I want to get a knife sharpener for my kitchen but have no idea of what to get. Any input from the Dope?
Not so much a recommendation but a decent overview of some of the different types.
@ChefGuy would know.
Many knife sets come with a sharpener that is a rod with a handle. They are easy to use if one Googles but I find they work just okay on flat knives and less well on serrated ones.
Hardware stores sell a gizmo with 3 different slots with sharpening stones for up to $30, which seems to be the same as the one a popular Canadian dollar store sells for $4. Real cooks say these cheap things are not good, but they seem to work well enough.
I’m sure there are professionals who sharpen off and serrated knives which are trickier to do well at home.
There are lots of knife sharpening options for many different skill levels and needs. Before we go too far down the knife sharpening path, what type of knife sharpener do you think you’ll be? Are you the type who is looking for something quick and easy to make knives generally usable, or are you looking for something that will produce a razor’s edge and don’t mind doing a bit of work? And what kind of hand skill do you have? Would you want a system where the knife motion is fixed and foolproof, or would you be okay with a system where you have to hold the knife at a certain angle and move it smoothly to get a good edge?
I want something quick and easy that requires no skill on my part.
Check your grocery store butcher. Some will sharpen your knives, others can send them out for sharpening. Also, look in your area for come-to-your-home services.
That’s not a knife sharpener. It’s a sharpening steel or honing rod. It is for removing or straightening burrs or folded over edges. It does not sharpen the knife in a technical sense, but it can help some in a practical sense.
Spyderco Sharpmaker
Is a good answer. I’ve got wet wheel grinders, belt sharpeners and others. This device will handle 90% of your sharpening needs. All you have to do is hold the blade vertical and run it down the rods alternating one to the other.
It also depends on what kind of knives you have and how much space you have for gadgets. I have an electric Chefs Choice sharpener which works great.
You need to know if a slot-type of sharpener will work with your knives. If your knives have a full bolster – a thick bit of metal at the rear of the blade – then slotted type sharpeners will not really work.
Mrs. Charming and Rested got this exact model based on a recommendation from, I think, America’s Test Kitchen. It’s great. It takes a little work initially to regrind edges to the 15 degree angle but then you get a sharp edge that lasts for a while. Resharpening from there takes less than a minute with great results every time. It’s wonderful to have sharp knives whenever you need them.
There are warnings on the internet that using it on Chef’s knives with heels will eventually recess the edge and render the knife useless. We’ve sharpened our Henckel’s Chef’s knife about a dozen times with no appreciable recessing of the cutting edge. Professional sharpening is around $10 to $15 per knife. Even if the sharpener wears our Chef’s knife down to the nub after 25 sharpens (and I’m guessing the knife will go at least 40), we will have saved at least $250 in sharpening fees on that knife alone. The whole set of knives can be replaced for less than $200.
There are cheaper sharpeners from the same manufacturer that look the same but that don’t cut to the same angle. Accept no substitutes.
I use a whetstone with a water drip. My knives are carbon steel.
And that’s key. Using a sharpening stone on stainless rather than carbon can be very tiresome task
I’ve got the Worksharp with the belts. It pricey and takes a little patience to use, but the best way I can describe the results is “scary sharp.” I know sharper knives are supposed to be safer, but I don’t know if I’d want anything sharper.
Its also a pain changing belts just doing one knife, so I usually wait a bit and do all my knives at once.
Since the OP is looking for recommendations, let’s move this to IMHO.
What’s a good sharpener that doesn’t take a lot of time, and is good for serrated knives?
The Spyderco mentioned above can do serrated bread knives. If you’re talking about those really fine serrated knives, nothing can sharpen them without removing the teeth in the process.
Many hardware store sharpeners like this Accusharp do a good job of putting a new edge on a blade, but take off too much material for regular sharpening. My daughter-in-law ruined her Santoku with one of those.
That Accusharp looks to be a good solution for people who consider their knives as a generic kitchen tool and are okay with knives being disposable. I’m thinking I might pick up a couple and leave them at the houses of the relatives we stay with occasionally who put all their knives in a drawer and they are always dull. And take one when we go to vacation homes with similar knives. It looks like a good way to get a functional edge without too much work.
I bought one of these about a month ago and it didn’t work very well for me. I am certain that it’s the fault of my technique though. I’ll try again eventually but I was disappointed that it wasn’t as easy as I anticipated.
Oh, it works a treat. I use it for my pocket knife and also if a kitchen knife needs to be re-edged.