How to Sharpen Knives, According to a Knife Expert

Person holding a knife near Chef’sChoice 130 Professional Electric Knife Sharpening Station — Food & Wine / Russell Kilgore.

Whether you're putting together a raw salad, cooking over live fire on the grill, quick-simmering stew in an Instant Pot, or crisping up wings in an air fryer, there's one tool that unites just about every kitchen style and cooking method: the knife. Owning at least one or two good knives is fundamental, and we've tested hundreds of models to find the best in everything from chef's knives and paring knives to cheese knives and brisket slicers.

But even the finest knife in the world will dull with use and needs refreshing. Sharpening your blades makes a big difference in just a few minutes, but most home cooks are intimidated by the process. Well, we're here to help. In addition to knives, we've tested all kinds of tools for knife sharpening, from the most basic one-step handheld honers to automatic electric devices and precision tools for customizing blades.

Food & Wine editorial project manager John Somerall is a classically trained chef with a passion for knives who has worked as a recipe tester and developer. He says to "consider the amount of time and effort you want to devote to sharpening your knives and choose a suitable method for you.” A simple and inexpensive manual or electric sharpener is fine for many people, while a more advanced whetstone allows for the highest level of customization — if you put in some effort to learn the proper technique.

Equipment You'll Need

The Best Manual Sharpeners

Mueller 4 in 1 Knife Sharpener

PHOTO: Food & Wine / Nick Simpson

Orig. $14 $12 at Amazon

After putting knife sharpeners through a battery of tests, we chose as our favorite manual model this under-$20 device that couldn't be simpler but yielded blades even sharper than several expensive electric options. You pull the blade multiple times through each of the three successively finer slots; the Mueller controls the angle for you. It also has a separate slot for the thick blades of scissors and kitchen shears, which aren't compatible with many sharpeners. The downside is that it's fairly labor-intensive — it took several dozen swipes for best results in testing — and that you can't adjust the sharpening angle.

Tumbler The Original Rolling Knife Sharpener

PHOTO: Food & Wine / Nick Simpson

Orig. $129 $117 at Amazon View on Tumblerware.com

A unique tool we enjoyed in testing is this rotating device, which has a magnetic base to hold the blade at the correct angle (15 or 20 degrees; your choice) while it rolls a diamond sharpening wheel across the surface. It's effective at sharpening, but also compact and simple enough that you'll actually want to keep your knives in top shape. The Tumbler is, however, rather pricy, and it won't work with extra-large and extra-small blades that won't fit properly on the magnet.

The Best Electric Sharpeners

Chef’sChoice 1520 AngleSelect Professional Electric Knife Sharpener

A person sharpens a knife using the ChefâsChoice 1520 Professional Electric Knife Sharpener

PHOTO: Food & Wine / Nick Simpson

$190 at Amazon $225 at Williams-Sonoma View on Chefschoice.com

This model yielded the scientifically finest edge in our testing of electric knife sharpeners, after just a single pull through its slots. The Chef'sChoice 1520 is quite versatile, able to handle flat or serrated blades, at a 15- or 20-degree angle. There's even a removable magnet to collect dust and shavings. It takes a bit of practice to use just the right speed and level of pressure for best results, but we figured it out within a few tries.

Presto EverSharp Electric Knife Sharpener

PHOTO: Food & Wine / Russell Kilgore

Orig. $45 $40 at Amazon $45 at Target $45 at Wayfair

A budget electric choice, the Presto didn't deliver quite the level of sharpness as the Chef'sChoice in testing, but it came close, and at a third the price. This machine makes the process pretty foolproof, locking the blade in place firmly without any wiggle room as you pull.

The Best Whetstone

King Whetstone Starter Set

PHOTO: Food & Wine / Nick Simpson

$50 at Amazon $95 at Oishya.com View on Sears.com

The most old-school way to sharpen a knife, a whetstone is a flat, rough stone that works like sandpaper as you slide the blade across it. You can get absolute precision and customize your blades to the exact shape you like, but it takes practice to hold the knife at the correct angle and get consistent results across the entire surface. When we tested whetstones, King's starter set came out on top due to its combination of reasonable price and included angle guide to help you get started. It has a rough 1,000-grit side for initial shaping, then flips over to a 6,000-grit side for final refinement.

How to Sharpen Your Knives

To use a manual sharpener:

1. Settle the knife into the coarsest slot of the sharpener. Pull your knife through slowly and with even pressure. Repeat this step three to six times, or more if the knife is especially dull.

2. Repeat this step with the next-coarsest slot, and then the third and finest slot if the sharpener has one.

3. To maintain the blade as long as possible between sharpening sessions, run both sides across a honing steel once or twice before each use.

