3 most affordable ways to sharpen a kitchen knife

3 most affordable ways to sharpen a kitchen knife

A dull knife not only makes cooking much more difficult, but also increases the risk of injury. It has to be pressed with great effort, vegetables slip out of wet hands, and the blade gets into soft tissue. The implementation includes several special devices and tools for quick sharpening. But there will be a positive result only if the rules for working with them are followed.
3 most affordable ways to sharpen a kitchen knife

What you will need


We will sharpen the knife in three ways: using a steel sharpener, a plastic sharpener and a special double-sided abrasive stone. Additionally, you need to prepare a water container to match the size of the stone and clean rags.

Sharpening the blade with a steel sharpener


3 most affordable ways to sharpen a kitchen knife

This tool is very effective and is used by professional chefs. The sharpener has special metal plates near the handle that protect your hands from cuts during operation. There are several ways to sharpen.
First. Hold the instrument in your left hand, pointing slightly up and away from you. With medium force, press the cutting edge of the blade against the sharpener and move it smoothly.It is necessary to ensure that the entire length of the blade is processed in one pass.
3 most affordable ways to sharpen a kitchen knife

Second. Place the sharpener vertically on the table and place a cloth under the end to protect the surface from damage. Hold the tool in a vertical position with your left hand, and sharpen the knife with your right. Make sure that the angle between them is approximately 20 degrees, this is the value of the factory sharpening plane. It's easy to check. First, place the knife at a right angle to the sharpener. Then tilt it to 45 degrees and halve the angle again, making it 22.5 degrees. Great precision is not necessary; sharpening by hand allows for approximate angles.
3 most affordable ways to sharpen a kitchen knife

3 most affordable ways to sharpen a kitchen knife

After the main sharpening, adjust the tip using the first method. Experienced chefs keep the knife stationary and move the sharpener, this speeds up the process and makes sharpening better.

Sharpening with a plastic sharpener


3 most affordable ways to sharpen a kitchen knife

The device consists of plates made of high-alloy tool steel located in a plastic housing. It is better to work with a sharpener that has two sets of plates at different angles. The fact is that the knife blade is also sharpened at two angles. The cutting edge is approximately at an angle of 20 degrees, and the strip adjacent to it is at an angle of 40 degrees. Due to this configuration, the time of using the knife increases and the process of periodic sharpening is facilitated.
3 most affordable ways to sharpen a kitchen knife

First, sharpen the strip near the cutting edge. The movements of the knife should be smooth, the pressing force should be average. Make sure the blade is perpendicular to the sharpener.
3 most affordable ways to sharpen a kitchen knife

The next stage is sharpening the cutting edge. The algorithm of actions is the same as in the first stage. If the process proceeds correctly, a characteristic sound is heard, the force of pulling the knife increases, and there are small metal shavings on the table.

Sharpening with an abrasive stone


3 most affordable ways to sharpen a kitchen knife

The traditional method has proven its effectiveness over time. You need to work with stone that has surfaces with different sizes of abrasive. On large ones, the main sharpening is done, on small ones the surface is polished, large burrs are removed, and the surface is leveled.
Place a piece of cloth and a container of clean water on the table. Dip a stone into it to get wet.
3 most affordable ways to sharpen a kitchen knife

Take out the stone and place it on a cloth, with the large abrasive facing up.
3 most affordable ways to sharpen a kitchen knife

To approximately determine the sharpening angle, prepare a basic template. Bend the right corner of the sheet diagonally - you get a triangle with a bisector of 45 degrees, then bend it again, the angle decreases to 22.5 degrees.
3 most affordable ways to sharpen a kitchen knife

3 most affordable ways to sharpen a kitchen knife

3 most affordable ways to sharpen a kitchen knife

Place the paper on the stone and place a knife along its edge. During sharpening, the template is removed; the angle must be kept by eye.
3 most affordable ways to sharpen a kitchen knife

First, sharpen the blade on a large stone, hold it in one position with both hands, press firmly and move it along the stone so that in one movement the blade is sharpened along its entire length. After each pass, change the side of the sharpening, and wet the surface of the stone as it dries.
3 most affordable ways to sharpen a kitchen knife

Turn the stone with a fine abrasive and adjust the cutting edge. During sharpening, you should catch the moment when the burrs are removed and the blade becomes smooth and even.
The result of sharpening can be checked on vegetables.
3 most affordable ways to sharpen a kitchen knife

Everything is fine - rinse the knife in running water and you can use it.
3 most affordable ways to sharpen a kitchen knife

Conclusion


All three methods give good results, but under one condition - you need to have trained muscle memory. By changing the sound and resistance to movement, you can determine the degree of sharpening of the knife. If you cannot learn to sharpen by hand, then you need to buy mechanical devices.
3 most affordable ways to sharpen a kitchen knife

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Comments (6)
  1. Alexander
    #1 Alexander Guests 5 July 2019 17:12
    5
    The steel sharpener is the author of the article. and what is depicted in the first case is musat. And he does not sharpen, but straightens the cutting edge. You need to sharpen the knife infrequently - once a year is normal, but sharpen it exactly once a week, then the cutting will be good.
  2. Fayziyev
    #2 Fayziyev Guests 5 July 2019 17:38
    2
    It was useful. if only there were more of these
  3. Alexander Oreshkin
    #3 Alexander Oreshkin Guests 5 July 2019 23:15
    5
    The first method is not sharpening; you can only straighten the cutting edge with musat.
    The second method is also not sharpening, it is rather a way to destroy the knife.
    The third option is real sharpening, but you need to voice the cost of a good water stone, and understand that for proper sharpening you will first have to get your hands on it.
  4. Guest Yuri
    #4 Guest Yuri Guests July 6, 2019 08:08
    3
    The author has the angles mixed up, you need: 20 degrees for descent and 40 degrees for cutting edge.
  5. Nucky
    #5 Nucky Guests 6 July 2019 15:15
    4
    The very first point shows the “usefulness” of this article... Even most housewives already know that this is not a sharpener, but a musat, and they do not sharpen a knife with it, but straighten it, i.e. it does not remove metal, but straightens micro burrs obtained during the work process..And the second point is that these are some of the worst and most useless sharpeners, because they will either kill the knife or dull it even more. The third point is not bad, but you need practice to maintain the right angle, and just not scratch the entire knife
    1. passerby
      #6 passerby Guests December 17, 2020 11:58
      2
      However, every man should know the third method. Because it is universal and does not require large expenditures.