![](\"https:\/\/www.simplyrecipes.com\/thmb\/T70HWnPvZkcWL5-hpGqz2a9cyOA=\/6277x4185\/Simply-Recioes-How-Often-Sharpen-Knives-LEAD-01-502db345f1284087ad18aa6f3404d3f4.jpg\")
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If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a thousand times: the most important tool for any cook is a sharp knife. I’ve also heard that a sharp knife is safer to use than a dull one, which is true! A dull blade requires the cook to apply more pressure, which is dangerous if the knife slips during use.\n<\/p>\n
What does \u201csharp\u201d really mean, though? How often should I be sharpening my knives, anyway? And can that honing rod that\u2019s been sitting in my knife block for years do the same job? To get the answers, I connected with two experts in the field, Bernard Janssen at Zwilling and Jason Vaske at Viking Culinary.\n<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Unless you\u2019re working in a professional kitchen or using your knives all day, every day, you only need to sharpen them two to three times a year<\/strong>, says Janssen. Vaske also recommends this timeline, although both agree that this is not a \u201cone size fits all\u201d prescription. How often you use your knives\u2014every day or just a couple times a week, for example\u2014what you\u2019re cutting, where you store your knives, and the surface you\u2019re cutting on all factor into the ideal knife sharpening schedule.\n<\/p>\n The rule of thumb for sharpening is simple, says Vaske: \u201cWhen the user notices a decline in the ability to slice through food effortlessly, it\u2019s likely time to sharpen the knife.\u201d<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n Simply Recipes \/ Getty Images\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/span> <\/p>\n Even if you don\u2019t have the tools for sharpening a knife at home, you may already own the necessary equipment to hone it. Both are essential practices for proper knife maintenance: You can think of sharpening as intensive care and honing as regular maintenance. Explains Vaske, \u201cSharpening creates a new edge by removing material, while honing is the process of realigning the existing edge of the knife.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Honing a knife doesn\u2019t take long to do (here\u2019s a tutorial), which is good because it should ideally be done regularly. \u201cIf a knife is used on a daily basis, I recommend honing a few times a week,\u201d says Janssen. \u201cA professional will hone multiple times a day.\u201d\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Not everyone has the desire or patience for sharpening knives. Heck, I graduated from culinary school, worked as a line cook, and still<\/em> would rather do just about anything else than sharpen my knives. The great news: finding a professional to sharpen your knives is pretty easy.\n<\/p>\n Many grocery stores\u2014including Whole Foods\u2014offer knife sharpening services, so you can leave it to the pros while you shop. You could also have your knives sharpened through a mail-in service; Janssen likes Knife Aid. It\u2019s worth checking with the supplier you got the knife from, too. Some companies offer \u201ctune-ups\u201d with a verified purchase.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n #Sharpen #Knives #Expert<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a thousand times: the most important tool for any cook is a sharp knife. I’ve also heard that a sharp knife is safer to use than a dull one, which is true! A dull blade requires the cook to apply more pressure, which is dangerous if the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":526,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[194,427,520],"class_list":["post-525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dinner","tag-expert","tag-knives","tag-sharpen"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/artoz.xyz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/artoz.xyz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/artoz.xyz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artoz.xyz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artoz.xyz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=525"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/artoz.xyz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/525\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artoz.xyz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/artoz.xyz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artoz.xyz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artoz.xyz\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} How Often You Should Sharpen Your Knives <\/span> <\/h2>\n
\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The Difference Between Sharpening and Honing <\/span> <\/h2>\n
Are Professional Knife Sharpening Services Worth It? <\/span> <\/h2>\n