Why Is a Sharp Knife a Safe Knife?
If you’ve ever been in a cooking class or worked in a restaurant, you’ll know the number one rule about knives is that a sharp knife is a safe knife. It’s been repeated and preached hundreds of times, but do you actually know why a sharp knife is safer?
So Why Is It Safer?
A truly sharp knife takes no effort to slice through ingredients. But when you use a dull knife, you really have to work to cut through anything. Without sharpness, most people turn to force, pushing down harder with the knife to try and cut through your ingredients.
But the thing about a dull knife is that it’s still sharp enough to cut you, and it’s more likely to slip since the edge is smoother. And if you’re putting a whole lot of force behind your knife when it slips? You better be ready to dodge that blade.
So how do we remedy this dangerous situation? By sharpening your knives, and keeping them sharp!
How Do You Tell If Your Knife Is Sharp?
One of the ways you can tell that safely is by using your finger nail. House of Knives President, Andre Eng, demonstrates this technique for us in the video above. If the knife is able to stay on your finger nail, then it’s still sharp. If it doesn’t then it’s time to get it sharpened.
Keeping Your Knives Sharp
Even if you’ve never sharpened a knife before, there are so many options available to you! The two tools you’re going to need are a honing steel and a sharpening device.
Honing Steels
A honing steel, that big metal rod in your drawer or knife block, will help you keep sharp knives sharp, but doesn’t actually make your knives any sharper. What it does is realign the knife edge when it starts to dull, and in turn, you won’t have to sharpen your knives as often. Here’s a quick video on two techniques you can use with a honing steel.
You can check out more tips and techniques from House of Knives President, Andre Eng, on our YouTube Channel.
Sharpeners
You have a wide range to choose from, accommodating all levels of sharpening skill!
- Pull-through sharpeners, like the one above, are great for beginners if you need to put an edge back on your knife. While it takes a little bit of work, it’s super easy to do. Just pull the knife through, and you’re golden.
- Electric sharpeners are a step up in price, but again, they don’t have much of a learning curve. These will put a nearly-factory edge back on your knives quickly, and they’ll last you years and years.
- Pocket and Pen sharpeners are your in-a-pinch saviours. While these aren’t difficult to use, they’ll only put a satisfactory edge on your knives. If you really need to sharpening though, you’ll be happy to have them!
- Whetstones and Kits take a bit of skill, and a bit of practice to learn, but once you can sharpen on a stone, you’ll never settle for anything less.
Or Take Your Knives to House of Knives!
We have an in-house sharpening service at many locations that will put a professional edge back on your blades! We also do kitchen shears, sport knives, and knife repairs.
Take a look at our sharpening menu for details and pricing, or come visit us at any of our 17 locations across BC and Alberta for all your sharpening needs!
What method do you use to sharpen your knives? Let us know in the comment section below.
