Is there a kitchen without a knife? It is a kitchen tool widely used for various purposes. Its proper usage depends on how sharp the blade is. The degree of sharpness depends on an individual.

What is sharp for you may be blunt to the other and vice versa. The best test to carry out to ascertain if the knife is sharp or not is a paper test. How do you do it? Take a piece of straight paper; hold it with one hand while the other holds the knife.

Cut it if the knife can do it smoothly with no folds then your knife is sharp. If not, it’s time to sharpen it either at home or at the commercial enterprises.

Commercial knife users invest in commercial sharpening tools discussed among the methods below.

What options do you have to sharpen your knife blade?

1. Sharpening steel

This is a long rod made of steel used specifically for a blunt knife. It serves two purposes, one is to smoothen the blunt part of the blade and also to restore a used knife to its original shape. It’s simple, hold the sharpening steel with one hand and the knife on the other hand.

Rub the knife against the steel in an up and down motion. Do this as you test the level of sharpness you desire, otherwise, you can overdo it. It is a risky activity that you shouldn’t allow the kids to do it unsupervised. Ensure the knife blade faces away from you such that in case of an accident you are safe.

2. Knife sharpeners

There is no harm in investing in a knife sharpener. As a commercial user them the bigger the sharpener the better the sharpening effect. There are two types of knife sharpeners

• Manual
• Automatic

The manual one uses the hand while the automatic one in most cases uses an energy source-electricity. There is no definite way of using the sharpeners depending on the manufacturer.

Use the manual as a guide on its functioning.

3. Whetstone

A whetstone is the most common knife sharpening tool at home. It works as the sharpening tool but its shape brings the difference. It is a block that you need to lay and grind the blade on it as you hold it firmly against the stone.

4. Use the bottom part of a coffee mug

When you lack any of the tools then the bottom part of a mug is the knife sharpening hack. It acts as the white stone; you just gently run it to get the sharpening effect. Although, this is used when the knife is not totally blunt; great care needs to be taken to prevent any accidents when sharpening the knife.

As a home user and a frequent cook, you must have a way in which you sharpen your knife to save on cost. The food appearance especially the fruits and vegetables depends on the sharpness on your knife-the smooth and sharp blade. Which is your most preferred way of sharpening a knife?