I’m having a really hard time learning how to sharpen our kitchen knives.
As all the videos on YouTube will tell you, this is not rocket science. It’s a matter of patience and consistency and a few elements of attention.
But month after month passes, I keep trying, but I’m unable to get our knives sharp.
I went so far as to send them out once (by mail) to a professional knife sharpener. (I think I got the name from Lifehacker.) The knives came back very sharp.
So:
- It can be done
- It’s not my knives
Slowly, however, they became un-sharp, and, when they did, I was unable to get them sharp or keep them sharp myself.
I’m embarrassed to say how many different sets of gear I’ve bought to do this. Each of them has a video or two on YouTube showing how easy it is to use this system.
And I use the system, and I can’t get the knives sharp.
Latest iteration, I’m using a Norton Waterstone “Starter Kit” I got on Amazon. Not cheap. I’ve tried to get two knives — my favorite, and my wife’s favorite — sharp.
After two weeks, no luck yet.
I whale away at the coarse grit for a while on one side. No evidence of a burr. Then I whale away at the other side. Ditto. I do the same with the 1000 grit stone. Both sides. Then I try to cut a piece of paper with the knife. It looks like I sort of can. I declare victory. But it’s not really sharp.
I am training myself to see it through, to be more patient, to keep at it until it works. It’s uphill work.