Why you should professionally sharpen your kitchen knives!

It’s worth it to have your knives professionally sharpened, even if it sounds like an unnecessary luxury expense for you. If you have good knives, you probably invested a decent amount of money in them. It’s way cheaper to get a professional to sharpen those knives than it is to purchase new knives when yours get dull. You’re also much less likely to ruin the knives than you would be if you tried to sharpen them yourself, which also allows you to avoid replacement.

Using expertly sharpened knives makes food preparation easier. Instead of sawing and tearing fibers with dull knives and losing essential oils. Sharp knives provide a smoothly cut surface with minimum pressure applied. Sharp knives are always much more fun to work with.

There are two different techniques to maintain your knives.

1. Honing will align the blade of your knife making it feel sharper. We suggest running your blades across your honing blade every time before you use them. This removes very little material from the blade and prolongs the time between professional sharpening.

2. Sharpening, on the other hand, is a technique that takes a small amount of material off the blade to create a new, sharper edge. With a bit of training and a lot of practice, you might be able to sharpen your knives to a certain degree at home. To get real results though, there is no other way than giving your knives into the hands of highly skilled professionals. A professionally trained knife smith can assess the correct angle for your knife’s bevel edge. They will ensure the least amount possible is going to be taken off the blade, prolonging your knife’s lifespan. Any dents or burrs are taken out of the blade with this technique.

A professionally sharpened knife cuts better, stays sharp for longer, and is easier to keep sharp once the blade starts to get dull again. You can think honing is like brushing your teeth, sharpening is like going to the dentist.

Knives need professional sharpening about once or twice a year, depending on how much you use them. Unfortunately, local knife sharpeners have become a rare breed these days. Luckily, Knife Aid can provide you with professionally sharpened knives no matter where in the U.S. you live. Once we return your knives to you, they will be as good as new.

If you love cooking - sharpen your knives! If you love the person who’s cooking - sharpen their knives!