A sharp knife makes the cutting, slicing, or boning job easy. In fact; the sharper your knife, the safer it is. Dull knives tend to strain your hand, mangle your fish fillets, damage your cake and bread slices, and could even injure you. So always use a sharp knife. And that is why if you are a serious cook, investing in an electric knife sharpener is a good idea.
The average home-cook goes through at least one new knife a year. Good quality knives are expensive and finding a great knife with a comfortable handle and a sturdy grip can be tough.
Instead, if you invest in an electric knife sharpener you get to keep your comfortable knives and also save tons of money on buying new ones, year after year. With an electric knife sharpener, you save valuable time that you’d otherwise spend in getting your knife sharpened by a professional.
What to look for when buying an electric knife sharpener
Having your own electric knife sharpener can save you the hassle of buying a new knife or sending out an existing dull knife to professionals for sharpening.
Now, purists might tell you that the best way to sharpen your knife is using a manual sharpening action on a whetstone. However, a good quality electric knife sharpener can do the job equally well (sometimes better!). You get to sharpen your knife on your own time and not have to wait for days for your knife to come back from the professionals.
Good electric knife sharpeners provide multi-stage sharpening giving you the right amount of sharpness. They also take the guesswork out of the process as all you have to do is insert the knife in the sharpening slot flanked by guides. Press the button and you have a sharp knife each time!
Here are the factors to consider when buying good electric knife sharpener
Price
Price should not be the first factor to consider when buying an electric knife sharpener, but it definitely is an important one. Think about it: most home cooks would use their knife sharpener about once a month, on average, and the fact is that knife sharpeners can be used for sharpening more than knives alone.
You can also use them for screwdrivers, gaming knives and more. So think of your budget, and your requirements. Investing in a quality electric knife sharpener saves time and money in the long run..
Performance
The only way you can assess the performance of any electric knife sharpener is by reading reviews about it. Many electric knife sharpeners are known to scratch, mangle and damage knife blades. Below I’ve listed the best knife sharpeners for your convenience based on Amazon.
Good knife sharpeners will leave the blade in the same condition and sharpness as you first bought it rather than making the blade dull. The unit should also be easy to use, clean, and store. It should be versatile and perform various tasks in sharpening different styles and types of knives.
Safety
Electric knife sharpeners should come with good suction to stabilize the unit and prevent it from vibrating or wobbling. It should also collect the ground metal shavings and allow their safe disposal without harming the user.
Size and aesthetics
Performance should naturally be the priority when buying an electric knife sharpener, but a compact sharpener offers ease of storage and attractive colouring and design makes it pleasurable to use and display.
Best electric knife sharpeners
Chef’sChoice 15 Trizor XV Electric Knife Sharpener
Features
- Superior patented technology sharpens your knife literally within a minute!
- Advanced guide system gives accurate sharpening angles for each cutting task
- Convert 20-degree edge into Trizor XV edge
- Sharpen all styles of knives including American, Japanese, and European straight-edged or serrated knives.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Versatile
- Durable
- Has been reviewed on America’s Test Kitchen
- Value for money
Cons
- Sometimes may scratch the knife blades
Presto 08810 Professional Electric Knife Sharpener
Features
- Presto Pro Electric knife sharpener offers professional grade sharpening right at home
- Very easy to use
- Offers 3-stage sharpening
- Sharpen all kinds of kitchen knives and game knives easily
- Optimum sharpening at angles thanks to interchanging blade guides
Pros
- Durable
- Versatile
- Easy to use
- Lightweight, plastic body
- Compact and easy to store
- Value for money
- Makes an attractive gift
- Excellent suction power
- Thousands of positive reviews
Cons
- Sometimes may remove chunks of blades and leaves patterns on the blade
- Customer service isn’t reliable.
- Works only on 110 V – does not work outside of the US.
Wusthof PEtec Electric Sharpener
Features
- Wusthof PEtec knife sharpener is very easy to use
- It offers 3 different stages of sharpening with varying pull-through
Pros
- Chef recommended
- Easy to use (provided you follow the instructions!)
- Gives razor sharp knives and works great on all kinds of knives including serrated ones
- Excellent material quality
- Value for money
Cons
- Wobbly blades and noisy unit
Linkyo Electric Knife Sharpener
Features
- Comfortable, safe and easy to use and store; the Linkyo electric knife sharpener will sharpen your knives easily in the comforts of your home.
- The unit has strong suction cups that secure the unit firmly to the surface it is placed on and prevents slipping.
- Easy to clean; Linkyo catches the metal shards of your knives so you can dispose of them safely.
- No scope for making mistakes with this unit! Extremely easy and safe to use.
Pros
- Easy to use, clean, and store
- Made with excellent material
- Durable and long lasting
- Thousands of positive reviews from happy customers
- Powerful suction
Cons
- Noisy
- Instruction manual is not very detailed
- Bearings tend to stall after a few uses.
