by Will Kester

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

The best way to sharpen kitchen knives is to have it done professionally. That said, here's how to ruin your knives at home. Knives for other than kitchen purposes should be sharpened frequently, and at home, with a stone. The principals are the same.

There are many sharpeners on the market, and all of them will ruin your knives if you don't use them properly. When I was young, my mother bought a can opener with a sharpener built into it. I ruined all our knives with it, but my mother never noticed. Sharpening a knife requires a steady, smooth stroke across the stone, at the optimum angle. When sharpening a pocket knife with a stone, there is no angle guide, and the use of oil can make the stroke smoother.

Honing a knife on a steel is similar and usually better than sharpening, until the edge is almost completely gone. Honing won't take out nicks and gouges, but it smooths the microscopic damage to the steel edge, and should be done before every use.

Rust is probably the most damaging thing to a knife, so clean and dry it after every use. Improper storage is damaging also. Use a knife rack made of wood, and a wooden or plastic cutting board to prevent damage; and never put a knife in a dishwasher.

It is said all the time, so it must be true, that a dull knife is more dangerous that a sharp knife. The theory is that it takes more force to cut with a dull knife. That is true, but a sharp knife will slice your finger off much quicker than a dull knife. When my children were young, I refused to keep my knives sharp, so they wouldn't lose a finger. Kids get into drawers and do dumb things, so I didn't take any chances. It must have worked; they still have their fingers.

I love using a sharp knife, as the veggie slices lay out nicely as the knife runs quickly though them. Keep you fingers tucked in and use your knuckles as a guide.

I use serrated-edged knives for tomatoes, to cut through the skin. It takes a really sharp knife to cut through a tomato without crushing it. If I have a dull knife and no serrated edge to work with, and need to cut a tomato, I pierce it first, then slice. It happens when I go on a picnic and forget about the tomatoes. I keep a dull knife just for picnics. Sharp knives are great, but digging into the basket and coming up with a cut isn't fun. I prefer a serrated edged knife to cut bread loaves, also.

So, sharpen away if you must, but proper storage and proper use of a steel will prevent the necessity of having them sharpened too often, and then it's best to take them to a professional, I promise.

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