How to Sharpen and Hone Your Kitchen Knives

Nothing beats holding a sharp knife in your hand and watching it thinly slice potatoes for a gratin or red onions for a jar of vibrantly pickled rings. A sharp knife is not only enjoyable to use, but it is also safe. Working with dull knives is more difficult and dangerous because of concerns with slippage, which can harm not only your meal but also your hands.

Here's everything you need to know about keeping your kitchen knives in tip-top shape so you may slice and dice safely and happily.

How to Sharpen a Knife in the Most Effective Way

Sharpening is required every few months for most knives, as they become dull after frequent usage. You can use the paper test if you're not sure if your knife needs to be sharpened or just honed (more on that below), but I'd recommend sticking to a regular sharpening and honing schedule instead. That way, you'll never have to second-guess yourself or look for a newspaper in your flat. Sharpen your knives every three to four months, sharpening them in-between—anywhere from every time you use the knife to every other week—is an example timetable.

A knife sharpener is the most reliable and best technique for most home cooks to sharpen their knives. Most of these tools contain two sharpening slots, one with a coarser grain that you'll start with and one with a finer grain that you'll end with, and they require little to no technical knowledge or talent to use in order to bring your knife back up to peak sharpness. Manual knife sharpeners, in my opinion, are the greatest alternative because they are small and vary in price, whereas electric knife sharpeners are relatively pricey and big.

Most cooks will use a whetstone to sharpen their knives for more control, but this requires practice and more technical understanding for correct use and the best results.

How to Keep a Knife Sharp, also known as Honing

Knives only need to be sharpened a few times a year, but honing using sharpening steel allows you to realign the honed edge and smooth off a somewhat dull blade in between sharpening (which physically modifies, smooths, and eliminates small bits of metal from the knife's edge).

To use a sharpening steel, also known as honing steel, place the steel's tip directly on a cutting board while firmly holding the handle so the steel is perpendicular to the board.

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