How and how often do you sharpen your knives?

Question

I'm still struggling with keeping my knives razor sharp. I've wanted to buy a draw through electric sharpener but there are none that come with rave reviews from the cutlery cognoscenti here on Chowhound. Taking them to a professional is time consuming and expensive and I can't say I have been thrilled by the sharpening work done @ the local Wusthof outlet store and now that I'm using more Japanese knives I cannot even use the sharpening steel. I've been to many friends kitchens with the $500.00 block of knives and almost without exception are dull. How do you keep your knives sharp and how often do you or a professional do this?

Answer

Stones, stropping on cardboard, newsprint, balsa wood in between taking them to the stones..
When they need sharpening(YMMV)

Answer

I am same as Petek. I sharpened my knives on stones. I sharpen them whenever they feel dull -- for my main knives that is about once a month or possibly once every two months.

EdgePro suggested by PSRat is very good.

Electric knife sharpeners are easy to use and very quick. They just don't produce the best edges.

Answer

Hone it often and use a 3000 grit whetstone maybe once a month. $500 spent on knives and they are dull is just plain sad, you should steal their knives and treat them right.

Answer

My German\French knives I will touch up occasionally with a diamond hone. If they get too dull for that, I'll use a water stone. My Japanese knife I use a water stone.

Answer

Ceramic stones, mostly Shaptons. Every 1 to 2 months for my most used knife (chefs), sometimes more frequently if I feel like 'playing.' 

I don't live too far from Korin, and I trust their work, but I'm too lazy to make the trip to drop off and pick up. So, far more efficient and cost-effective to do it myself.

Answer

I use a basic steel (which I replace after several years) before each use. I take them to the professional knife sharpening guy once a year. Last year he was reluctant to take my money as he said the Santoku (my daily knife) was perfectly sharp.... I have no problem sharpening the knives at a friend's or family member's home--they are never as sharp as they should be.

Answer

Ok, I think I'm going to buy one of the Edge Pro knockoffs on eBay. I read on CH that they work pretty well. I realize they are not as good as a genuine Edge Pro. Does anyone have any experience with any of these? Thanks!
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=&_osacat=116005&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1311.R5.TR12.TRC2.A0.H0.XEdge+Pro+.TRS0&_nkw=edge+pro+sharpener&_sacat=116005

Answer

Once a year from a professional . I will use the steel on them when they feel a little dull . I always hand wash them , never put them in the sink or dishwasher , I dry them off and I always put them back in the drawer in their protective case .

Answer

I use a Wicked Edge device, with the angle extender for Japanese knives (gets me down to 8 degrees). I had an Edge Pro, but passed it on to my daughter, and I must say I find the Wicked Edge easier to use, more precise on angles, and easily adaptable to odd shaped knives. I probably sharpen every 2-3 months, depending on how much use the knife gets. Doubt I sharpen my heavy cleaver more often than every 6 months. One of the nice things about the WickedEdge is that the diamond stones don't dish, and you don't need them wet; less of a mess, and less cost in stones once you buy the initial set-up.

Answer

I give my knives a few strokes on the stone every couple weeks.

Answer

Synthetic Japanese water stones. You can get a top level set for like $200. Very good set for about $135. 

For double bevels:

Coarse stones for thinning every couple of sharpenings. Also for bevel setting on new knives or used knives that I buy. Fixing knives for friends I'll always start with coarse. 

Medium stone every time I do a real sharpening (bevel already set how I like).

For wide bevel gyutos and single bevels I take it up the whole stone progression unless i'm just doing touchups of the edge. Thinning and pushing up the shinogi line are kind of built into the knife there. 

Finishing stone every couple weeks for touch ups in between real sharpenings.

Answer

I hone my knives on a steel before every use, and sharpen them on a water stone about every 3 months.

Answer

Doesn't matter how much a knife costs in the store. Once it's dull, it's dull. A cheap, sharp knife is way more valuable than a dull, expensive one. I hand sharpen using water stones. Reading through this thread is validating what I've been suspecting for a while now. I don't sharpen my knives often enough. I let them get too dull before taking them to the stones again (months go by.)

Answer

I would add, the question "how often" is kind of pointless. Sharpen when necessary. Never mind what other people do; you do you! Factors that affect edge retention: I cook every day, I use an end grain cutting board, I have like 2 dozen knives I rotate through, and ones I like for specific tasks. My knives are mostly carbon steel and mostly japanese. I don't rock chop. I don't speed chop hard straight up an down. My main chefs knife is 12" so it has better edge retention than say an 8" knife. Everybody's situation is different. Blanket advice of once a year, once a month, etc. are just bad.

Answer

I steel frequently, and sharpen as infrequently as possible.

