They say it is more dangerous to use a blunt knife than a sharp knife. That’s because fighting with a blunt blade makes you more likely to slip – and nobody wants that.
To prevent your knives from losing their sharpness quickly, never put them in the dishwasher. Hand wash and dry immediately. Keep them in a knife block or in a special drawer and cover the blades with guards.
Once you find that your blades are no longer slicing like they used to, you have a few options for honing. (Please note that honing and sharpening are different. Honing is just a smoothing of the sharp edge of the blade and should be done regularly. Sharpening is the process of sanding the metal. To do this, you will need to send your knives to a metal shop every few years.)
If you have a two-sided grindstone, soak the stone in water first, then place it coarse-side up on a damp paper towel for stability. Hold the knife at a 15-degree angle with the heel of the knife on the back of the stone and use a sweeping motion to slide the knife until the tip of the knife reaches the other end of the stone. Repeat this process 4-5 times, then switch sides of the knife, turn the stone over and repeat the process.
You can also use a honing steel by holding it perpendicular to the counter with the shoulder of the blade on top of the steel. Slide the blade down until the tip of the knife reaches the bottom of the steel. Repeat this process 4-5 times and then switch sides.
If you don’t have these tools, you can use the rough ceramic edge of the bottom of a coffee mug. Slide the knife blade from heel to tip along the edge a few times, then switch sides.
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