We have a number of kitchen appliances that we take good care of. One tool that is hardly ever thought about is the kitchen knife. It is rarely ever sharpened and their care is usually ignored.
That should change since it is the most important tool we have in the kitchen. They need to be sharp and work properly or there is no point in using them. And how would you work your kitchen without using knives?
You can keep your knives sharp with either an electric sharpener or by using a traditional whetstone, but it is important that you do so. In this article, we will go over several reasons that you should be sharpening your own knives.
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It is safer
A dull knife is a very dangerous instrument. When the blade is dull and can’t cut properly, you tend to have to use more force than you should. If the knife then goes through the thing you are cutting it can’t be controlled. This can lead to you cutting yourself once you lose that control over it.
A sharp knife, on the other hand, is much safer since the knife itself does most of the work. You don’t have to force it to cut things so it is going to slice through very easily. Using a gentle touch means that you have more control over the knife.
Sharpening the knives yourself means they are always going to be sharp. If you have to send them out to be sharpened then there will be times when you do end up using a dull knife. Doing it yourself will keep you much safer in the kitchen as a result.
You’ll save money
Having your knives sharpened professionally is quite costly. Most people don’t have a set of professional knives so it is not cost-effective to send them out to be sharpened. You could end up spending more to have them sharpened than you paid for the actual knives.
And replacing them when they get dull means that you will be buying new knives every couple of years while also using them while they are dull for a while.
Getting a good knife sharpening kit will cost some money initially, but it pays for itself over time since your knives will last forever if you treat them right. Even if you use cheap knives, it is still worth it to invest in a knife sharpening set.
In fact, you may want to upgrade your knives at some point. If you do get some professional quality knives at some point then you will have plenty of practice and make all of your mistakes on the cheap knives.
It’s a new skill
Acquiring new skills is something that everybody should strive for. It is what keeps our brains sharp as our knives. The satisfaction you will have after mastering the art of sharpening knives will be off the charts. It could lead to you looking for other skills to learn because it is such a great feeling.
