Well, don’t panic yet, because if you have ever been in this situation, this article is for you. I will show the creative ways in which you can sharpen your blunt knife without a Sharpener, of course!
How to Check the Sharpness of a Knife
First things first, you will need to know just how blunt your knife is. As you know, a kitchen knife should be moderately sharp! Therefore, I will list several experiments, to help you know when your knife is in critical condition!
Slice a Tomato
Carefully, put one piece of a tomato on a chopping board. Try to cut through it with the knife you intend to use. If the knife breaks it through effortlessly, then the knife is perfect for Kitchen use. However, if you find yourself, using an extra force to cut the tomato, then, most likely, you have a blunt knife. You can use onions or any other type of vegetables if you do not have a tomato with you.
The Paper Cut Test
Place a piece of paper, horizontally, on a flat surface. Use the kitchen knife to cut it in half. Once again, if you cut the paper with ease, then the kitchen knife is ready to use, whereas, if you find it impossible to cut the paper as fast as possible, then you need to sharpen the knife! The trick can be also be done when the paper is held vertically. You can hold the paper with one hand, and then try to cut it with the knife held with the other hand. Most definitely, if it does not penetrate through the paper, then your knife needs to be ‘repaired’
How to Sharpen a Knife With a Mug
In the following steps, I will show you how you can use any mug to sharpen your kitchen knife.
Turn the old mug upside down and you will notice its rough edges. ( These rough edges are the ones that will act as your knife sharpener)Now, put your blunt knife, on a 10-degree angle, against the rough edge of the old mug.Move the blunt knife forward and backwards against the rough edge of the mug ( There should be a sound created by these movements)Remember, the number of times you want to move the knife, depends on how sharp you want your knife to be. In this case, if it is too blunt, you will spend a little more time doing the activity, compared to when it is less blunt.
The whole activity should consume about two(2) to five (5) minutes and you are good to go!
Sharpening a Knife With a Knife
This procedure only works when there are two blunt knives. It is also one of the easiest methods to sharpen a knife. What you do is :
Place one knife’s edge against the other knife’s backside, at a 10-degree angle. The knife that you want to sharpen should be held by your stronger arm. (I.e If I am a right-handed man, my left hand will hold the backside of the other knife, and my right hand will hold the edge of the knife I want to sharpen and vice-versa)Move your arm ( The one holding the knife you want to sharpen) forward and backward, as both of the knives are against each other. Do that for more than a minute.Once one of the knives is sharp enough, it is advised to also sharpen the other knife in the same steps as mentioned above. ( Two sharp knives are more effective than on)
Sharpening a Knife With a Nail File
It is advised to run water through the nail file first before you start this process. The water will clean the nail file and also act as a lubricant to make the activity as effective as possible. After that, you will then :
Place the nail file on a Flat surface. To provide stability for the kitchen knife, one of your hands should hold the nail file, while the other is holding the kitchen knife.Take the kitchen knife and put it at a 10-degree angle on the nail file.Stroke the blunt knife against the nail file, in a forward and backward movement. Do this for about a minute, carefully.
Check this too: How to Sharpen a Can Opener Well, these are just some of the creative ways you can improvise at home. You should know that the activities depend on the availability of the items mentioned I.e if you have a mug but do not have a nail file, you can sharpen via the mug and vice-versa. With that, I hope you can navigate through your cooking process, successfully!
