5 Tips for Sharpening Kitchen Knives

Knives are an important part of every kitchen. They come in handy from chopping vegetables, slicing fish and dicing meat.

Most people take them from granted, at least I did until they became dull. Then I realized how important they are.

A sharp knife is a joy to use, the delight of every chef.

On the contrary, a dull knife is a cutting nightmare – an accident waiting to happen. Yeah, you read that right, an accident waiting to happen.

Not all knives are created equally. There is no one-size-fits-all scenario. Using the right knife for the right job decreases how often you sharpen them.

To avoid this frustration which I once had, I’ll be sharing with you 5 ways to help you in sharpening your kitchen knives.

Contrary to popular belief, sharp knives are safer than dull ones.

Using a dull knife requires you to put in much more effort, applying much more pressure and when cutting at odd angles you risk losing your grip. The knife could fall from your hand, hitting you or someone else.

And all that because you wouldn’t bother spending a few minutes sharpening.

Did you know that sharp knives can even help your food taste better, I bet you didn’t? So here’s how it happens, sharp blades cut (not tear like dull ones) through the food evenly and gently, retaining all their juices.

Food cooks evenly, getting ready at the same rate when being cut to the same size. So your food not only looks good but also tastes good.

Another bonus when using a sharp knife is when cutting onions – fewer tears.

Advice for Sharpening Kitchen Knives

How To Tell Your Knife Needs Sharpening

First, though, you have to be able to tell when your knife needs sharpening.

There’s one way, it’s called the paper test. Basically, you cut through your normal paper, say your normal printer paper, with the knife, if it cuts easily, your knife is sharp enough.

If it doesn’t cut it or even tears it apart, it should have been sharpened ages ago.

There are many ways to go about this, we’ll see them below.

1. Sharpening Rod Method

Sometimes they are included with knife packs. it’s a 20-inch long metal rod (sometimes tapered) with a handle. It works as a file; therefore it can be used to hone your knife.

Now, don’t use this when … Read the rest

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