The key to good meal prep is all in the tools.
Without a decent chopping board, fully operating appliances and blades, you’ll soon notice the difference on your plate.
Chefs agree that a blunt knife is a dangerous knife. You’ll need to exert more pressure to cut, chop and slice - especially if you’re dealing with tougher ingredients like root veg - meaning there’s a higher chance of it slipping and you winding up in an A&E unit.
While there are lots of knife sharpeners on the market to save you from such a fate, sharpening stones have been used for millennia with the earliest proof of them being used dating back 3.3m years. Many civilisations discovered this technique of keeping blades sharp, from the Ancient Egyptians to Viking sailors and in Japan, where using a water stone is still considered the superior way to hone cutlery.
The beauty of using a whetstone as opposed to a grinding wheel or other motorised option is that it needs only water to work, and with patience, can be mastered by a beginner.
But how to use one safely, and which to pick? For all this and more we spoke to Global Knives’ marketing manager Jessica Wragg.
How can you tell when your blade is blunt?
Typically, the first sign of a blade becoming blunt is when it struggles to cut cleanly, and you have to apply extra pressure to push the blade through the food. You should be able to slice through soft fruit and vegetables such as tomatoes or peppers without applying too much pressure to your knife.
An easy test to see if your blade is becoming blunt is the paper test. Simply hold a piece of paper upright and try slicing it downwards. A sharp knife should cut through cleanly with little pressure, whilst a dull or blunting blade will tear the paper or struggle.
What are the dangers of using a blunt knife?
A blunt knife requires more force to cut, meaning you are more prone to slipping and cutting your fingers or hand. This is a higher risk especially when it comes to slicing harder vegetables like onions and carrots, which can become quite slippery from their juices.
How often should you be sharpening kitchen knives?
For home cooks, we recommend sharpening your kitchen knives every 3-4 months, adjusting based on the frequency of use and the types of ingredients you use.
If you frequently cut hard root vegetables, consider sharpening every 2-3 months. Global Knives are crafted from Cromova 18 stainless steel, giving them exceptionally hard blades and a steep acute 15-degree edge, allowing them to stay sharper for longer.
What's the best stone for sharpening?
Our Minosharp Whetstone Sharpening Kits are the perfect kit for beginners or advanced users looking to keep their knives in top condition.
The kit includes a dual-sided stone, a stone holder, two guide rails to set the angle of your knife whilst sharpening, and instructions on how to use the kit.
The dual-sided stone has a rough stone for knives that are damaged or extremely blunt and a medium stone for putting a sharp edge onto the knife.
Is it worth investing in a whetstone?
Using a whetstone is one of the most effective ways to sharpen kitchen knives because it allows for precise control over the sharpening angle and removes just the right amount of metal from the face of the blade.
Whetstones come in different grits, allowing you to progress from coarse to fine sharpening. You can start with a coarse grit to reshape the edge if it’s very blunt or chipped, then move to a finer grit for polishing, which provides a sharper, longer-lasting edge.
If you’re looking to sharpen old blades that have seen their fair share of kitchen action, we’ve rounded up the best sharpening whetstones to have them slicing like new.
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MinoSharp MS471 - Combination Stone Sharpening Kit
As recommended by Global’s Jessica Wragg, Japanese company MinoSharp makes some of the best sharpening stones in the game. The combination whetstone features 240 grit on one side and 1000 on the other, allowing users to sharpen most kinds of knives.
It’s a great beginners' kit since it comes with guiderails to show you where to place the blade for best results.
Buy now £79.95, Kitchen Knives
Aeciaso Knife Sharpening Stone Set
This complete kit comes with a pair of whetstones: one is 400/1000 grit for very aged blades and the other 3000/8000 grit for honing and making the edge even sharper.
They’re shaped to sit on a non-slip bamboo base while an angle guide holds knives in the correct position to ensure speedier results. You’ll also get other accessories like a honing guide, leather strop and wax block for polishing, a levelling flattening stone and cut-resistant gloves to shield your hands.
Keep the stones wet throughout the sharpening process, and once you’re finished, allow them to dry out completely in a fully ventilated space.
Buy now £24.90, Amazon
Rockingham Forge Combination 400 & 1000 Grit Sharpening Kit
This kit from Rockingham is ideal for anyone with lots of kitchen knives to get back up to scratch. The ceramic stone has two grits on either side; a coarse 400 and a medium 1000 texture. It comes in a black protective box that has a non-slip base to keep everything steady when you’re working.
Buy now £29.95, Kitchen Knives
Sharpening Stones 1000 6000 Grit 2 Side Kitchen Knife Whetstone
Once you get the hang of sliding your knives across this whetstone, you’ll be hard-pushed to use anything else. It’s so easy. The universal stone has 1000 medium grit on one side for sharpening and 6000 grit for honing the blade. You’ll need to splash the stone with water before use - don’t worry nervous types; a guidebook is included in the package - and there’s an angle guide to help you work out the best direction to pull and draw your blades.
Buy now £15.99, Amazon
Lakeland Traditional Whetstone Knife Sharpener
Featuring a fine 3000 and course 1000 grit on either side, this dual-faced sharpening stone is made to bring European and Japanese blades back to their sharpest. The tool sits on a non-slip base made of rubber and should be thoroughly soaked for at least 15 minutes to release the air bubbles and get it primed for use.
Since this whetstone doesn’t come with guides, Lakeland recommends users “Push the blade away from you over a thoroughly soaked stone from tip to heel, repeating until an edge forms, then turn over and repeat on the other side, taking care to rinse your knives when you’ve finished to remove any residue.”
Sold with a three-year guarantee.
Buy now £27.99, Lakeland
Faithfull Diamond Whetstone Sharpening Kit
Blades aren’t just on knives; they can be found on scissors, plane blades, cutting blades and chisels too.
Electroplated monocrystalline diamond metal stones to the rescue! Yes, that is quite a mouthful, but for their sheer usefulness, we’re willing to forgive the lengthy name. The bundle includes stones of three grits: 400, 600 and 1000 (the lower the number, the more coarse the grind).
They’re ideal for general sharpening of household tools and can also be used to abrade glass, ceramic tiles and porcelain surfaces. The diamond stones won’t warp or bend with repeated use like a whetstone might and can be used dry if needed - no water required.
Buy now £39.68, Amazon
Fuji Merchandise Whetstone
This block is all you need to bring your Japanese knife collection up to scratch. It is a soak stone, so you’ll need to leave the 1000 grit side sitting in a shallow plate or bowl for no longer than 15 minutes, while the 6000 grit side is splash and go - simply flip it over when you're ready to polish. For a Japanese knife, run the blade against the stone at 12-15 degrees.
Specialist blocks like this require some YouTube study, but once done, you'll speed through the sharpening process in minutes.
Buy now £43.97, Amazon
Allday Goods King 1000/6000 Whetstone
I’ve never had so many compliments on a kitchen knife as I have had with an Allday Goods blade in my hand. The handles are made completely from plastic waste with a speckled and marble-like pattern that ensures no two are ever exactly the same. The blade is crafted from stainless steel and is delivered beautifully sharp, but with use, has softened over time.
To combat this, the brand also offers this 1000/6000 dual-whetstone complete with a holder to keep it nice and steady when you’re running your knife over it. If you’re new to whetstoning, get the sharpening angle clip to help hone your skills.
Buy now £44.00, Allday Goods
