In Defense of Devices for Sharpening Knives With a Through Hole
A sharp knife makes a kitchen safe, but there are so many conflicting schools of thought that learning how to sharpen your own knives can be overwhelming. My philosophy is this: I am a cook, not a blacksmith. I need a quick and reliable sharpening method because I don’t have spare knives to use while mine is at the hardware store sharpening it, and I don’t want to spend a couple of decades mastering the art of sharpening a blade. For this reason, I prefer a through knife sharpener. If you are too, I am here to confirm you.
Generally speaking, handheld knife sharpeners work by using two “V” shaped pieces of tungsten carbide that rub off the metal on both sides of the blade, creating a new edge. Depending on your point of view, this is either a great way to bring blunt blades to life or an absolute abomination. “But the corners !” knife snobs cry while clutching pearls. “And these pocket sharpeners remove so much metal! You will shorten the life of your knife! “Well, you create an edge by removing some of the metal, right? It’s just that a hand sharpener does it faster and less accurately than a stone. With regard to the “shortening the life of your knife” argument, I really don’t know what to say. It is almost impossible to really ruin a knife because the knives are made of metal. Periodic sharpening won’t make the metal more brittle or turn the blade into a dull, unusable little ledge, even if you’re very, very strong.
However, the angles argument makes some sense. The V-shaped sharpener can only remake the blade in its own way, so they are best for knives that are beveled at the same angle. I use AccuSharp at about 20 degrees, which is pretty standard; because I use fairly standard knives – the Kiwi and Wüsthof chef knives, as well as the Challenger bread knife – they suit me very much and I feel comfortable. Of course, he does not make my Wüsthof a beautiful mirror polish, like a professional, but in a few minutes he makes the blade sharp enough.
If you are a fancy guy with a thousand dollar carbon steel knife, I obviously am not suggesting that you use AccuSharp. You paid good money for this advantage, which means you can continue to pay good money to have someone support it for you. But for the rest of us who just need something sharp, the handheld sharpener will do the job well and quickly. Remember Julia Child’s immortal words: “Keep your knives sharp and, above all, have a good time. “Whichever sharpening method allows you to have a good time in the kitchen, I encourage you to continue that way without feeling guilty.