TIL I've been sharpening my kitchen knives wrong for 6 years after watching a YouTube video from a guy in Japan

I used to just run them through a pull-through sharpener until I saw a video where he used a whetstone and three different grits - my $75 chef's knife actually slices paper now. Has anyone else switched methods and noticed a huge difference?

3 comments

3 Comments

blair59719d ago

Oh man, the paper test is such a game changer right? I went from a pull-through to a King 1000/6000 combo stone and it felt like I discovered a whole new world of cooking. The difference in how easily a properly sharpened knife glides through tomatoes compared to that squishy crushing motion is night and day. Now I'm that guy who brings his own knife to dinner parties because I can't stand using dull house knives. It's honestly addictive once you get that first really sharp edge and realize what you were missing all those years.

rowanharris18d ago

A little trick for bringing your own knife to parties - wrap it in a clean dish towel instead of a blade guard. Looks way less weird and you've always got a towel ready for cleanup too. What stone grit do you find yourself using the most for that tomato-slicing edge?

hayes.joel18d ago

Haha @blair597, you're so right about the paper test being a game changer. I remember my first time trying it and slicing through a tomato like butter instead of that sad, squishy crush you mentioned. It's honestly embarrassing how many dull knives I put up with before I got into sharpening stone. My friends think I'm crazy when I show up to their place with my own chef's knife in a little sleeve (like some kind of weirdo, I know). But once you've felt that satisfying glide through a ripe tomato, it's hard to go back to the dull stuff. I've definitely ruined a few paper cuts trying to show off my sharpening skills though, so maybe take my advice with a grain of salt.