How To Sharpen Knives
Here’s something you’ll hear from every professional chef: a sharp knife is the best knife. Since we want all of you to be safe and efficient out there, I’m here to tell you how to sharpen knives! We’ll go over the importance of sharp kitchen knives, the different sharpening methods and how to care for your sharp knives. The most important tool in your kitchen — and your fingertips — will thank you. Table of Contents Why SharpeN Your KnivesAre Your Knives Sharp Enough? How to Sharpen KnivesHow to Sharpen Knives: Sharpening StonesHow to Sharpen Knives: Electric Knife SharpenersHow to Sharpen Knives: Professional SharpeningHow to Care for Your Sharp KnivesThe Honing SteelThe Knife BlockHow to Use Your Sharp KnivesLet’s Put Those Knives To WorkFAQsFlavor X Fire & FOOD X Fire Why SharpeN Your Knives Are Your Knives Sharp Enough? How to Sharpen Knives How to Sharpen Knives: Sharpening StonesHow to Sharpen Knives: Electric Knife SharpenersHow to Sharpen Knives: Professional Sharpening How to Sharpen Knives: Sharpening Stones How to Sharpen Knives: Electric Knife Sharpeners How to Sharpen Knives: Professional Sharpening How to Care for Your Sharp Knives The Honing SteelThe Knife Block The Honing Steel The Knife Block How to Use Your Sharp Knives Let’s Put Those Knives To Work FAQs Flavor X Fire & FOOD X Fire Why SharpeN Your Knives Why is it important to know how to sharpen knives? I’ve got two words for you: efficiency and safety. Sharp knives are extremely efficient in the kitchen because they can easily slice through meat, vegetables and other foods. When you’ve got a hungry crowd waiting for dinner, quick prep in the kitchen is key! Secondly, a sharp knife is actually much safer than a dull knife. Most accidents in the kitchen happen when a dull blade slips from where it’s supposed to go and slices into something it shouldn’t (like your fingers). Knowing how to sharpen knives and having a sharp blade ensures that when you slice into food, it’s going right where you want it. Think of it this way: a dull knife is a dangerous knife; a sharp knife is a safe(r) knife. Are Your Knives Sharp Enough? If you want to test out how sharp your knives, then try the onion test. Grab an onion and dice it normally. If you struggle at any point to slice through the onion, then it’s time to sharpen your knife. Because onions are slippery and thin-skinned, they’re the best way to determine the state of your knives. It’s like ordering brisket at a local BBQ restaurant. If they do brisket well, you know everything else they make will be so freakin’ delicious. There are a few different ways to approach the sharpening process: using a sharpening stone, an electric knife sharpener, or professional sharpening services. Add flavor to everything you’re cooking shop over the fire spice lines How to Sharpen Knives: Sharpening Stones A sharpening stone, also known as a whetstone, is a great way to restore a dull blade. You can get stones with different grits: coarse grit for sharpening very dull blades, medium grit for refining a knife’s edge and fine grit for maintaining your already sharp knife. To use a sharpening stone, first soak the stone for about an hour This step will ensure your stone isn’t too dry — when it dries out, your knife can catch on the stone and ding the blade. You’ll also want to keep a small bowl of water nearby so you can keep the stone wet. Then, place your sharpening stone on a kitchen towel on a flat surface so it doesn’t slide. Hold the handle of your kitchen knife with your dominant hand, place the base of the blade at the far edge of the stone, and then hold the blade in place with a firm grip from both hands at a 15 to 20-degree angle. You can use an angle guide if you want! Finish by slowly dragging the knife over the whetstone toward you, keeping that consistent angle, down the length of the stone. The final step is repeating this process about 10 times, depending on how dull your knife is, and then doing it again on the second side. If you’re a visual learner, Serious Eats has a great video detailing this process! How to Sharpen Knives: Electric Knife Sharpeners If using a sharpening stone might seem intimidating or if you’re short on time, there are plenty of great electric knife sharpeners out there. You can also use pull-through sharpeners for this method. I’ve had great luck in my kitchen with the Work Sharp Culinary E5 Electric Knife Sharpener. This bad boy is so easy to use that all you have to do is a click a button and you are sharpening your favorite chef’s knife. It’s quick and easy for making sure that all my knives are super sharp! How to Sharpen Knives: Professional Sharpening Want to leave this up to the pros? Check your local listings for knife sharpening services near you. While you’ll pay about $75-100 for a professional sharpening job, you’ll get a good result that will last a couple years. It’s the easiest way to ensure your cutting edge is as sharp as can be. How to Care for Your Sharp Knives Now that you’ve spent good time and money on the best ways to sharpen knives, you want them to stay that way as long as possible. Here are a couple essential tools you’ll want in your kitchen. The Honing Steel A honing steel, also known as a honing rod, restores your knife’s edge by straightening and aligning the metal fibers that bend when you’re making a freakin’ delicious recipe. Using a honing steel before you cook helps maintain the knife’s sharpness. They’re easy to use, too. Just run the knife blade down the steel at that 15 to 20-degree angle on each side of the blade. Consumer Reports has a great step-by-step guide! The Knife Block If you leave your knives in a drawer with other utensils, they can bang around, get nicked and become dull knives pretty quickly. A knife block is key to storing your knife properly and ensuring you’re not constantly having to sharpen your knives. The magnetic ones, where you slide in any size knife, work really well! How to Use Your Sharp Knives Once you’ve got those knives nice and sharp, I’ve got plenty of recipes out there for you to try! Anything that requires thin slices of meat will be a breeze with a sharp knife. It’s also super easy to tackle those vegetable-heavy dishes, like loaded Texas fajitas and steak with Tennessee onions. Now that you’ve got sharp knives, you can dream big. Let’s Put Those Knives To Work FAQs What kind of knives should I have in my kitchen? I always have a chef’s knife, a paring knife, a cleaver and a serrated or bread knife. I’ve found this lineup can tackle almost any job in the kitchen. ​Does the paper test actually work? It actually does! I like the onion test better, but feel free to give this one a shot. Hold the paper in one hand, your knife in the other, and slowly slice through the paper at a 45-degree angle. If you’ve got razor-sharp edges on your knife, it’ll cut right through. Get The Cookbooks! Flavor X Fire & FOOD X Fire By Derek Wolf All the major tastes—salty, sour, sweet, bitter, and umami—are explored in depth, along with an investigation of other components you should consider when it comes to flavor, such as aroma, heat, and texture. Derek Wolf Derek is the driving force behind Over the Fire Cooking. He started cooking with live fire in 2016 and decided to start a social media page so his friends and family could follow the journey. Fast forward to today and Over the Fire Cooking has spread across multiple platforms with millions now following Derek's fire cooking journey. He's a southern fellow who enjoys everything from classic BBQ to Central and South American inspired dishes. Whatever he's cooking up, it's guaranteed to be so freakin' delicious!