Blunt Knives Are Sabotaging Your Cooking – This $17 Sharpener Restores the Edge in Just 60 Seconds

After a long day, I want to make dinner with as little fuss as possible. One of my biggest kitchen frustrations is a dull knife that crushes my food rather than slicing it, dragging out simple prep and turning it into a chore.

Even the best chef's knives lose their edge over time, regardless of how much they cost or what cutting board you use. A knife sharpener is an essential every home cook should have in their kitchen.

I like to keep things simple, which is why this pull-through knife sharpener from Amazon has earned a permanent place in my utensil drawer. It restores a keen edge in minutes, doesn't require practice, and keeps my everyday knives cutting cleanly.

It is impossible to avoid dulling your best kitchen knives. No matter how often you use them, they will eventually go blunt. While you can replace them entirely, it is far more economical (and environmentally friendly) to sharpen kitchen knives instead.

'Sharp knives are safe knives,' explains Jesse Jeznach, Executive Chef at the IRONS Restaurant and Bar at Hilton Mystic. 'Dull knives are much more likely to slide around while you are using them, making it much more likely to slip and have an unfortunate accident, and being dull can leave you with a far worse cut than a sharp knife will.

'Sharp knives also do less damage to the items you are cutting, leaving you with crisp, clean cuts, whereas a dull knife can crush or bruise your meats and vegetables.'

The resulting meal prep is slicker, easier, and creates better-tasting, textured food.

A pull-through knife sharpener from Amazon is the easiest way to sharpen knives. It is admittedly not the best for very expensive knives, as they remove more metal than a manual sharpener might, but it requires the least amount of skill and patience, making it ideal for everyday home cooks such as myself. The base suctions onto the surface of your counter, and you pull the blade through one of the set holes to shave away metal and achieve a sharp edge.

It's quick, affordable, and offers consistent results. It's a game-changer when I am stuck trying to saw through an onion, and I simply would not be without one to hand.

What Else to Shop

Looking to elevate your food prep? I've rounded up some of the best knife sets, sharpeners, and care tools to keep your blades in peak condition and make everyday cooking faster, safer, and more enjoyable.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

With your knives taken care of, brush up on how to clean and care for every type of cookware to make the whole cooking experience easier.

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