How to Sharpen a Kitchen Knife

If you haven't quite gotten the hang of how to sharpen a kitchen knife you'll be very happy to know that there are special gadgets to help out with this problem. While the knife sharpening isn't actually difficult, some people just have a harder time than others with the coordination.

The kitchen knife if a powerful tool that is used regularly for so many functions that if it isn't sharp enough it can be hard to use. Being without a good sharp kitchen knife is a bit like trying to flip an omelet with your tongue. It isn't going to be pretty and it probably won't even work.

Sharpening a knife is done at an angle. Many specialty knife sets will have a sharpening instrument included so you know you're using the right file grade. Some people hold the sharpener straight out in front of them so that it runs perpendicular to the body. It is usually better to use a stop, which you can find on cutting boards and knife set holders. This is simply a secure place to place the end of the sharpener. With the end in the stop you want to hold the sharpener at either a 90 degree or 45 degree angle. Usually this depends on your personal comfort as well as the size of the knife.

The blade should come in contact with the sharpener at a 45 degree angle. Start at the butt of the blade and draw the knife back until you reach the very tip. It is fine to allow the tip to continue traveling so that this part is sharpened as well but you want to be careful about letting it slip and cutting your extended arm.

Then you repeat the process on the other side of the knife. Reach the knife through and place the other side of the butt against the other side of the sharpener. Again, draw the knife back and be careful about slipping and accidental cuts. The idea is to simply alternate sides of the knife while maintaining a 45 degree angle. This is why the sharpener should be held in front of you perpendicular to the counter top whenever possible. It helps to reduce the chance of injury while also improving the angle at which you sharpen the knife.

Continue to drag each side of the knife backward at the proper angle several times. In the end you should be able to look down the blade of the knife and see a perfectly straight edge. If you see bobbles, dents, and nicks start again and watch your angle.