How to Sharpen a Knife with a Stone.
Sharp knives can cut your prep time in half,
and, believe it or not, they're actually safer
than dull knives—they're less likely to
slip.
You will need A sharpening stone, also known
as a &quot;Japanese waterstone&quot; A bowl
of water large enough to hold the stone A
kitchen towel A flat, stable surface A dull
knife and a honing steel or ceramic sharpening
rod.
Step 1.
Soak the sharpening stone in a bowl of water
for 5 minutes.
Avoid oil stones-they are difficult to use
correctly, even for culinary professionals.
Step 2.
Remove the stone from the water and place
it on a towel on a stable surface.
Make sure the coarse side faces up.
Step 3.
If you're sharpening a chef's knife, hold
it semi-parallel against the stone at a 20-degree
angle with one hand on the handle and the
other on the top part of the blade.
The 20-degree angle should be about the width
of a matchbook, or even smaller for knives
that require a thinner edge.
Step 4.
Starting with the base of the knife, called
the heel, draw the blade sideways along the
stone while pulling the blade toward you so
that the point of contact slides from the
heel to the tip.
Apply moderate pressure, especially when working
on this coarse side of the stone.
Keep your fingertips on the top edge of the
blade to maintain the angle.
Step 5.
Repeat this motion in the following pattern:
10 times on each side, then 5, then 3, then
single strokes alternating between right and
left 6 times.
You should be able to feel with your fingernail-carefully!-that
a rough burr has developed on the edge.
Knives with thinner edges might take slightly
longer to sharpen; they typically are made
from harder carbon steel than the softer steel
that most Western chef's knives are made from.
Step 6.
Turn the water stone over to fine-tune and
"polish" the edge.
Repeat the sharpening motion with a slightly
lighter touch.
A coarse edge wears more quickly than a polished
edge, but is good for slicing items that have
a tough skin but delicate flesh, like tomatoes
and fish.
Step 7.
Rinse the blade.
Step 8.
For an even more polished edge, finish up
with a few draws along a honing steel, making
sure to draw the blade at the same angle as
before and with a similar sharpening motion.
Now slice away with your new samurai-sharp
blade!
Did you know Samurai warriors used wooden
swords during practice to preserve the edges
of their metal swords.
