Electric Knife Sharpeners - Never Have Dull Blades Again

[Rafael Chow]

There comes a time in every kitchen knife's life when it is
increasingly harder to cut with it. The edge gets dulled and therefore
you feel like you're trying to cut your steak with a spoon. The best
way to get the sharp edge back to the blade is to use an electric
knife sharpener. And while there are many choices when you go to
purchase an electric knife sharpener, you should take great care to
learn how to operate one correctly and safely.
The biggest issue you will face with electric knife sharpeners is the
amount of heat they produce. The sharpener working along the edge of
the metal will create friction. And any rudimentary knowledge of
physics will remind you that as friction increases, so does the heat
that is given off of the affected surfaces. Knowing how hot to allow
the blade to get is important. A blade that has seen too much heat in
the sharpener will end up getting too brittle to work. The signs of
this are when the blade changes color. This is called the blade losing
its temper. Fortunately, there are some electric knife sharpeners on
the market that market themselves as idiot-proof in that they will
"never detemper a blade".
The latest electric knife sharpeners usually have several sharpening
stages built into the sharpening process. The basic stage is merely to
get the edge from dull to sharp. This is the basic level of sharpness
one can get. It is at this stage that most people use their knives and
consider them "sharp". However, electric knife sharpeners go further.
The second stage then takes small abrasive particles and further
refines the level of sharpness to a razor's edge. The third stage is
called "stropping". This is the method by which the blades are cleaned
from the tiny flecks of metal that are shaved off the edge but
actually still cling to the blade's edge.