How To Sharpen Dull Knives 

As someone who has been sharpening and even making all sorts of knives and other edged tools/weapons for several years, I think this video does an excellent job demonstrating how to sharpen and maintain your knives. Well done, Tasty!

so do you eat the knives afterwards? i dont get this recipe

That is one hell of a Sharpe knife! Never thought knife sharpening videos would be so interesting at 2am 🗡️😂

Honestly instead of looking forward to these tips, I just want to hear her voice it's so calming.

Its sad your "dull" knife is sharper then my sharp knives.

Best instructional video I've ever seen which not only explains the whole process but shows us the tools necessary to keep knives sharp and finely honed.

English is my second language and no one teaches me about cooking until I went to the US. But because of this channel, I not only learned a lot of basic skills of cooking and also learned how to describe these tools and techniques~

At 43 I've just found out I've never actually sharpened a knife with the pointy stick .

I have watched many “sharpening” videos from “experts” BUT her and this video do the best job on instruction and makes total sense!!! THANK YOU!!

Here are some tips from someone who used to work at a knife shop! 0:56 Don't try and be like "pro" chefs. You don't have to do it fast because were not sharpening the blade. Slow and steady is better 1:22 A rule of thumb (literally) on how to find a "decent" angle. Place your thumb center on the back of the knife and just lean until the knifes touches the honing steel. This way you get an even angle on both sides, albeit slightly steeper than in the video (unless you have humongous thumbs) 2:15 Don't use high quality knifes on knife sharpeners as you can't control the angle 3:35 Knifes are different and have different angles. You can't generalize and say that all knifes must be sharpened at 20 degrees. That won't work with any Japanese knife for instance... Also, there is a HUGE difference between 20 and 22.5 degrees :) You can find the right angle by decreasing the angle of the knife whilst gently moving it back and forth until you get a good response from the whetstone. 3:55 Lift the knife to sharpen the tip as well. 4:15 Your knife won't be sharp at this stage. In order to align the edge you have to do the "strop" first. 4:16 Instead of the tomato test, run the edge LIGHTLY over the tip of your thumb nail and you can feel all the impurities of the edge. Very satisfying if the knife is sharp, horrible if you haven't done the strop yet 5:41 Again, the tip is not being sharpened

The best video I have seen about sharpening knives on both the rod and whetstone. Clearly showing the angle and movement of the blade. Excellent illustration of the process. Very helpful. There are videos out there showing procedures to sharpen knives which if followed probably will cause injuries to the user. This video on the other hand is neat, well presented and is reasonable, and easy to follow. This inspires confidence that you can sharpen your knives safely.

Thank you so much! My husband was telling me it’s difficult to do! I had two sharpened in less than five minutes after watching you. My nice set is now ready to use again! Thank you!

The paper angle measurement blew my mind

This is my favorite knife sharpening video on RU-vid so far.

I work at a meat industry plant in nz, we work on sheep, what we do is cutting the meat of the bone with knives and its hard labour especially if your knife is blunt, thank you for this because they never taught me how to sharpen my knife properly and ive been doing it blunt for 2 weeks, started developing symptoms of carpol tunnel aswell, this video helped alot and im sure it will make my work alot easier

I really appreciate people like you it wasn't overly elaborate explanation it was simple and concise I actually learned something thank you!!!

"You need about a 20 degree angle" *Holds knife at 45 degrees*

Her voice is so amazingly soothing

Your video is much better than others on same topic I have seen. Precise, to the point, and very informative! Well done!

Thank you for immediately getting to the point in this tutorial and not overexplaining. A breath of fresh air in terms of instructional videos. I appreciate your approach tremendously!

Tomato: Why me?!?!

"Its never gonna sharpen your knife." Never underestimate an idiot.

That was a really good, really precise piece! Well done.! Ive been a cameraman /director for 30 years....great storytelling, good filming and lighting. Simple plot!

Thank you for the "printer paper angle approximation". I've used the "Hold it at 90°, now. . . 1/2 of THAT is 45°, & in turn. . . 1/2 of THAT is ABOUT the 20° you're looking for method" to. . . varying degrees of success. THIS will make it monumentally easier to explain, having a visual representation of exactly WHAT I'm trying to teach. Thanks again.

i’d just like to say, you explain things so friggen well. Better than any youtube video i’ve ever seen tbh, you explain everything with detail

Thank you for your comprehensive demonstration. I've been trying to develop my steel technique for some time now - with limited success. I can never seem to get the end ( point of the knife that sharp) Oh well, practise makes perfect.

