How to Hone Kitchen Cutlery in Your Gainesville Apartment

Believe it or not, a dull kitchen knife can be more dangerous than a sharp one. A dull knife is more likely to slip and it usually requires more force to use, so it’s important to keep your kitchen knives cutting, chopping, and slicing smoothly. Having blades sharpened can be time consuming and difficult, but with simple, regular honing you can keep a blade’s edge sharp for years without needing to pay an expensive professional sharpening service.

The first thing you’ll need to hold the knife is a honing steel, which is easy to find at any store that carries kitchen utensils. This tool is a steel rod with a slightly rough texture and usually a plastic or wood handle. When choosing your honing steel, avoid overly rough patterns since they can wear away at your blade quickly.

Now that you have a steel, it’s time to hone your blade. Always keep the sharp edge of the blade pointed away from you while honing, and work over a counter top or table for safety. Place the knife on the steel so that it forms a cross shape, and adjust the angle so the cutting edge of the knife is flat against it. Most knives are sharpened at an angle of between 20-35 degrees, and you should be able to feel when the edge is flat. Pull the knife across the steel from base to tip 3-5 times to hone the edge. If your knife is sharpened on both sides, flip it over and repeat the process for the other side.

So when cutting or chopping food in your Gainesville apartment, and always use a sharp, honed knife. At Bellamay Grand, our residents all have spacious kitchens to practice their skills. For more information on our apartments or community, contact us today.