The knife should continuously cut through the paper without stopping if it is sharp and in good shape.
These settings are the same on electrical sharpeners, though an electric sharpener may have an additional slot between “coarse” and “fine. ”
This action resets the blade, restoring it to its original sharpness. Use enough force when you pull the blade through that you hear an audible grinding sound. If you’re using an electric sharpener, you won’t need to press down—the whirring mechanisms will take care of everything for you.
If you’re pressing down, you’ll be able to tell by the sound and feel that you’re moving the blade the right way. If you no longer hear the grinding noise or feel the resistance of the blade, you probably aren’t following the contour closely enough.
If your sharpener has more than one setting, pass the knife through each in-between setting 1 to 2 times, making sure that you end at the “fine” setting. These additional settings are just gradations of grinding and help fine-tune your knife even more.
Avoid running your knives through the dishwasher. They can get banged up or damaged by other items.
Avoid running your knives through the dishwasher. They can get banged up or damaged by other items.
If you do a daily or semi-weekly pass through the manual sharpener, chances are you won’t need to do much more to keep your knives sharp.
Make sure to do your research before ordering your electric sharpener. Some brands are meant for specific kinds of knives, and some include extra features, like a lifetime warranty.
There’s something to be said for the feeling of manually sharpening your own knife, too. Lots of cooks enjoy the physicality of taking care of their knives and you do get more control over your movements with a manual sharpener than you would with an electric sharpener.
The cold-water soak keeps your knife from overheating as it’s being sharpened. If a knife gets too hot, it’s chemistry can change and the blade can become brittle and warped. Do double-check the instructions before wetting your whetstone. While the majority of them do need to be soaked beforehand, there are a few brands and types of stones that aren’t meant to get wet.
Don’t use a honing rod in lieu of sharpening your knives with an alternative method from time to time. It can bend the edge over time, making it hazardous to use.
Check out your warranty! Some knife brands offer free sharpening for life, so that might be something you could take advantage of, too.
