Whether you’re a professional chef or a home cook, it’s important to keep your knife sharp. A dull knife can lead to injuries, including cuts to your hand or arm.
Thankfully, there are some things you can do to help prevent knives from becoming dull too quickly. This will increase the lifespan of your knives and help them perform better.
1. Use the Knife on Hard Materials
The knife is an essential tool in the kitchen, and it’s important to keep it sharp to be able to cut things properly. If your blade is becoming dull, there are some things you can do to make it sharp again faster.
A sharp knife is easier to work with and cuts food more easily. It’s also less likely to cause injuries.
You’ll also have a more stable blade if you use a soft cutting board instead of a hard one. A cutting board made of wood (like walnut, bamboo or teak) is best as it absorbs a knife’s cuts without affecting its edge.
Another way to keep your knife edge sharp is to regularly hone it. A honing steel combs the hundreds of tiny steel fibers in a knife’s cutting edge back into a point, keeping it sharp for longer.
2. Let the Knife Snag
It may seem weird at first, but making your knife dull can be useful. Blunting the edge can allow you to cut things like weeds or spread jam on bread more easily.
You can test a blade by gently tapping it against your fingernail to see if it’s sharp or dull. If it’s dull, you will hear a slicing sound and feel the blade deflect or slide when you touch it.
One of the most common ways to make a knife dull is to stroke it against a stone at the wrong angle. This will dull the blade without actually getting it sharp, but it can also harm your knife by chipping it.
3. Let the Knife Snag on a Hard Surface
One of the best ways to make a knife dull is to let it snag on something. You can use a variety of objects such as an old magazine, phone book or catalog. This will provide you with some great feedback on where the edge needs work.
Using this technique will help your knife last longer. It will also allow you to see if there are any hidden dull areas that may not be visible with the naked eye.
4. Let the Knife Snag on a Soft Surface
While it may be tempting to use your knife on a soft material like a piece of cardboard, this will quickly dull the blade. Instead, a more definitive test for sharpness is to cut through a piece of paper or a ripe tomato.
To do this, angle the knife against a honing steel, about 15 degrees for Asian-style knives and 20 degrees for Western-style blades. Then, draw the knife down the rod in an arcing motion, making contact with all of the blade’s length. Maintain light pressure throughout your movement.
Once you’ve honed one side of the blade, turn it over and repeat the process on the other side of the knife. As you do this, look for a slight ridge to form along the edge of the knife on the side that isn’t being sharpened. This is a sign that the blade edge is ready to be sharpened again.
5. Let the Knife Snag on a Soft Material
Using a dull knife is not only a nuisance; it can also be dangerous. A blunt blade forces you to apply more force than necessary, which increases the risk of cutting yourself.
All knives become dull with use; however, knowing when to sharpen them can help minimize the time they take to get dull. Understanding when to keen your knife can also help you keep it in better condition, ensuring its value is preserved for a longer period of time.
One way to make your knife dull is by using a sharpening stone in the wrong manner. For example, using a stone to stroke it flat can easily make the edge dull.