Chef'sChoice ProntoPro knife sharpener — Food & Wine / Russell Kilgore

To use an electric sharpener:

1. Review the knife sharpener's instruction manual carefully before beginning.

2. Turn the machine on, settle the knife into the coarse slot and slowly pull it through. Try to maintain a consistent speed and level of pressure across the entire blade. Repeat three to six times.

3. If necessary, turn the knife around and repeat the same motion on the other face of the blade. (Some electric sharpeners sharpen both faces at once.)

5. Repeat steps 2 and 3 using the sharpener's progressively finer slots.

“Make sure you’re using a smooth, controlled motion as you pull the knife through a sharpener," advises Somerall. "It’s easy for beginners to over-sharpen their knives when using an electric sharpener. Remember that regularly sharpening your knives will extend their longevity, but over-sharpening them can have negative results and reduce their lifespan.”

Wusthof Easy Edge Electric Sharpener — Food & Wine / Russell Kilgore

To use a whetstone:

Submerge the stone in water for an hour. This helps lubricate the blade and ensure even sharpening.
Place the stone in a stable holder, or on a towel over a cutting board or countertop, with the coarsest side up.
Hold the blade at your chosen angle (use the included angle guide to help), and rest the heel of the blade at the bottom of the stone. Maintaining the angle and amount of pressure, pull the blade toward you while moving it sideways from heel to tip. You want each section of the blade to slide against the stone for the same amount of time.
Continue pulling the blade across the stone anywhere from 10 to 50 times, depending on how dull the knife was when you started. Periodically pour more water over the stone to rinse off grit and shavings.
Flip the knife over and repeat steps 3 and 4 on the other side of the blade.
Repeat with successively finer sides of the stone.
Let the stone dry completely before putting it away for storage.

For more details, check out our guide to sharpening knives with a whetstone.

Hands sharpening a knife using the King Whetstone Starter Set placed on a counter — Food & Wine / Nick Simpson

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should you sharpen kitchen knives?

Somerall says that depends on your knives, how often you use them, and how hard you are on them. He suggests inspecting your blades' edges under a light. “If you work with your knives often, it becomes easier to notice when a knife becomes dull," he says. "You can look for micro-chipping or micro-serrations, though the most practical way of determining when it’s time to sharpen a knife is when it’s no longer working as well as it should. If you can’t easily cut through the skin of a tomato or bell pepper on the first try, it’s probably time to sharpen your knives.”

As a practical matter, you should sharpen your main kitchen knives at least once or twice a year, and potentially as often as monthly. You can't really "oversharpen" a knife, though each round of sharpening removes a little bit more metal. This will eventually wear away enough of the blade that you'll have to replace the knife, but that will take decades.
How do you get rust off a knife?

You should worry about corrosion before you start sharpening. Soak rusty blades in a bowl of white vinegar overnight (or up to 24 hours). Remove from the vinegar and scrub the rust off with steel wool, a scouring pad, or a wire brush. If the rust is bad enough that it's eaten all the way through the blade, it's time to replace the knife.
How do you sharpen a ceramic knife?

"Ceramic knives are much harder than stainless or carbon steel knives. They are great at retaining a sharp edge over a long period of time because they are so hard, but their hardness also makes them more brittle," Somerall says. "When sharpening a ceramic knife, remember how much pressure you're applying to the face of the blade and where the pressure or force is being applied."

Ceramic isn't as pliable as steel, and that makes it easier to chip or snap the blade. For this reason, Somerall recommends using a whetstone. "Use two hands to sharpen a ceramic knife when using a whetstone," he says. "A diamond stone is better suited for sharpening ceramic knives as diamond stones are harder and make the sharpening process more efficient. Because ceramic knives lack ductility, you won’t notice a burr developing as you sharpen the knife. Instead, you’ll need to rely more on your technique and the final grit associated with your tools to sharpen the knife effectively.”

Our Expertise

Christa Glennie has been a freelance writer and food editor for nearly 20 years. Based in Buffalo, she is the author of two cookbooks and specializes in food and drink trends, agriculture, the regional foodways of Western New York, and the restaurant business. Her respect for simplicity and uncluttered counters in the kitchen ultimately fuels a desire to find and own well-designed, multi-purpose, best-in-class kitchen tools.
This story was updated by Jason Horn, Food & Wine senior writer and resident knife geek. He's tested blades of all kinds for us, from brisket slicers to fish filleters. He's also been writing about food and drinks for nearly two decades, and he likes the Tumbler but still takes his chef's knives in for a real professional sharpening treatment once a year.

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