Cut correctly. An up-and-down motion when cutting food dulls the edge more quickly than if you cut using a rocking or sliding motion, keeping the blade always in contact with the cutting board. The board should be wood or plastic rather than anything harder.
Hone routinely. Use a honing steel every time you’re about to put the knife to work. Hold the steel vertically and brace its tip against a tabletop as you run each side of the blade edge against the steel, from heel to tip. A true sharpening can be done annually, using a foolproof handheld tool like an Accusharp. “Skip electric sharpeners, which strip away too much metal.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Twitter: Breaking the Bird – a 'riveting' documentaryThe Week Recommends BBC2's 'fascinating' film charts the social media platform's fall from grace
-
Detentions and hostile treatment: is it safe to visit the US?The Explainer Spate of interrogations and deportations at US border sparking decline in overseas visitors
-
The financial changes to expect in 'Awful April'The Explainer As the new financial year begins, it brings changes for bills, wages and tax