If I need a quick sharpen I get out my Anolon water sharpener that I paid $16 for several years ago at TJ Maxx:

http://www.amazon.com/Anolon-52255-Universal-Knife-Sharpener/dp/B000F8HR94/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8

I use this maybe once or twice per year. I would get some sharpening stones, but where we live now there is a pro sharpener that comes to the local farmer's market and charges very little. Between the water sharpener and that guy, I don't have any great desire to get a real stone now.

Answer

For me: 
Hand sharpening on stones, about once every 4 to 6 mos. 

For you: 
http://www.amazon.com/Chefs-Choice-ProntoPro-Diamond-Sharpener/dp/B007IVBET0/ 

I have a friend who uses this on both his Japanese & German knives & loves it. I bought one for a relative (to use on the J-style knife I made for him) & he also loves it.

Answer

I'm another waterstone guy. My most used chef's knife gets touched up quite often on a fine stone, and gets a full resharpening maybe every 6 months or so. My other knives get sharpened when they're dull, which can vary quite a bit. Free-handing is among the most effective and versatile ways to sharpen if you learn to do it well, but obviously there's an investment in both equipment and time/skill-building, so it's not ideal for everyone.

I actually think some of the edge pro knockoffs you're considering might work pretty well. And it's very possible that you can even upgrade the abrasives on one if you're interested. At <$30, I think they're a decent gamble. The main issue with that gamble though is that if they have some defect that has the potential to cause problems with your knives, it might be hard to figure out and avoid, given that you don't have much experience sharpening. I'm sure you can get some trouble-shooting advice here though. If you pull the trigger on one, let us know how it's working out for you.

Answer

I do my serious sharpening on a waterstones, but I manage to extend my time between proper sharpening a lot by touching up my knives on a diamond sharpening steel from Ikea. Being coated in diamond, it does actually sharpen (I imagine ceramic ones do as well). 

If you want cheap knives to practice on, I'd recommend Kiwi. They hold a good edge (and are sharpened to a steeper angle than Western knives generally are), but are cheap enough that if a few get damaged it's not a big deal.

Answer

the 'blade people' I have known use either a water or oil stone depending on the knife or chisel, they pause, and while going blank consider the angle and then enter some kind of trance state as they do what needs to be done. I tried it and it works (although I never really analyzed the content of the steel so maybe I was using water when it should have been oil or nice versa)

sharpening can be a Zen thing.

Answer

Chef Morimoto sharpens twice a day. Once before lunch, once before dinner. Click on the video in the following link. At 4:50 he shows us his knives. What's most interesting to me is what his slicing knife looks like after he has used and sharpened it for three years. 

https://www.ming.com/simply-ming/episodes/season-11/1105-morimoto-and-knives.htm

Answer

I'm no help, but thank you for posting this, I have good knives but they're shamefully dull.

Answer

Very often. I can almost tell just by touching the knife to my hand whether it is dull. Because I never could master sharpening a knife with a stone or steel, years ago I purchased the electric Chef's Choice 3-stage knife sharpener. I can already hear you food purists out there grimacing over the electric version, but it works.

Make sure you get the 3-stage version, as even the world's best knife will still need to be roughly ground down now and then. As for worrying about the 5 degree difference between American and Japanese knives, don't. Just grind it enough in the first stage to acquire the desired angle.

Now if you folks really believe your knives are sharpened by hand when you send them out, they are not. My neighbor was in the restaurant supply business, and they would send the knives out to a commercial concern where an electric sharpener was used to grind them down.

I really love razor sharp knives, for they make my work so much easier.

Now that I have all you foodies out there jumping up and down about this horrific device, I hope this will not prevent you folks who are unskilled knife sharpeners from giving it a try. It's just that, no matter what you mention, someone out there will have a negative reaction, so just do what works best for you.

Answer

Go to your local knife store and tell them what you want. They will be able to help you. You don't need an electric one though

Answer

I sharpen as they get dull but each knife is so different depending on usage and brand. Maybe 2-3 times a year I do a stone sharpening then use a little pocket honer as I cook. 

I'm in the process of trying to decide on a Chef's Choice electric sharpener or a WorkSharp Ken Onion knife sharpener. 

Some people love to use stones and go through all that work. I've done that for years and now I just want something faster. I'm not going to shave with it so it needs to be sharp but not like a razor. Also, if you have to sharpen family, friends and neighbor's knives for free….I want something fast. 

I've only had a few knives professionally sharpened. They came out great but it's costly and not convenient for me. 

Some people swear against anything besides hand sharpening but go to a knife store and see if you can try and electric one in person. I used one of the wheel types years ago and it was terrible. I felt like Fred Flintstone. Today's sharpeners have finer grits and angle guards. 

Whatever you end up with, learn how to use it properly and practice with junk knives first, even if you need to buy one at the thrift store.

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How and how often do you sharpen your knives?

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Amazon.com: Anolon 52255 Universal Knife Sharpener: Kitchen & Dining

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