Should you sharpen your old kitchen knives or just buy new ones?
You can check the answer of the people under the question at Quora “old knife sharpener“
About Evelyn
Written by: Evelyn
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Should you sharpen your old kitchen knives or just buy new ones?
You can check the answer of the people under the question at Quora “old knife sharpener“
About Evelyn
I once knew a guy who sharpened knives for a living back in the ‘20s. He made monthly rounds, picked them up at the homes of customers, and sharpened them on a grinding wheel. Apparently it was a lucrative business as it paid all his bills and he, his wife, and two kids, lived comfortably.
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What I tell my customers when they ask “are my knives worth sharpening”, and what I tell them probably applies to you.
If, after being sharpened, the knife still functions as it should, try to always have it sharpened. Whether by yourself or by a professional service.
A knife ending up in the landfill prematurely is both a waste of resource and a contribution to an already unsustainable sociatal lifestyle.
Where I am, I offer a range of sharpening services that would be suitable for all knives in almost any price bracket.
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Sharpening gets my vote, if you don’t know how you can pay a professional to do it for you much cheaper than buying a new quality knife.
But just honing on a ceramic stock after use will keep you from having to reprofile the edge
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Carbon steel knives sharpen well and hold an edge better than inexpensive stainless knives. They are well worth sharpening. Even cheap kitchen knives need to be kept sharp. I keep a fine file and a set of diamond hones for sharpening knives, and I can put them back in good shape quickly. Touch up between sharpening with a steel, and don’t use a dull knife.
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I sharpen my own kitchen knives a home using a variety of whetstones and so-called diamond stones . It doesn’t take long, it fun – actually, and a job well done gives me a feeling of self-satisfaction.
There are videos on the internet about sharpening knives with whetstones, diamond stones and etc.- how to do it videos, and some of them are really good.
If for some reason you don’t want to learn how to sharpen you knives, there are options.
OPTION: If there’s a person or a store in you area that sharpens knives for professional cooks and chefs or the general public, give the person or the store a call. Ask about services and prices and how long before you get your knives back.
OPTION: Knife sharpens are available via Amazon.Com. They also have sharpening stones for knives, if you know how to use them.
OPTION: Ask around – a friend may actually know how to sharpen knives and will be willing to sharpen you knives or even teach you how to do it —- or s/he may know someone.
If you decide to purchase new kitchen knives, make sure the knives feel good when holding them in you hand and that they are also well balanced. Test hold the knives before purchasing.
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I DO sharpen my kitchen knives. In fact, I sharpen ALL my knives.
How old a knife is, has nothing to do with the edge it will take and hold.
In fact, unless your knife is incredibly worn down, damaged, or just pure junk, there is almost zero reason to ever buy another knife, unless you simply want to. Knives last for decades of constant use if correctly sharpened.
Oddly enough, being both a knife enthusiast, and entrepreneur, I sold my 1095 High carbon Chinese Chef’s knife on Ebay, and started using the cheap Farberware out of the bottom drawer. Why? Because in 3 minutes on the water stones, I can have it slicing paper, and don’t really need premium edge holding.
My 1991 Buck 112, (My pocket knife is older than me), took a fantastic edge, and held it well. I wore that blade across about 21 years of occasional to frequent use to about half it’s former size. because I sharpen it, it was still shaving the day I mailed it to Buck Knives for a new blade. I had to take it to a 220 grit coarse stone and grind that edge and tip completely 90 degrees dull, so it would be safe to handle at the factory. Re-bladed, and my 91 Buck serves on. It may see another 20 years, perhaps 40? Who knows?
The point is, you can, should, and must sharpen your knives, or have them sharpened if you truly want practical use out of them. Knives don’t need tossed because they are dull, and being dull does not make them “old”.
Neither are old knives inherently dull.
Being a positive person, I hope you have, or will have, the money to purchase and enjoy truly high quality, fine cutlery, and have it sharpened! Why not?
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Should you sharpen your old kitchen knives or just buy new ones?
Thats right up there with “Should I wash my dishes or just buy new ones” and “should I feed my dog or just buy a new one”.
Strain your brain a little and learn to care for what you have.
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As others have rightly said, if they hold an edge, sharpen them. And when you buy a new knife, sharpen it as well!
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I have a hard time with this question. If a knife is worth having, it is worth sharpening. If a knife is cheap enough to be considered disposable, it wasn’t worth buying in the first place (or, you have too much money).
Learn to hand sharpen your knives, buy quality knives, and you will have knives that are a pleasure to use and will last a lifetime.
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I frequently sharpen mine and they are sharper then new, so why should you buy new ones.
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Should you sharpen your old kitchen knives or just buy new ones?
It only takes a couple minutes to put a razor edge on a knife with a whetstone or diamond hone then in between sharpenings, it only takes about four seconds to dress the edge with a steel, so why in the world would anyone toss a knife that’s dull unless it’s a poor quality knife that won’t take or hold an edge? – MarkKw
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Most inexpensive knives can be sharpened properly.
You don’t discard high quality knives – if you don’t know how to sharpen them find someone who does.
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A couple of years ago, I took about eight kitchen knives to the hardware store and had them all sharpened.
They were older, but they were also comfortable to use, if you know what I mean. They fit just right in my hand, and I was used to them.
The cost to have them sharpened was only a few dollars. A pittance compared to buying new.
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If you bought them from a 2Dollar store they’re not worth it, on the other hand if like me you’ve bought expensive, then yes BUT learn the correct method otherwise you will stuff them.
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As long as the knives can be still sharpened, and it can still cut, you can carry on sharpening and cutting. More so if you have good knives to begin with.
I’ve seen kitchen knives that carry a concave edge still being used, but is just the extreme.
Most of the time, a lot people upgrade to better knives which is sharper and hold the edge for longer.
Although not absolutely necessary, is safer using a sharper knife, as you do not need to cut to and fro too much when you cut.
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Sharpen them is the only way to go. Unless plastic knifes. Buy the better ones & wash them for reuse.
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If it is good enough to hold an edge, sharpen it. If it is broken or useless, replace it. If you are like me and are challenged by sharpening, one effective, if not perfect, tool is the hand held one with two circular blades that you drag along the knife’s sharp edge. I have had less success with desk mounted and/or motorized sharpeners.
I have progressively bought better knives as I could afford them, but I still have knives I bought or inherited up to forty or fifty years ago. I only throw knives away if they are broken or complete junk (I plead guilty to being a knife junky). My wife asks why I need four large (10″) carvers. I just say “Just because.” I use whichever one calls to me when carving a large joint. Apart from vegetable paring knives, my most frequently used general purpose kitchen knife these days is a relatively inexpensive, plastic handled, Victorinox 7″ Santoku. I also own other knives from this range, which a lot of professional chefs use, judging from the reviews. My next knife purchase might be a larger Santoku, I love the way they cut and also the blade width, which makes it easy to transfer chopped food to the pan.
A quarter century or so ago, my son’s girlfriend asked why I owned almost no serrated knives. She ranted about how great they were. I pulled a tomato out of the fridge and cut some almost transparent slices. I asked her if her family’s knives could do that. My son grumbled at me for embarrassing her.
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A knife can and should be sharpened regularly.
Where are you from that it even occurs to you to throw away a knife just because it got dull?
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Sharpening knives is easy to do and cost effective. I have a Smith’s knife and scissors sharpener, which costs less than $20. It is very easy to use. Replacing a knife when it gets dull is only sensible for knives with serrated blades.
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My kitchen knives are sharper now than they were when I bought them. When or if they become too worn to sharpen, they will be replaced. Being able to sharpen a knife is a useful skill.
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