All About Sharpening

Know thy knife

Sharpening a paring knife essentially involves the use of a butcher's steel and a whetstone, yet a V-sharpener and a clamping system can also be used. The butcher's steel doesn't sharpen the paring knife per se; it removes the impurities of the blade like dents and nicks. After steeling the blade, use a whetstone to sharpen the paring knife.

A paring knife should be kept clean, dry and sharp. Steel blades on paring knives can rust easily, but oiling will prevent pitting (an indentation made by pressure) due to oxidation and tarnish. Most high-quality paring knives (like Sabatier paring knives) are tempered, so that they will retain an edge longer. Greater hardness may make a knife more difficult to sharpen. If the knife is excessively hard, the blade may be brittle. The optimum hardness depends on the knife design and desired utility.

What to whet with and how

Here's a short description of the most common tools and methods for sharpening.

Butcher steels are the long steel rods used to maintain an edge on kitchen knives by running the blade at an angle against the rod. Make sure to keep your fingers behind the shield. Butcher steels will allow you maintain an edge on the knife between stone grindings and rid the blade of impurities.

Whetstone (or hone) is simply a rectangular piece of material that is harder than steel and will remove some steel to form an edge on a knife. To begin, oil the stone with a few drops of water or mineral oil. On the coarse side of the stone with the heel of the blade on the bottom corner of the stone, sharpen the entire edge of the blade by holding the knife at a small angle to the stone. Flip the knife over, and repeat on the other side of the stone. In order to maintain an angle while running the knife over the stone, guide the stone with light, but consistent pressure.

V sharpeners have two rods made of steel or ceramic inserted into a base so that they are shaped like a V. These are used by simply holding the knife perpendicular to the bottom of the V and stroking each side of the blade against the corresponding side of the V. V sharpeners are excellent for touch ups and sharpening. They are very fast compared to most other types of manual sharpening methods and tools.

Clamping systems have a series of honing stones that are used with a device that clamps to a blade and ensures that the blade maintains a consistent angle. This method is slow, but always effective, even for the novice.

More information on Paring Knives