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`` knife sharpener.com
Independent, accurate and unbiased information about kitchen knives used for the preparation of food
and how to sharpen them and keep them sharp
Sharpening FAQ
What is knife sharpening ?
There are four stages to sharpening a knife.
oProfiling: which is changing the shape, or profile, of the blade; this might be necessary if the cutting edge becomes badly chipped
oGrinding: which is creating a basic shape by an abrasive action
oHoning: which is refining the existing bevel of a cutting edge
oPolishing: which is a further refining stage to the bevel to reduce the depth of the microscopic scratches
How do I tell if a knife is sharp ?
There are just four good ways to tell if your knife is sharp:
oBy sight
oBy testing the ‘bite ‘ on a sheet of paper
oBy testing the ‘bite ‘ on a tomato
oBy testing the ‘bite ‘ with a tissue
Read about these methods here >>>
What is the best sharpening method ?
There is no absolutely best sharpening method, just as there is no absolutely best pizza. Different people have many reasons to use a knife sharpener. Some people just want a quick sharpener requiring no skill to make a cheap kitchen knife a little sharper than before. Others want a knife sharpening method that will create a long-lasting, extremely sharp polished cutting edge on an expensive Japanese kitchen knife. So the manufacturers make a range of sharpeners to suit every need.
What is the correct sharpening angle for a kitchen knife ?
Deciding on what the ‘included angle’ of a kitchen knife should be is a compromise between sharpness and durability. The smaller the angle between the two bevels, the sharper the knife will be. But a very sharp knife will not stay sharp for long unless if it is used only for light cutting, such as only being used for peeling an orange. But for most kitchen knives, being used for lots of different kind of cutting, a very sharp knife will become dull after some use.
The following is a guide for kitchen knives:
Chinese cleaver50 degrees
Table knife50 degrees
Heavy duty chefs knife 40 degrees
Utility knife 35 degrees
Slicing knife 30 degrees
Paring knife 25 degrees
Japanese vegetable knife18 degrees
What is the best way to keep a knife sharp ?
There are eight things to do to help keep a kitchen knife sharp for longer. Read about them here >>>
Do electric knife sharpeners damage kitchen knives ?
Some electric knife sharpeners can damage a good kitchen knife. Some sharpeners have an aggressively abrasive option to grind the blade. They produce a very sharp edge by removing more metal than is necessary. But most of the good electric knife sharpeners have several abrasive options and the less severe options can produce a very sharp cutting edge on most kitchen knives by carefully honing the bevel. Read more here >>>
Knife blade shapes
Knife blades and their shapes or profiles
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blade
Knife discussion
Knife and blade forum and huge archive
About kitchen knives
Useful information about kitchen knives
http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t--1075/types-of-kitchen-knives.asp
Types of knives
Info about Western and Japanese kitchen knives
