Using a dull knife is not only frustrating; it is also dangerous. Dull blades are more likely to slip over tough ingredients. And the additional force you must use to get a dull blade to cut through tough ingredients means that if the knife does slip, it can do great damage to anything in its way. This might sound counterintuitive, but keeping your knives sharp with a knife sharpener is the best way to ensure knife safety.

There are four types of knife sharpeners: manual, honing steel, electric, and whetstone. Regardless of which type of knife sharpener you own, this guide offers all the basics on how to use a knife sharpener.

Tip!

Don't have a knife sharpener yet? Read up on each type's advantages and disadvantages in Your Guide to the Best Knife Sharpener.

How to Use a Knife Sharpener of Any Kind
How to Know When a Knife Needs Sharpening
How to Use a Manual Knife Sharpener
How to Use a Honing Steel
How to Use a Whetstone
How to Use an Electric Knife Sharpener

How to Use a Knife Sharpener of Any Kind

In this guide, we'll go over how to sharpen a knife using each of the sharpeners in the collage below.

How to Know When a Knife Needs Sharpening

If your knife struggles to get through produce skins, no longer cuts all the way through ingredients, or has become difficult to use, it might no longer be a sharp knife. You can conduct the paper test to be sure about whether or not to sharpen it.

Step 1:

Hold a piece of paper in front of you with your nondominant hand.

Step 2:

Holding your knife in your dominant hand, position the heel of the blade against the edge of the paper and then gently slice downward, pulling the blade through the paper from heel to tip. If your knife struggles to slice cleanly through the paper, it's time to sharpen it.

How to Use a Manual Knife Sharpener

Step 1:

Position the sharpener on a clean, flat surface.

Step 2:

Grip the sharpener's handle with your nondominant hand and hold it securely in place.

Step 3:

Gripping the knife securely in your dominant hand with all your fingers on the handle behind the heel, place the knife into the sharpening slot. The blade side of the knife should be facing downward with the area just above the heel inserted into the slot. If your manual knife sharpener has multiple slots for different sharpening stages, you should start with the coarsest slot first.

Step 4:

Pull the knife toward you so the entire blade passes through the slot. Be sure to apply slight pressure and lift up at the end to ensure the tip of the blade makes contact with the sharpening grinders inside. This motion shouldn't be too swift or slow – try to take between 1 and 2 seconds on each swipe.

Step 5:

Repeat step 4 until you can see small metal filings appear on the knife's edge.

Step 6:

If your sharpener has multiple stages, repeat steps 3 and 4 with each successive slot. Once your blade is sharpened, be sure to wash it gently with soap and water to remove any metal filings.

How to Use a Honing Steel

Step 1:

Holding the handle of the honing rod securely in your nondominant hand, position the top of the steel against a clean, flat countertop. Apply enough pressure to keep the honing steel securely vertical against the counter.

Step 2:

Hold the knife securely by the handle with the blade facing downward, and position the heel of the blade at a 15° angle against the steel.. Maintaining the 15° angle of the blade against the steel, gently pivot the knife so its tip is pointing upward.

Step 3:

Applying minimal pressure, pull the knife's blade down against the honing rod, consistently remaining at a 15° angle against the steel. As you swipe the blade down, pull the knife gently toward you so that the entire length of the blade gets a chance to make contact with the steel before it reaches the bottom. This should be a smooth, quick motion.

Step 4:

Repeat steps 2 and 3 with the other side of the knife's blade. You can hold the knife and honing steel in the same hands, just position the knife on the opposite side of the honing steel that you used for steps 2 and 3.

Step 5:

Repeat steps 2 through 4 until you have swiped each side of the blade against the honing steel four to five times.

Step 6:

Gently clean the blade to ensure all the metal filings are removed before use.

How to Use a Whetstone

Step 1:

Soak your whetstone in water for 5–10 minutes. The coarser the stone, the longer you must soak it.

Step 2:

Place the whetstone coarse side up on a rubber mat or damp cloth on your countertop. The whetstone should be perpendicular to (not parallel with) the edge of the countertop. The underlay should help keep the whetstone firmly in place while you sharpen.

Step 3:

Hold your knife parallel with the countertop so that the blade is facing away from you. Angle the heel of the blade 15° – 20° against the top of the whetstone. To better secure the knife against the whetstone and attain more control over the sharpening process, you can gently press your fingertips against the side of the blade.

Step 4:

Applying minimal pressure with both hands, gently draw the blade's edge against the whetstone in an arcing motion while maintaining the angle. You should be pulling the knife toward you. The arc of the motion should ensure that the entire length of the blade makes contact with the whetstone as you pull the knife toward you.

Step 5:

To sharpen the other side of the blade, repeat steps 3 and 4 with the knife's blade now facing you. Repeat this process for both sides of the blade until you can feel a burr on the edge of the blade.

Step 6:

Repeat steps 3 through 5 on the fine side of the whetstone.

Step 7:

Gently clean the blade to ensure all filings are removed before use.

How to Use an Electric Knife Sharpener

Step 1:

Position the sharpener on a clean, dry surface and plug it in. Turn the device on using the on/off button or switch.

Step 2:

Gripping the knife securely in your dominant hand with all your fingers on the handle behind the heel, place the knife into the sharpening slot. The blade should face downward with the area just above the heel inserted into the slot. Be sure to push the blade down into the slot as far as it can go to ensure it makes contact with the grinders. Start with the coarsest slot first.

Step 4:

Pull the knife toward you so the entire blade passes through the slot. Apply slight pressure and lift up at the end to ensure the tip of the blade makes contact with the rotating grinders inside. This motion shouldn't be too swift or slow – try to take between 1 and 2 seconds on each swipe. Complete this process for both the left and right sides of the sharpening slot. Because of the effectiveness of many electric sharpeners, you'll only need to pass the blade through the slot twice on each side to sharpen it.

Step 5:

Repeat steps 3 and 4 with each successive sharpening slot. Once your blade is sharpened, be sure to wash it gently with soap and water to remove any metal filings.

Now that you know how to use a knife sharpener, it’s time to find the right type of knife sharpener for you!