A dull knife is a disaster for the hostess in the home kitchen and the chef of a fashionable restaurant. This is a professional tool, and such items should always be in perfect order. Otherwise, the problems will not turn around.
About sharpening stones and more
The simplest tool available in almost every household is a whetstone. It is simple and convenient for them to return the blades to their former sharpness. True, not everyone knows that these stones are classified according to different parameters. Let's try to clarify this issue.
By its nature, a whetstone can be of artificial origin and natural, natural. The latter are bars of the Vashitu and Arkansas brands. Artificial - stones with diamond coating, ceramic and aluminum coating.
By the method of interaction with knife steel, a whetstone is oil and water. On the first, before use, 1-2 drops of special oils are applied, which are sold complete with the “sharpener” itself, and the second are simply immersed in water for 10 minutes (before entering into contact with the knife). What is the first action connected with? Each whetstone is distinguished by its structure. The abrasive element of natural bars is fine-grained. In artificial ones, it is attached using special adhesives, which in some brands of stones are excessively stiff and viscous. So that during sharpening such a grinding stone is not clogged with the smallest metal filings, is not covered with “gloss” from the process waste, it is lubricated with oil. An ordinary vegetable, and even more so a machine gun or even a weapon, cleaned for these purposes is not suitable - for too long then you have to clean the knife. Therefore, it is recommended that a special one designed for these purposes.
It is not enough to choose the right grinding stones for knives, it is important to conduct the process itself properly. It seems that it’s even easier: smoothly do back-and-forth movements with the cutting edge of the blade along the surface of the bar. The fact that the knife should be kept at an angle with respect to the stone, do not forget.
But that's not all! For most knives, the blades have a specific curved shape - depending on the purpose of the tool. Consequently, the angle of inclination of the knife itself should be constant, but the blade should change. The instructions for sharpening kits give precise instructions and necessary explanations. Learning to perform them filigree is a matter of time and technique.
Let's talk about the pros and cons
It is clear that natural stones for sharpening and artificial have their pros and cons.
Water (water) stones, i.e. natural, distinguished by excellent quality of the results and the speed of the work process. Those. knives sharpen quickly, efficiently, for a long time. These are the pluses. Cons - the obligatory lubrication of the stone before work and the obligatory washing of it from erased abrasive particles and residues of metal dust. And the life of natural stones is not very long: their surface is quickly erased, it becomes not quite smooth, and from time to time it has to be put in order.
But a diamond-coated stone can last longer. It provides an almost perfect sharpening result, its working surface does not deform during long-term operation. Stands are usually wooden or aluminum. But they are suitable for knives with especially strong steel - blades with softer hardening can be damaged.
By the way, if you have a ceramic knife, you don’t have to sharpen it.