Stop Struggling in the Kitchen—Follow This Knife Sharpening Schedule for Smooth, Safe Slicing

The sharper your kitchen knives, the easier it will be to quickly and effectively prepare food. Ideally, a kitchen knife blade should slice cleanly through just about any type of food, but as the knife dulls with use, you may find that it feels like you are forcing the blade or even that it's slipping off what you're trying to cut. In order to avoid problems with knife sharpness, it’s best to have a regular sharpening schedule for your knives based on the frequency with which you use them. But how often should you sharpen your kitchen knives? Find out the answer to this question below. 

How Can You Tell When a Knife Needs to be Sharpened?

There are a few signs you can watch for to determine if your knife needs to be sharpened or if it is still okay to use. Firstly, if you are pushing too hard while cutting or the blade is slipping or skidding off the food you are attempting to cut, this means the knife is dull. Similarly, if there are frayed or torn edges instead of a clean, smooth cut on vegetables, herbs, meat, and other foods, then this is an indication that the knife is forcing its way through, instead of cutting. 

Bob Ryan, executive chef at Little Sparrow, sums it up by saying that “as soon as whatever you are cutting shows any resistance, it’s probably time to sharpen. For example, if you try to cut a piece of any type of meat and the meat starts compressing before the knife slices through the surface…time to sharpen. In the summer, a tomato is a great test. A sharp knife should slice right through tomato skin without any struggle.”

Related: How to Test Knife Sharpness for Cleaner, Safer Cutting

How Often Should You Sharpen Your Kitchen Knives?

The frequency with which you sharpen your kitchen knives depends on how often you use them, what type of steel the knife is made from, and what you are using the knives to cut. Generally, you will need to sharpen carbon steel knives less often than you would need to sharpen stainless steel knives. Similarly, if you use the knife for cutting through tough root vegetables or bones, then it will need to be sharpened more often than a knife used for soft foods.

Ryan mentions that “it all depends on how often you are using them. If you are using a knife once a week to prepare a meal on a weekend you can probably stretch it to once every few months. If you are using them daily, you might need to do it weekly or even more frequently.” Keep in mind that you can use honing to keep the knife sharp for longer between knife sharpenings.

Related: How to Sharpen Kitchen Knives at Home for Safe, Efficient Cutting

Are There Differences in Sharpening Frequency Between Western and Japanese Knives?

The main difference between a Western and a Japanese knife is usually the type of metal that is used to make the knife. “A Japanese knife uses harder steel so it will hold the edge longer. With that being said, the harder steel is brittle versus a Western knife that is made with softer but stronger steel. A Western knife will require more frequent sharpening but the steel used has the toughness to stand up to it,” notes Quintin Middleton, owner/artist at Middleton Made Knives.

How to Tell If Your Knife Is Sharp

There are several knife sharpness tests you can conduct to tell if a knife is sharp. Ryan explains that “a thin piece of paper works great. Old catalog or magazine pages are perfect. Hold the sheet of paper up from the top and slice into the side of the paper on an angle, downward. Start with the heel of your knife and slice to the tip. The paper should slice cleanly all the way along the knife. If your knife gets caught at any point and the paper tears, time to sharpen.”

Another option is to visually inspect the blade. Look at the edge under good light. If you see a thin white line reflecting back, the edge is rounded and dull. You can also use the tomato test. If a knife is sharp it should easily cut the skin of a tomato without crushing it.