GA Knife Sharpener Electric
Features
- 3-in-1 electric sharpener for all kinds of knives and screwdrivers
- Designed to hone and sharpen while also polishing your blades
- Small and compact design offers ease of storage
- Simply insert the blade in the slot provided and push the button; you get a sharp knife every time. Very easy to use!
Pros
- Great for gifting
- Value for money
- Easy to use and store
- Powerful suction action
Cons
- Does not sharpen scissors
- May spark and cause fires
- Very noisy.
EdgeKeeper Electric Knife Sharpener
Features
- Compact and attractive, this knife sharpener comes with non-slip feet that ensure safety of sharpening
- Sharpen all your gadgets and tools at a perfect angle each time
- No mess
- Convenient sharpening in the comforts of your home, whenever you want
Pros
- Strong suction power
- Easy to use, clean, and store
- Offers value for money
- Excellent material quality
Cons
- Tends to vibrate a lot.
Work Sharp Knife & Tool Sharpener
Features
- Engineered by Work Sharp and designed by Ken Onion. Work Sharp is a 4th generation company proudly made in the USA
- This versatile sharpener is designed to give precision sharpening between 15 to 30 degrees
Pros
- Thousands of positive reviews
- Easy to use
- Great for gifting
- Long-lasting
- Versatile
- Durable
- Value for money
Cons
- Could scratch the knife blades
- There are some complaints about motor design.
How to use an electric knife sharpener
Always read the manual before using your electric knife sharpener. Some devices come with 1, 2 or 3 slots and, depending on the kind of knife you use; you may have to use one or all three of them.
Some electric knife sharpeners also come with a wheel that converts American and European knives from higher to lower degree bevel. So it all depends on the kind of sharpener you buy and also on the type of knife you want sharpened.
How often should you sharpen your knives?
There is a distinct difference between the results of a sharp knife and those of a dull one. A sharp knife will effortlessly glide over the meat or produce, giving well-defined cuts and slices.
When you use a dull knife, you need to use more pressure to achieve the same results. The increased pressure can cause your knife to slip, making your knife work sloppy, less-precise, and even dangerous.
The simplest answer to the question ‘how often should I sharpen my knife’ is: ‘as often as needed’. To illustrate this point, try chopping some onions with a brand new knife. By the third of fourth onion, you will notice a marked difference in the performance of the knife as its edge starts to become blunt. In a professional environment, you must sharpen your knives weekly, sometimes daily too.
At home, get into the habit of sharpening your knives at least once a month.
There is no hard-and-fast rule here; some knives need more sharpening than others. Majority of knives are made from steel and need regular sharpening. Ceramic knives on the other hand do not need as much sharpening as they maintain their edge longer.
What’s a Sharpening Angle
Sharpening angle is the angle at which you choose to sharpen the edge and consequently the angle to which the edge gets ground.
This decides many things such as durability and the drag of the cutting edge. The smaller the angle, the lesser the drag but more delicate the cutting edge. Conversely, the larger the angle, the greater durability and less frequent the sharpening needed.
For kitchen knives, the sharpening angle lies between 17-20 degrees. The frequency of sharpening depends on what you are cutting.
Fillet knives, boning knives, and knives with thin speciality blades have a sharpening angle of 15-17 degrees and need more frequent sharpening.
What’s the difference between steeling, grinding and honing
There are three basic steps when it comes to sharpening a knife: grinding, honing, and steeling. At first glance, they may appear the same to a beginner and, depending on the condition of the knife, all three may be used. However, each technique is different:
- Grinding: This step removes a part of the blade and it is what gives thinness and sharpness to the blade. Naturally, you need to be very cautious when using this step. Otherwise, you could end up losing more of the blade than intended.
- Honing – This process sharpens the bevelled edge. Sharpeners with honing facility come with a stone having a finer surface than the grinding stone. It is important to keep the honing stone from moving. An electric knife sharpener can provide both grinding and honing in a single unit.
- Steeling – Ideally you need to steel the knife after honing. This will make the edge perfectly straight by removing any burns. Steeling forces rolled-over spots in line and makes them usable again. A knife that isn’t steeled can have burns which tend to roll over each other causing tearing of meat rather than cutting or slicing.
Conclusion
In what appears to be a contradiction, a sharp knife is safer to use. It will cut more easily than a dull knife without needing too much pressure that could mangle the product you are cutting and strain your wrists.
Dull knives also take the path of least resistance, which could be your fingers. That is why an electric knife sharpener is a worthwhile investment. This indispensable tool will put a nice, sharp edge on all your knives preventing the need for professional sharpening or buying new knives. I hope the above reviews of the best electric knife sharpeners help you make an informed choice.
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