![]() Most models have slots fitted with motorized abrasive wheels or discs that sharpen and refine both sides of a blade as you move the knife through the machine. Shop: Amazon, Bed Bath & Beyond, Target, Walmart, and Wayfair "If your knife is truly dull, you'll never get it sharp with a single-stage sharpener," says John Carmona, sharpening expert and founder of Sharpening, an online retailer. And they're not very effective for serrated knives.Īvoid: Inexpensive, single-stage sharpeners, which essentially just hone the knife. Grooves or channels guide the knife, so you don't have to worry about maintaining a particular sharpening angle.Ĭons: Manual sharpeners may not sharpen as well as electric models or whetstones. Pros: They're the least expensive option and are usually quick to use, lightweight, and compact to store. Who it's for: Occasional cooks who want fast and easy sharpening, or anyone looking to maintain medium-priced knives between professional sharpening sessions, says Bob Kramer, master bladesmith and founder of Kramer Knives in Bellingham, Wash. The first groove sharpens the knife, either with a pair of abrasive wheels or an abrasive-lined v-shaped channel additional stages use progressively finer abrasives to refine and/or hone the blade. You hold the sharpener steady on a counter while you pull your knife through each stage several times. Pull-through sharpeners have a D-shaped handle on one side and one to three sharpening grooves or channels (also referred to as stages) on the other. Here are the details on four types of at-home sharpening devices. Zwilling, for example, offers details for its knives.) Check the manufacturer website to find the recommended angle of its blade. (Most European-style knives should be sharpened at a 15- to 20-degree angle most Japanese-style knives at 10 to 15 degrees. Always keep your nondominant hand out of the path of the blade.Īnd read and follow all directions carefully, including the recommended angle to hold the blade, which may depend on the type of knife you own. Wear eye protection, because tiny metal fragments or abrasive particles can go flying as you work. Safety first: Make sure you have a clear, level workspace, and keep kids out of the room. If you go the at-home route, approach the job deliberately, no matter which type of sharpening device you choose. "It's the single most important thing you can do for the longevity of your knife," says Andrew Curtis-Wellings, regional business manager for Wusthof, a knife manufacturer in Solingen, Germany. To extend the time between sharpening sessions, use a honing rod (more on that below) to realign the edge of your knife every few times you use it. ![]() Two or three times a year is often enough for most home cooks. How often you need to sharpen knives depends on how you use them. (Hey, they rely on sharp scissors for their livelihood, Aidells points out.) Avoid this fate by asking for a recommendation from a local knife store, fine cookware store, or your barber or hairdresser. Or you can take your knives to a local sharpener.īut be aware that professional sharpeners have a reputation for removing too much metal at each sharpening, shortening the life of the knife. You're responsible for shipping ask customer service for instructions on how to pack your knives for safe shipping, or look for advice on the manufacturer's website. Most knife manufacturers provide sharpening services by mail for a few dollars per knife. If you don't want another gadget in your drawer, you can have your knives sharpened professionally. Tapered sharpening rods are ideal for sharpening serrated blades. Sharpening rods have a rougher surface that removes some metal from your blade, sharpening it slightly. Honing rods are usually made of steel or fine ceramic and work to align the steel fibers on the edge of the knife, improving cutting performance. Honing and sharpening rods or "steels" look the same but work differently.To use one, you hold the knife horizontally to the stone, with the edge at a slight angle, as you skim it back and forth across the surface. Whetstones, or sharpening stones, are the traditional sharpening method and come in many styles and even more degrees of coarseness.The coarsest creates a new edge one or two finer levels refine and align that edge. Many models have two or three levels of abrasion. Electric sharpeners use motorized, abrasive discs, wheels, or flexible belts to sharpen the knife as you gently move it through the machine.Manual or pull-through sharpeners are lightweight and have a handle that you stabilize on the counter while you pull the knife through one or more abrasive slots, sharpening both sides of the blade at once. ![]() You can read more details on each category below. ![]()
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