Tip #6 — How to Sharpen a Knife

In the kitchen, dull knives are dangerous.  So it is best to keep your knifes as sharp as possible.  I have an eclectic selection of knives from various manufacturers, but they are all SHARP.

What is the best way to keep a knife sharp?  I have purchased just about every sharpening stone and sharpening gadget (manual and electric) that you can think of.  And all this effort has boiled down to just two tools I use for sharpening knifes.

The first is the Firestone Two-Stage Sharpener.  This tool (shown below) uses ceramic wheels set at the perfect 20-degree angle to sharpen the blade of the knife.  One side has medium ceramic wheels and the other side has fine wheels.

Firestone Ceramic Sharpener

To use the Firestone sharpener, hold the blade of the knife vertically and lightly dragging the blade across the medium course wheels first.  About ten to 15 times should due it depending on how dull the knife is.  Next, turn the sharpener over and pass the blade through the fine wheels ten to 15 times.  The knife should be very sharp at this point.  It works great on knives that are dull to very dull and it is easier to use than many other methods.  Also, it’s fast.

To put the finishing touch on a blade (and a very sharp edge) or touch up an already sharp blade between major sharpenings with the Firestone, I use the Furi Ozitech Diamond Fingers Pro Knife Sharpener (see photo below).  This is another great tool that uses eight, diamond-dust impregnated fingers (set at 20 degrees) to sharpen the knife blade as you drag the blade across them.  Holding the blade vertical and stroking it across the fingers results in a very sharp edge that holds up very will.  About ten strokes is all it takes.

Furi Knife Sharpener

The Furi tool will not sharpen a very dull blade (well, it will but it will take a VERY long time).  That’s the reason I use the Firestone ceramic disk tool on dull knives.

How often do I sharpen my knives?  Short answer is whenever they stop cutting cleanly.  So it depends on usage, but, I generally sharpen all my knives about once a month.  More often if I am doing a lot of cooking.

The best part about both of these tools is that they are easy to use and give you a perfect edge even if you do not know what a 20-degree angle looks like.