Dull knives are a sure way to guarantee an accidental slice to the hand. Even typing that gives me the shivers. You’re more apt to using a lot of force, which with slippery foods is not a good mix. Whenever I’m in the kitchen and realize I’m unable to cut through a tomato, it’s onto the new until I find the perfect match to save my fingers.
How do you sharpen those things anyways? If I keep this trend up, soon enough all of my kitchen blades will be dull as a meeting on a Monday morning. That’s rough stuff right there. Most people don’t have the slightest clue on how to sharpen their kitchen knives (ahem, I’m not admitting anything here), or don’t have a sharpener to begin with. Thankfully, you don’t have to go to the store to go get one. You have so many sharpeners in your cupboard— you just don’t know it, until now.
Grab a Coffee Cup & Turn It Upside Down
Just make sure coffee isn’t in it first. It sounds crazy, but trust me here. The bottom of a ceramic coffee mug has an unglazed circle that is very similar to a sharpening stone. It’s a great alternative that actually works.
In the YouTube video below, Red Ferret shows you how to sharpen your favorite knife like a pro. It’s interesting to see how his dull knife won’t cut through a tomato or piece of paper, until he sharpens his blade with a coffee mug.
To master this trick, angle your knife against the unglazed ring, and then run your blade from the base to the tip, alternating sides. The longer you sharpen your knife against the unglazed ring, the better the results. Oh yeah, you’ll want to make sure not to use a serrated knife, or that would be bad news bears.
You do know what this means don’t you? No more dull blades ever again!
If you don’t feel like using your favorite coffee mug, the unglazed ceramic bottoms of plates and bowls will work just the same, too. Though, you may have better control sharpening your blades with a mug since it is smaller surface area to work with.
How do you sharpen your knives? Would you ever try this out?
Photo by: Frank Lindecke | Flickr
