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Questions tagged [sharpening]

69 questions
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Do magnets dull knives?

A friend of mine bought some new, very sharp knives. He has a magnetic strip that he uses to store knives, but he does not put these new knives there because he says magnets dull knives. Is that true? I've never heard of this. If so, why do magnets…
David says Reinstate Monica
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How to test that a knife is sharp enough?

As per the question - how to I test that a knife is sharp enough? And/or, how do you know when a knife needs sharpening? Edit: Yesterday I attempted (I feel quite successfully) to hone my knives for the first time ever (requiring me to purchase a…
DMA57361
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Do plastic cutting boards dull knives faster than wood boards?

I've heard on numerous occasions that plastic cutting boards dull knives faster than wood boards. I use a large wooden cutting board often, but recently I've been finding it heavy and it sometimes leaves behind a flavour on food despite good…
Behacad
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Will using a knife sharpener reduce the lifetime of my knife?

In the long run, is it better to regularly use a knife honer instead of a knife sharpener once in a while to keep the edge sharp?
Alinium
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Can I sharpen a knife with sandpaper?

So I was thinking, instead of purchasing a dedicated (and expensive) whetstone with limited coarse(ness?) range, why not use patches of sandpaper in increasing grit numbers (getting finer), stretched on some small flat surface? This way I can have…
ysap
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How to find a competent knife sharpener

I have a santoku that I will be wanting to get professionally sharpened in the next few months. This is the first knife I've owned that was reasonably expensive so I want to make sure I take care of it. Are most professional knife sharpening places…
Ryan Elkins
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How do you sharpen a serrated knife?

I have some quality serrated knives but over time they get dull. How do I sharpen them?
rbrayb
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Does this tool where a knife edge is dragged between two angled abrasive pieces hone or sharpen?

A few weeks ago I bought an awesome Global knife. I ordered this tool from Amazon: My question: Does this tool hone the knife, or does it sharpen it?
Ram Rachum
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How can I learn to sharpen my Japanese knives properly?

I have a couple of nice Japanese kitchen knives, and a whetstone in two grades. I can sharpen them reasonably well using the stone, but does anyone have any good tips for improving my sharpening skills?
Joel in Gö
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How can I sharpen my peeler?

Is it possible to sharpen a peeler? And if it is, how should I do it? Are there any things to look out for? (Such as ending up with concave blades.) This is the sort of peeler I'm talking about:
Ladadadada
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How often should knives be sharpened?

I've a Wusthof classic ikon knife which i've had for about 5 months, it seems to be losing it's edge. It's regularly honed with a grooved honing rod, but I'm unsure if I'm doing it correctly. I've watched several videos on how to do this, keeping…
Graham Warrender
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Can bad honing technique spoil a knife?

I was really happy bringing home my first quality Zwiling Chefs knife. Before cooking I ran the knife through some paper - sliced like butter! After I was done and washed dried the knife, I decided to try the test again. It began tearing the paper.…
helpless child
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Do I need to wipe/clean my knife after sharpening/honing?

I'm sharpening honing my cutting knives with a (honing) steel. I'm sure I read/saw somewhere that you should wipe your knives after sharpening honing to remove any shards of metal. Is this correct or necessary? Am I getting confused with something…
Andrew Ferrier
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Is there a way to tell the grit coarseness of an unmarked sharpening stone?

I've received a few sharpening stones with different coarseness and even one double-sided two-colored stone. Is there any way to tell how coarse each stone is and which stage of sharpening it would be appropriate for? I'm not experienced in…
user1306322
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About 'sharpening"; do you PUSH OR PULL the blade across the stone?

Do you PUSH or PULL the blade across the stone??
Phil
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