| 2TORIAL |
| Learn2 |
Sharpen a Knife
(3 steps)
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Look sharp!
There are few tools more dangerous than a dull knife. It'll slide when you want it to cut, and it'll cut when it stops sliding--usually when it hits your hand. Ask ten different people how they sharpen their knives, however, and you may get ten different answers. Not only that, but each of these ten methods are all sworn to be the best by ten venerable trail guides from ten mountain towns (who've all been sharpening knives since they were knee-high to a carpenter ant and don't you forget it buddy). What's a poor soul with a dull knife to do? You can start with this 2torial, which will lead you out of the tangled thicket of knife-sharpening opinions.
Before you begin
There are a number of commercial one-step sharpening utensils available at the local hardware store. They generally have some sort of ceramic or diamond-impregnated surfaces, and are used by drawing the knife through a narrow V-shape of some kind. Although they're certainly convenient, they can also cause problems by exerting uneven pressure on the blade--creating waves in the blade as it passes through the V-shape. The method below, while requiring a little more time and concentration, has a much greater chance of putting a good edge on a blade and not damaging it, provided it's done careful attention.
A note on knives with a scalloped or serrated edge: these cannot be sharpened using this method. Scalloped knives (such as a bread knife) generally require professional attention when they become dulled. Serrated knives (the never-need-sharpening variety) are usually very low quality, and are meant to be thrown away when the edge becomes damaged or unusable.
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Go to Step 1 of 3
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| 2TORIAL NECESSITIES |
- A medium-grit flat sharpening stone
- A fine-grit flat sharpening stone
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