How to Sharpen a Kitchen Knife at Home (Safely)

A dull knife squashes tomatoes, slips off onions and makes cooking feel like hard work. It's also more dangerous, because you have to press harder.

Keeping your knives sharp takes just a few minutes. First, it helps to know the two different jobs: honing and sharpening.

Honing vs sharpening

• Honing straightens the edge of the blade. Do it often with a honing rod — even every time you cook.
• Sharpening removes a tiny bit of metal to create a new edge. Most home cooks only need to do this every few months.

How to hone a knife

1. Hold the honing rod upright with the tip resting on a cutting board.
2. Place the heel of the knife against the top of the rod at about a 15–20 degree angle.
3. Draw the blade down and towards you so the whole edge touches the rod.
4. Repeat 5–6 times on each side, alternating sides.

How to sharpen with a whetstone

Soak the stone if the instructions say so, then place it on a damp towel so it doesn't slide.

1. Start with the coarser side of the stone.
2. Hold the knife at the same 15–20 degree angle.
3. Push the blade across the stone from heel to tip, using light, even pressure.
4. Do about 10 strokes per side, then repeat on the finer side to polish the edge.

Easier options

Pull-through sharpeners are simple and quick, though they remove more metal. Many kitchen shops also offer professional sharpening for a small fee.

Test your edge by slicing a sheet of paper — a sharp knife glides through without tearing.