HOW DO I KEEP MY KNIVES SHARP!?
This is one of the most common questions from the home cook to butchers and chefs alike!
A Sharp knife is a crucial tool in any kitchen, it is much easier to use & it is actually MUCH safer to use, as the blade won’t slip off & lodge itself into your pinkie or thumb (Speaking from experience, trust me) – OUCH!
So, how about we avoid that at all costs!
Everyone has a different idea of what they like as well, so it is really up to you to decide which style works best for you. There are so many to choose from!
- Entry level - Bench Handheld Sharpener - Easy to use, generic Angle for the everyday kitchen knife, this can be purchased from any kitchen store, any department store, pretty much anywhere you can find a knife, there will be one of these for sale. Look, they work, but they aren’t perfect.
- Mid-Level - Sharpening Steel! – For those of us who have a good grip on what knives we use & what we use them for, specifically those of us who do a lot of chopping will know that a good Sharpening steel is key to a successful day in the kitchen, it helps dramatically! Now it can be difficult to get to grips with but very well worth it, so practise! Oh, and watch out for your thumb!
- Top Level – sharpening stone! – Now you may have seen someone using one of these & not taken any notice of it, or not known what he was doing. It looks strange! It is by far the best way to keep your knives sharp, however it takes a lot of practise to get it right & it requires a lot more effort than the other 2 choices. This being said, there is something so rewarding about getting it right & it looks really cool when you get it right.
The purpose of this is to keep the angle on the edge of the knife to a certain degree, generally most knives which you buy will have an angle of 15° - 17°, this is what the generic knife sharpeners are set at. Which is why they’re so easy to use.
I love using my Diamond Steel, it keeps my knives super sharp & I use it every day, I also have a stone, which I Don’t use nearly as much as the steel, simply because I prefer the steel!
Well now you know, the choice is yours!