AVONDALE, Pa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The turkey is out of the oven, everyone is seated around the table and all eyes are on you to do the carving. This is your moment. As you set your knife into position you realize, your knife’s edge is dull. You proceed anyway as the edge barely slices its way through the succulent meat. What should be a smooth slice is now a jagged, chopped up piece of meat that you are serving with your fingers.
To properly perform, all knives eventually need resharpening. “Regardless of quality, or how much you spend on your knives, all knives go dull,” says Meagan Bradley, VP of Chef’sChoice, leading manufacturers of quality knife sharpeners.
The fall and winter months are full of festivities that center around preparing and sharing good food. From slicing through the season’s bounty to turkey carving. Sharp knives are essential in helping to make this time crunching, slicing and dicing season much more enjoyable.
How Do You Know If Your Knife Is Dull? Does your knife glide easily through food? Does it smoothly slice through a tomato? Have you resharpened it after frequent use? If the answer is NO, your knife probably needs resharpening.
How Often Should A Knife Be Sharpened? Knives made of the finest steel will hold an edge longer, but even the best knives dull with use— and the initial factory edge only lasts for the first few days or weeks of use.
Do Serrated Edges Need Sharpening? Serrated knives DO get dull—the tips of the serrations fold. Sharpening and realigning the prominent teeth will re-sharpen a serrated knife. Like a saw, it is the tips of the teeth that do most of the cutting.
What Can I do To Make My Edges Last Longer? Proper knife maintenance is key to prolonging the life of a knife. Typically, the knife’s interaction with the cutting board is the greatest contributor to dulling the edge. Avoid hard cutting board materials that abrade such as glass, marble, ceramic, bamboo and other composite materials. More lubricious materials such as polypropylene and polyethylene are kinder to the knife edge. Traditional wood cutting boards are also an effective material, however the grain direction is an important factor. (Boards constructed so that the cutting action is directed into the grain, as opposed to across the grain, are better for maintaining knife edges). Avoid scrapping food remnants off a cutting board, plate or other surface with the sharpened side of the blade.
What About Knife Storage? Always store knives carefully. A wood block or wood drawer insert sheaths the blades and prevents dulling and helps users avoid grabbing the blade instead of the handle.
How Do I Sharpen My Knives? We recommend using an electric or manual sharpener with multi-stages, angle guides and diamond abrasives. Use a multi-stage sharpener that creates arch-shaped edges which are longer-lasting than traditional V-shaped factory edges. Guides ensure the proper angle and a uniform cutting edge. And diamond abrasives are the most effective at sharpening any metal alloy.
The Season’s Best Sharpeners:
Chef’sChoice® Trizor XV EdgeSelect Electric Knife Sharpener is ranked as “Highly Recommended” by Cook’s Illustrated and America’s Test Kitchen. This 3-Stage professional sharpening system combines the strength and durability of a durable, arch-shaped edge with ultra-sharp XV EdgeSelect® technology to sharpen fine-edge, serrated, Asian and sportsman and pocket knives. Simple to use, it quickly sharpens edges into the high-performance Trizor® XV edge. Using 100% diamond abrasives, precision guides and a flexible stropping disk, it creates a durable triple-bevel edge. Available for $159.99-$179.99 at chefschoice.com, in stores and online. Engineered and assembled in the U.S.
The Chef’sChoice® ProntoPro™ 4643 is the fastest manual sharpener available for sharpening both 15° and 20° knife edges. This three-stage sharpener uses precise angle guides, 100% diamond abrasive wheels and CrissCross® sharpening technology, to provide a razor-sharp, double-bevel, arch-shaped edge. Separate honing stage polishes the edge for superior performance. Engineered and assembled in the U.S. Available at chefschoice.com, in stores and online for $49.99.
For more information on how a knife dulls, knife sharpening tips, sharpening myths & facts or Chef’sChoice products, visit chefschoice.com.
Headquartered in Avondale, PA, EdgeCraft is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Legacy Companies and manufacturer of the renowned Chef'sChoice® brand. Established in 1985 and marketed in over 80 countries around the world, Chef'sChoice® products are sold in leading cutlery, sporting goods, department, cookware, specialty, commercial food service, and hardware stores as well as through mail-order and online stores.
Editor’s Note: For images, sample consideration or more information, contact Meagan Bradley at 954.202.7419 or at MBradley@thelegacycompanies.com.
