How to Get and Keep Your Kitchen Knives Super Sharp

If you love to cook, you'll be spending a good deal of time slicing, dicing, chopping and mincing. To do it well, you need properly sharpened knives.

This post is in partnership with Edgecraft. All opinions are my own.

Because I’m regarded by friends and family as a hands-on tool guy, the task of carving the holiday turkey or roast often falls to me. I’m always appreciative of the honor, but all too often, the cutting tools I’m presented with are better suited for shredding than carving.

The Dull Truth The fact is, most kitchen knives are far from sharp. Not only is a dull knife frustrating to use, it can actually be more dangerous than a well-honed blade since a dull cutting tool often invites the use of excessive pressure making it more likely to slip.

Enjoy Sharpness To me, there is sheer joy in using a sharp cutting implement. A nicely honed blade makes preparation easier and turns out foods that look more attractive and cook more uniformly.

My Choice for Sharpening  So what is the best and easiest way to get and keep a factory-sharp edge on your cutlery? Well, I’ve looked deeply into the art, science and lore of knife sharpening and kitchen tested more than one solution. After all my investigation and experience, I’ve come to the conclusion that, hands down, a multi-station, electric sharpener with diamond abrasive sharpening disks is the best tool for the job. My choice is the Chef’s Choice sharpener from Edgecraft.

One thing that’s crucial when sharpening any knife is that it be held at a consistent angle. If this doesn’t happen, there’s no hope of getting a really sharp edge. The Edgecraft sharpener has built-in automatic guides that hold the blade in precisely the correct position as it passes over the rotating diamond abrasive disks.

East Meets West  Though they may look similar, all knives are not created equal. American and European knives have different edge angles than the increasingly popular Asian style knives. One thing I like about this sharpener it that can handle both kinds. Knives are designed for different tasks: chopping, slicing, paring and carving. In this video I point out the differences and  show how to sharpen each type. I also demonstrate how to test for sharpness and explain how to protect and maintain sharp knife edges once you have them.

For more information about the Chef's Choice sharpener featured in this video, visit chefschoice.com.