method

Hold the sharpening steel with one hand. Sharpening steel is a rod made of metal, which is used to sharpen knives.
Hold the knife that you need to sharpen, with the other hand.
Now, hold the knife in such a way that the knife handle touches the bottom of the steel handle. Place it under the steel handle.
Hold the steel rod steady, while holding the knife at a 10 to 25 degree angle to the steel. Now draw the knife down the steel handle.
Repeat this process several times and the cutting surface of the knife will become sharper eventually.

Using Sharpening Whetstone

Things Required

Kitchen Knife (to be sharpened)
Whetstone
Machine Oil
Dry Cloth

Method

Find a stable surface and place the whetstone on it.
To begin the process of sharpening the knife, first grease the surface of the whetstone with few drops of machine oil.
Hold the knife by its blade firmly, and position the blade at a 30 degree angle towards the stone.
The next step is to push the full length of the blade gently away from you. Make sure that you still hold the knife firmly. The blade should be pushed away at a diagonal across the stone.
At the end of the stroke, you need to gently lift the knife blade and then, turn the knife over.
Repeat the process of stroking the blade away from yourself across the whetstone, for 15- 20 times, until the knife is sharpened up to the desired level.
By alternating strokes, the tiny burrs formed during the sharpening process would be removed easily, from the knife.
At the end of the process, you need to remove debris (particulates of stone dust) from the knife blade, using a soft dry cloth.

Using a Commercial Knife Sharpener

Things Required

Kitchen Knife (to be sharpened)
Commercial Knife Sharpener

Method

Before you use a commercial knife sharpener, make sure you read the accompanied booklet thoroughly, so that you don't damage the equipment.
This process is quite simple. It involves drawing the knife through the knife sharpener towards you, until the time the knife is sharpened. However, keep in mind that sharpening knives using this process is not recommended for fine knives.

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