Japanese Knife Sharpeners

Buy Japanese Knife Sharpeners

Maybe you have a beloved kitchen knife that you’ve grown accustomed to, that could use a little bit of a maintanance; or perhaps you have your eye on a Japanese kitchen knife but aren’t sure how to care for it. Either way, you’re going to need a Japanese knife sharpener in your arsenal, to ensure that your blades are sharp enough to tackle everything from tomatoes to steak.

Everything in life requires a bit of maintenance now and again, including your kitchen tools. By sharpening your knives, you are revealing their true potential once again, and reducing the chance of injuries when you’re cooking. A dull knife is harder to control, making it easier for the blade to slip and for you to end up with an injury, while sharper knives will slide through ingredients like butter.

Not sure if you need to sharpen your knife or not? Get a piece of paper and see if you can easily slice through it, without tearing the paper. If the blade doesn’t easily sweep through the paper, it is likely it will need a little bit of TLC.

So you’ve determined that you want to resurrect the edge of your kitchen knife? You’re going to need to buy Japanese knife sharpeners. A good place to start if you’re looking for the best sharpeners for Japanese knives is Japanese whetstones (a.k.a. water stones), with different grains: rough, medium, and fine. A rough whetstone is coarse, intended for very blunt knives and knives with nicks, and can be followed by the medium and finishing whetstones. The medium whetstone is a good choice for honing knives that have become dull from daily use, and the fine finishing whetstone helps restore the edges to a fine point.

Once you have your whetstone, soak them for 10-15 minutes before use. A finishing whetstone should be periodically splashed with water as you sharpen your blade. Now, place a wet towel under your whetstone of choice to create a non-slip surface while you work. You’ll want to decide on the best sharpening angle for your blade, and make sure that you keep this angle consistent.

Note that single bevel and double bevel kitchen knives should be sharpened differently. Many Western-style knives are double-beveled, with angles on both sides; while traditional Japanese knives tend to be single-beveled, with one straight edge and one angled edge. They only need to be sharpened on one side, unlike a double-beveled knife.

Once you get the hang of sharpening your knives, you’ll never have to deal with a slippery, squishy tomato again! Shop Japanese knife sharpeners right here, and extend the life of your favorite kitchen tools.