How To Sharpen Your Knife Using Whetstone

A whetstone is the best way to sharpen your knives and keep them in top condition. There are plenty of sharpening devices on the market, however most tend to grind down the blade much too aggressively.Using a whetstone allows you to control this, with some practice you’ll be able to expertly sharpen your knives in no time. The ideal whetstone has two sides to it, one with a coarse grit, whilst the other side has a finer grit. Also always be wary of knives that claim to never need sharpening, eventually all knives suffer from wear and tear. It is far more practical to invest in a knife that can be sharpened, so you can continue using it for longer.

Here is how you can sharpen your knife:

• Thoroughly soak you whetstone in water until bubbling ceases.
• Place your whetstone on your countertop with the course grit side facing upwards. Use a wet paper towel or cloth to prevent any slippage. Always check your whetstone is securely in place before proceeding.
• Grasp the knife by the handle and place it flat on the whetstone at an angle. Now lift your knife to a 10- 15 degree angle for Japanese style knives or 18-22 degree angle from for European style knives . You can stabilise the blade near tip using your other hand.
• Add some pressure to the blade and begin sliding it back and forth. You should be running the entire blade across the length of the whetstone. Watch the video above to see this technique in action.
• Do this at least 10 times, before flipping the whetstone over to the fine grit side and repeating. For a double bevel knife, you must sharped both sides, for a single bevel knife, only the tapered edge requires sharpening.
• Remember to always sharpen in the same direction. Front-to-back or back-to-front.
• Remember to maintain a consistent angle and pressure.
• When satisfied, you should rinse your knife and dry before use.