The edge of the knife consists of tiny micro feathers. When used, those feathers bend a bit. The honing rod simply bends those micro-feathers back into shape and thus restoring the edge (to appear slightly sharper), until you can get it to an actual sharpening rod. You should hone your chef knife before and after each use.

I think the steel strength depends on what steel it is; some steels have incredible edge retention but are very hard to sharpen.

Thank you for the quick but instructional video. Helpful and not overloaded with useless jargon. 😊 you’re a delight.

I get shivers whenever the knife is being sharpened

This is a great video! Very detailed and helpful in explaining the different methods of honing/sharpening knives. Provided me with a lot of clarity.

Why I'm am watching this I don't even cook or murder people?😅

Has physics and calculus assignments to complete for university... Watches this...

I'm just getting into knife sharpening and loving it! It's becoming a hobby! :-D it is so rewarding, to take a knife from dull to slicing through paper! Not to mention, what an absolute pleasure it is, to cut through meat and vegetables etc with total ease. Once you've worked with a really sharp knife, nothing else will do!

Fantastic video. You just did what many other videos on knife sharpening couldn't. Succint, informative w/o digressing or talking too much.

I didn't know what a honing steel was until I watched this - I thought I was just bad at sharpening because the knife wasn't getting an edge. XD

When i came for sharpening but got “you cant, thats not how it works, that thing you bought? Not a sharpener; you need to buy something else to sharpen it”

God bless you with the well presentation & explanation.

I've had dull knives for months, and you're telling me that thing I bought which has been sitting in my drawer for months isn't a knife sharpener!?!?! so much of my life has been wasted

This is a very good video! Very concise. She gets right to the point. ;) I especially like the paper folding trick to figure out the right angle for the whetstone. I always struggle with that.

This was SO helpful & SO clearly expressed & shown. Also visually beautiful. Thank you for this great video!

but can the honing steel turn _me_ straight?

Very well put together. Easy enough for someone new to the industry or anybody sharpening their knives at home.

Good tutorials are hard to find. This is a 10/10 instructional video.

One of the best knife-sharpening videos I've seen! Covered everything quick and easy. I never knew that about the rod.

I just use the back of my can opener

Thank you for this video on basic sharpening! It’s the easiest and best tutorial I’ve come across

I didn't know how to sharpen knifes but I know how to look for videos that teach me. Thank you for making this so informative and helpful

According to “The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening” by John Juranitch (a professional knife sharpener) you should steel in the same direction that you strop. This is because the purpose of both steeling and stropping is to restore the edge by straightening the micro turn-backs on the edge. To do either steeling or stropping in the direction of the cut (slicing direction) is backwards. Steeling should be done before each use, while stropping is for getting an extremely sharp edge and (excepting razors) needs doing only as part of a major sharping event.

Just started working in a butcher factory, this video rilly helps

Please keep your knives sharp at all times... I went to cut myself an apple as a late night snack the other day. I was in a hurry, I grabbed a cheap, dull knife. As stated in the beginnin of the video (0:15), dull knives create uneven cutting, and I accidently sliced my finger really badly. The cut was deep, and very jagged due to the blade being so dull. Had to go to the hospital overnight and had to pay to get IV fluids to treat my blood loss, on top of that i missed a day of work All could have been prevented if I had tooken 3 minutes to sharpen a knife that day

Still convinced it sharpens my knifes.

I just had my dull Henkel professionally sharpened and it's like a new knife. Only $8 !!!

this is the only knife instruction video where I seen the person sharpen it and hone it backwards .

"Unless your boyfriend's coming over and you want to sharpen your knives in front of him... I'm just being an idiot" 😂😂😂

This video is super informative and helpful! All the basic knife sharpening/honing tips all in one vid.

0:58 Gordon Ramsay Sword Skillz

The knives I use have amazing edge retention, but are quite easy to sharpen as well. Additionally the steel has a slight flex to it that allows me to cut more difficult items such as bone when carving a turkey.

When your using the knife steel it a lot and often it will last a long time. I spent 3 years in a packing house. Some times I could make a knife last all day. 700 buts boned a dav.

Dull side: pushes the knife down on the poor tomato. Sharp side: slides the knife back and forth. 😮 I see you, Tasty, I see you. 😒

The best explanation on how to sharpen a knife, I came across so far ... 👍😊

Amazing! I thought the honing tool was a sharpener. Got to get a stone.

Does anyone know who voiced this one? I love her explanation and sense of humor

This video was very well done. Very informative and paced well. Got exactly what I needed here. Thanks for your expertise.

A sharpening/honing steel absolutely takes metal off the blade and it is easy to see. Just use one for a while before wiping it with a white cloth. All that grey stuff on the cloth afterwards is blade steel powder. Also I've got a knife I used nothing but a steel to sharpen and after a few years the blade is very visibly worn and now nearly 2mm narrower than it used to be.

This was a very well explained and concise video. Thanks!!

self harm finna go cray after this, thanks for the tutorial dawg🔥🔥🙏‼️

Exactly what I was looking for. Brillant and nice. Thks for sharing

As a culinary school student, I was so pissed off by the dull knives of my college. That's why I'm here to learn how to honing and sharpening the knives that I'm gonna use it until the end of my seminars.

Clearest non-fussy guide I have seen for a very long time. Thank you

Knives are for fools, real men use their hands

Ask Jun (Jun's kitchen) how to sharpen a knife as sharp as a samurai sword........

This is the BEST video on beginner knife-sharpening techniques I have ever watched. Thank-you soo much!

who else just watches every single Tasty video but never tries anything?

That tomato has absolutely no business looking that good

finally! After years of trying every gadget I have a sharp knife! Thanks a mill x

this was the first decent tutorial ive been able to find

I still can’t cut with the honing staff

You are the best. Thankyou. I cook alot, pretty well.🤷‍♀️ But 4kids + busy life has killed my knives. It's become important recently since my kids have graduated from pancakes to actual food + prep. I feel proud of them. My(our) knives are so dull & familiar to them it makes me worry about sharp knives... they've never known anytjing else.I'm grateful for your sincere voice & practicle tips so I can sharpen the old ones for the munchkins + we can all use Sharp knives safely.

I was ready to close this before it started. I'm glad you explained HONING STEEL DOESNT SHARPEN!! Lmfao that drives me nuts.

0:30 Iconic material for Gordon Ramsay

I have to admit I clicked on this thinking I was going to leave horrible comments, because knife sharpening is a passion for me. I was wrong. This woman did the BEST job of explaining what a Steel was, and what it does and doesn’t do as anyone I’ve seen on RU-vid. I cringed at the pull through carbide cutters, I would encourage everyone to lean to use stones and a strop; but this was refreshing to see a well made 5 minute video for the average home chef that was accurate and well presented.

Simple and thorough explanation. Thank you.

1 like to this is one prayer for those who have left BuzzFeed.

This was a great video with excellent visuals so you can see the methods. I really want to thank you for your explanations of how to fifure out the angles!

1914:WW1 1939:WW2 2017:How to sharp knives 2019: YT recommendations

pro tip: its better to go forward than backward when using wet stones

She's an amazing instructor and the camera work is so awesome.

5:48 🤣 "unless yaw dawduh's boyfriends coming ovuh- and you wanna sharpen yaw knives right infronna him. mmm euuggh mmm.. I'm just being an idiot" LOLx Appreciated it that

Love that last few seconds of this video! lol

Gordon Ramsay is proud👏

It makes total sense now. I bought a honing steel and thought it should sharpen the knives. Them I bought a wet stone and apparently I used it the wrong way. So thank you for the video! Update: just did exactly as you instructed with the honing steel and wet stone for my knives. I also happened to have tomatoes. So, perfect! And it worked! My god! How I wasted those two tools for years! My knives are sharp now! Thank youuu!

You're a dream mother

THIS IS AMAZING THANK YOU SO MUCH!

This is the most well made how to i've seen in ages. Thank you

If using a "Wet Stone", do not sharpen the knife backwards like she just did.... ALWAYS SHARPEN GUIDING YOUR BLADE FORWARD

You're honing steel information was absolutely spot on. However, don't ever use those pull through sharpeners. They are removing way more steel from your edge than necessary and they never give a proper edge. Also, your whetstone technique is entirely incorrect. You don't pull the knife backwards across the stone, you slice edge first into the stone. You're using a stropping motion, not a sharpening motion. The biggest issue with pulling away from the stone instead of slicing into it is that you're building a big wire edge that will make the knife SEEM sharp until 2 cuts into your food prep and that wire edge is gone and you're left with the underlying dull edge. There are countless videos on youtube from cutlery professionals showing proper ways to sharpen a knife. Why not at least inform yourself before making a video teaching incorrect methods?

This is the reason I fell in love with the internet. Thank you for the great content!

I work in a meat department and I just wanna look cool

0:58 Thought about Gordon Ramsay