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Kitchen Knives
by Dave Klein
Getting straight to the point may be the best way to handle
conversation, but it’s not the ideal way to sharpen a knife.
Knives are invaluable tools around the kitchen and other areas
of the home, but if they aren’t sharp, they are useless – and
dangerous.
Whether you buy expensive knives or cheap knives, they all get
dull with use. You can have your knives serviced by a
professional, or you can learn how to sharpen your knives
yourself. A word of caution: learning to sharpen your knives
takes time and practice; don’t begin by trying to sharpen your
best knives on your own as you could damage the blades.
Although your knives may seem sharp, a practical test can tell
you whether your knives need to be sharpened. Slice a ripe
tomato – if you can slice the tomato easily, you’re knife is
sharp; if the tomato squishes down and is difficult to slice,
then it is time to add your knife to the ‘to-be-sharpened’
drawer.
Knife blades are essentially tiny saws, complete with teeth.
With use, these teeth get worn, bent or twisted. Knives made of
harder metal don’t get dull as often as those made of soft
metal, but when they do get dull, they are more difficult to
sharpen. It is necessary to find a substance harder than what
your knife is made of to sharpen that knife. Metal sharpeners
called steels are often used by professionals like butchers,
but for most people who own stainless steel knives, a ceramic
sharpener may be a better choice.
Using a Ceramic Sharpener to Sharpen Your Knives:
• Begin by placing the heel of your knife blade at the tip of
the sharpener and then sliding the entire length of the blade
down the sharpener. Keep the pressure and angle constant; you
should feel the abrasion between the cutting edge and the
sharpener.
• Plan your stroke so that you will finish with the point of
the knife’s blade near the base of the ceramic sharpener.
Repeat this move on the other side of the sharpener to sharpen
the other side of your knife.
Steel Sharpeners:
• If you choose to use a steel sharpener rather than a ceramic
one, begin with the heel of the blade at the base of the
sharpener (rather than at the tip as with the ceramic
sharpener) and work your hands away from each other while
maintaining the contact between the knife blade and the
sharpener at an angle of 25 degrees.
Depending on how often you use your knives, they will require
periodic grinding to create a new cutting edge. If you have a
sanding wheel or a large grinder with stones of varying
coarseness, you can carve a new edge on your knives, but if you
lack this equipment, skill or confidence, it may be a good idea
to have a professional handle the grinding as it could damage
your knives and possibly your fingers.
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