One of the most important utensils in our kitchens is the knife. This instrument is essential for any type of preparation. However, it does need some maintenance to be accurate and safe. If we do not sharpen the knife from time to time and remove the remains of dirt, grease and rust, this can make it difficult to use, causing us to exert more force, the cut to deviate or the knife to slip.
To avoid these unwanted and unsafe scenarios, you need to know how to sharpen a knife. Read on, because in this oneHOWTO article we have put together seven easy, practical and inexpensive ways to sharpen a knife at home. Thus, you will always have it ready for any recipe and it will be much safer to use.
Roller or disc
The roller or disc is one of the cheapest and easiest tools to use if you want to do routine maintenance on your knives. Its size is quite small compared to the rest of the tools, so you can save it anywhere.
And how to sharpen a knife with a roller? This utensil has several V-shaped blades for different types of knife. Its procedure is very simple; just have to slide the knife between the roller blades, exerting a slight pressure and doing it several times so that the edge is sharpened.
Steel
Sharpening is another of the easiest to use knife sharpening tools and one of the oldest. It is used, above all, to sharpen a ham knife. It has a high level of effectiveness and its procedure is not complicated if the technique is known.
To sharpen a knife with sharpening, you just have to grab the sharpening and place it face-on. Next, perform sweeping movements with the knife, ensuring that the entire edge of the blade passes through the sharpening, ending at the tip. This process must be done on both sides and repeated several times so that the knife is ready.
Whetstone
Using a stone to sharpen knives is one of the most rudimentary techniques out there. Even so, today, there are many specialists who assure that it is one of the most precise ways to sharpen. However, its procedure is not as simple as in the rest of the tools and it takes practice to make it perfect.
To sharpen knives with a stone, the finest part of the stone must be placed face down, always covered with a cloth to avoid damaging the surface where it is placed. Then, at an angle of 15 to 20 degrees, pass the edge of the knife making light circular movements. If you do it well, you will see how, little by little, the edge is polishing and sharpening.
Flattening stone
Another accessory that can help you if you are determined to sharpen with a stone is the flattening stone. This object works as a guide and will help you keep the whetstone in good condition, eliminating imperfections and impurities from the grain. In this way, the knife will not be damaged and you will achieve a cleaner and more refined result.
Angle guide
If you want to sharpen your knives with a stone but you are still not very fluent in the technique, or you are not getting results, the best thing you can do is use a leveler or guide. This object, it will help you to be more precise with the angle of the knife when sharpening it with a stone. These guides are fixed on the stone, ensuring that the angle is not uneven when sharpening.
Electric sharpener
The electric sharpener follows the same logic as the disk or roller sharpener but has a built-in motor. This will make the work, even a little more expensive, a lot easier, faster and easier. The sharpener itself will be in charge of rolling the abrasive material, making the necessary pressure so that the knife is as precise as possible.
In addition, the electric knife sharpener usually comes with various types of grooves, that is, it can adapt to different types of knives and edges. To use it, you just have to follow the instruction manual from the box or container.
Multi-knife sharpener
The operation of this type of sharpener is quite simple and very similar to the disc system. However, it is usually a more cumbersome tool, so you should think twice if you have a small space in the kitchen.
The multi-knife sharpener consists of two large arms with steel blades and a large axis in the center through which we must pass the knife. For it, move the knife from front to back to finish at the tip. Do not exert too much pressure, since the force will be exerted by the knife’s own weight.
If you liked this article on how to sharpen a knife at home, don’t miss these other practical solutions for kitchen utensils: