1. Settle the knife into the coarse slot of the sharpener. Pull your knife through slowly and with even pressure.3. Settle the knife into the fine slot of the sharpener. Pull through slowly and with even pressure once or twice.1. An electric sharpener reduces the physical effort of manually sharpening a knife. Review the knife sharpener's instruction manual carefully before beginning.
2. Settle the knife into the coarse slot and slowly pull it through. The machine will do the heavy lifting.4. Repeat this series of steps three to six times.“Make sure you’re using a smooth, controlled motion as you pull the knife through a sharpener," shares Somerall. "It’s easy for beginners to over-sharpen their knives when using an electric sharpener.
To use a whetstone, first submerge your stone in water for an hour. Place your stone on a towel over a cutting board or stable surface. If your whetstone has a coarse and fine side, begin with the coarse side. Hold the knife with the handle in your dominant hand. Place the heel of your knife on the far edge of the stone, holding the blade at the desired angle . Applying even pressure, slowly pull the knife over the stone toward you. The blade should move smoothly across the stone.
Because ceramic knives are not as pliable or flexible as stainless or carbon steel knives, it is much easier to chip or break the blade if too much force is applied, causing the blade to flex. 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.