Sharp knives are an essential part of any cook’s kitchen arsenal. Helping you to chop, slice and dice quickly and easily, sharp blades will make food prep a doddle. However, if you’re like most people in the UK, you probably don’t sharpen your knives as often as you should. Most of us put up with dull blades for far too long, something that can make food prep more laborious, more time consuming and more dangerous.

If you’re currently trying to chop carrots, slice onions or fillet fish with a dull knife, take a look at our guide to why, when and how to sharpen your blades.

WHY?

As well as making food prep more laborious and more time consuming, dull knives also make it more dangerous. It’s a lot easier to make mistakes with dull blades as you have to use more force to get through food and this makes accidents more likely. What’s more, it’s a lot easier to chop your fruit, veg, fish and meat precisely and quickly if the blade of your knife is razor sharp.

WHEN?

In order to keep your knife as sharp as possible, you really need to sharpen it every few weeks. The more regularly you use your knives, the more often they’ll need to be sharpened. Keep an eye on your favourite blades and make a note of how easily they slice through food when they’re freshly sharpened. As soon as you notice they’re not cutting as well as they should, it’s time to grab your sharpening tool and get to work.

If you’re not sure your knives need sharpening, pick up a piece of paper and try to slice it from top to bottom. If the blade goes through easily, it’s find for a few more weeks, if not, it may need a bit of TLC to bring it up to scratch.

HOW?

The best way to sharpen your knives is with a specially designed sharpener. Sharpeners are available in a variety of different styles, giving you a few options when it comes to selecting a sharpening tool. One of the best knife sharpeners currently available is the Kitchen IQ. Able to sharpen serrated and fixed angle blades and giving you the option for both fine and course sharpening, this innovative sharpener is a must have for all serious cooks out there.

If you have a set of kitchen knives that need a little attention, or if you want to invest in some brand new blades for your cooking arsenal, we can help.