Of all the things that make cooking easier and more joyful, a sharp knife has to be up there, yet so many people don't keep their knives sharp. We aim to help change that! Like many things, this is a matter of establishing a positive habit.
There are three key ways to sharpen a knife…
Whetstones
A whetstone is the way to go if you’re prepared to take the time and effort to get your knife as sharp as it can possibly be.
Advantages
• Gets your knife as sharp as it is possible to get.
• Straightens and corrects minor imperfections along the knife edge, rather than just following the shape (including imperfections) like a pull-through or steel.
Disadvantages
Must be soaked to absorb water before sharpening; not the best solution if you’ve just started cooking and realise your knives need a sharpen.
Care needs to be taken to get the angle and pressure right. (If you watch the video in 'Discover Whetstones' above though, you'll see it's not difficult.)
Pull Throughs
This is the way forward if you want a sharp knife (not as sharp as it's possible to get, but sharp) and a method that is quick, easy and foolproof.
Advantages
• You are guaranteed to sharpen the edge of your knife at the perfect angle with no effort.
• Quick and easy – takes seconds, so possible to sharpen mid-way through cooking.
Disadvantages
• If you want the absolute ultimate in sharpness, a pull-through isn’t for you – you’ll want to invest a little extra time and effort into using a whetstone. It’s the difference between a knife that’s sharp enough to cook with and ‘Woah… that’s sharp!’
Honing Steels
Advantages
• Very quick & easy once you've formed the habit of doing it properly. (See 'Discover Steels' above)
Disadvantages
• If the edge of the knife has actually become blunt, a standard sharpening steel will not sharpen it. For that, you will need a whetstone, pull-through or diamond steel, designed for sharpening rather than honing. A honing steel helps maintain your already sharp knife, so is an addition to a sharpener, rather than a replacement.
