by Marilyn Traver

Created on: April 05, 2007   Last Updated: May 04, 2007

There are many schools of thought on the subject of knife sharpening. No matter what people say is the best way to achieve a sharp edge the final decision is up to the person that is actually doing the sharpening. You need to try a few different techniques and then decide for yourself which is best for you.
First thing you have to figure out is how to tell if the knife is dull to begin with. To do this hold the knife straight up so that the tip of the knife points to the ceiling and the edge faces you. Now take your other hand and lightly touch the edge with your thumb. Lightly rub your thumb across the edge, be careful not to go up or down the edge for this can cut your thumb. Now if you feel your thumb snag on the edge that tells you that the knife is sharp. The more it snags the sharper the knife. Therefore if your thumb slides across the edge with little or no resistance then you need to sharpen your knife.

Most people have seen a knife steel or a sharpening steel. If you have ever seen a cooking show and the chef picks up that long object that resembles a short fencing sword and he rubs his knife's edge up and down the side it, that object is called a sharpening steel. Although the real purpose of a steel is to hone your blades edge most people confuse it for a sharpener. If you only need to hone your knifes then this is the right tool for you. However if your knife is so dull that you can't even slice a tomato,then you need more help.
What you need to do is to acquire a sharpening stone. You can get a sharpening stone at any hardware store. A sharpening stone is a small object shaped like a brick but the top and bottom are made of different material. One side is rough and course while the other side is relatively smooth. We will begin with the rougher side.
Normally these stone are wet-stones , meaning that they have to be wet in order for them to work. All you need to do is to soak the stone in water deep enough to cover the whole surface. After about an hour in the tub your stone is ready for use. Place the stone on a towel to prevent it from sliding all over the counter. Now take your knife and lightly touch the edge to the stone beginning from the tip. Hold the blade at a 20 degree angle and with your other hand lightly press down on the blade gently rub the blade across the surface of the stone in a circler pattern. Make sure to keep the pressure even as you press down on the blade and to move the knife up and down the surface of the stone making

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>