Like many of us, I learned to cook in my mother's kitchen, using my mother's kitchen knives. And what knives they were! She had purchased them from the Cutco Company upon the occasion of her marriage in 1961. One of the best features of these knives - and key factor in her purchase decision - was that they *never* needed to be sharpened. I started cooking when those knives had seen about 15 years of daily use. New to the kitchen, I thought it was normal to "cut" fresh vegetables by sawing them to little shreds while holding your knife in a white-knuckled grip. Although my mother very sadly passed away in 2002, my dad still uses those knives. And they have not been sharpened to this day.
Fifteen years into my own marriage, my Chicago Cutlery knives (a wedding gift) had made a few trips to the knife sharpener. Wanting a more convenient and cost-effective solution, I attended a knife sharpening seminar at Williams Sonoma. After watching a lengthy demonstration of a $300 electric knife sharpener, I pulled a friendly-looking clerk aside to ask what other choices there were (I may have used the phrase "a knife sharpener for real people"). He was refreshingly honest and pulled out a hand-held device encased in plastic. It cost $20.99, and he told me that he used it himself and it worked really well. I bought one, and have had razor sharp knifes ever since.
You might think that a $15 (the price has gone down!) knife sharpener should not be used on your good knives, and I'd ask you to check with the store you purchased from if you are concerned. But as long as your knife is not serrated (serrated means it has little teeth, like a bread knife) and is honed from steel (not stamped), it can be sharpened. You do not want to sharpen stamped knives or ceramic knives (photos below), but any other knife with a steel cutting surface will work (see the photos at the bottom)
Fifteen years into my own marriage, my Chicago Cutlery knives (a wedding gift) had made a few trips to the knife sharpener. Wanting a more convenient and cost-effective solution, I attended a knife sharpening seminar at Williams Sonoma. After watching a lengthy demonstration of a $300 electric knife sharpener, I pulled a friendly-looking clerk aside to ask what other choices there were (I may have used the phrase "a knife sharpener for real people"). He was refreshingly honest and pulled out a hand-held device encased in plastic. It cost $20.99, and he told me that he used it himself and it worked really well. I bought one, and have had razor sharp knifes ever since.
You might think that a $15 (the price has gone down!) knife sharpener should not be used on your good knives, and I'd ask you to check with the store you purchased from if you are concerned. But as long as your knife is not serrated (serrated means it has little teeth, like a bread knife) and is honed from steel (not stamped), it can be sharpened. You do not want to sharpen stamped knives or ceramic knives (photos below), but any other knife with a steel cutting surface will work (see the photos at the bottom)
These are knives that CANNOT be sharpened using a knife sharpener.
To use the sharpener, draw it through the "coarse" V-shaped channel about 10 times (a few more if the knife is extremely dull to start), and then draw it through the "fine" V-shaped channel about 10 times. Pull the knife through the channel in one smooth motion, handle to tip. After you've done this, try to cut the edge of a piece of paper; if the knife slides through easily, it's sharp! If it does not, draw it through the "fine" channel another 10 times. Once you've done a couple, this will take no more than 1 minute per knife. Here are a couple of photos of knives that can be sharpened (note that the blade and handle are different materials). The knives on the left are 25 year old Chicago Cutlery, and on the right, a Wusthof 5" chef knife (the workhorse of my knives). I sharpen these knives at least once a month, and use the one on the right nearly every day.
These are knives that CAN be sharpened with a knife sharpener.
I can't promise you that your onions will chop themselves, but I can tell you it will go faster and you'll enjoy your chopping a lot more. If you'd like to order one of these extremely useful devices (or give yourself a gift you wish you'd received for the holidays), you can find it here.
I've posted a video to the You Can Cook Facebook timeline as well, because seeing is believing, and I was shocked at how easy this was to use and how much it has improved my knives...and by extension my enjoyment of the time I spend in the kitchen. Stir fry, anyone??
I've posted a video to the You Can Cook Facebook timeline as well, because seeing is believing, and I was shocked at how easy this was to use and how much it has improved my knives...and by extension my enjoyment of the time I spend in the kitchen. Stir fry, anyone??
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