How Often Should You Sharpen Your Kitchen Knives?

There is no universal answer to how often a kitchen knife should be sharpened.

A professional chef using the same knife for several hours every day will have very different requirements from someone cooking dinner at home three times a week.

The best timetable is therefore based on performance, not the calendar.

Signs That A Knife Needs Attention

The obvious sign is that the knife no longer cuts as easily as it used to.

You may notice that tomatoes are harder to start cutting, herbs are being crushed rather than sliced, or the knife needs more pressure than it once did.

You may also notice that the edge catches in food rather than gliding through it.

Honing Between Sharpenings

If the edge is still fundamentally sound, a suitable honing tool can help maintain it between professional sharpenings.

This is maintenance rather than a substitute for sharpening.

Once material has worn away or the edge has become damaged, sharpening becomes necessary.

How long will a knife stay sharp?

This depends on the knife, steel, geometry, cutting surface and use.

It also depends on the person using it.

A knife used on a soft wooden board will experience different stresses from one used on a hard synthetic surface. A cook who cuts carefully will generally preserve an edge better than someone who twists and scrapes the blade across the board.

We therefore cannot promise a fixed number of weeks, months or years of sharpness.

Our Advice?

Don't sharpen simply because six months have passed.

Sharpen when the knife tells you it needs it.

At the other extreme, don't wait until an edge is catastrophically damaged if regular maintenance would have prevented it. A sensible maintenance cycle is about preserving performance rather than repeatedly rebuilding a completely worn-out edge.