How do I sharpen a kitchen knife at home properly?

Soak a water stone for 5-10 minutes, set it on a non-slip surface, and draw the blade across the coarse side at a consistent 15-20 degree angle, alternating sides until a burr forms along the full edge. Switch to the fine side and repeat with lighter pressure to refine the edge.

Hold the steel vertically with the tip on a non-slip surface. Draw the knife blade down and across the steel at 15-20 degrees, alternating sides for 5-10 strokes per side with light pressure. Hone before each cooking session to keep a sharp knife sharp.

Draw the knife through the sharpener's preset slots from heel to tip using light, consistent pressure. Most models have a coarse slot for sharpening and a fine slot for honing. Repeat 5-10 pulls per slot.

Drop off or mail your knives to a professional sharpening service. They use commercial-grade belt grinders and water-cooled wheels to restore factory edges in minutes, then hone and strop each blade to a polished finish.

After sharpening on a stone or system, draw the blade spine-first across a leather strop (with or without polishing compound) for 20-30 alternating strokes per side. This final step polishes the edge to a mirror finish and removes the last traces of the sharpening burr.

Flip a ceramic coffee mug upside down and draw the knife blade across the unglazed ring on the bottom at a 15-20 degree angle. Alternate sides for 10-15 strokes each. This rough ceramic surface acts like a fine sharpening stone in an emergency.

Clamp the knife in a guided sharpening system (like Lansky, Worksharp Precision Adjust, or Edge Pro) that holds the blade at a fixed angle while you draw a stone across the edge. The guide eliminates the hardest part of sharpening — maintaining a consistent angle.

Follow proper knife care and cutting habits to keep your edge sharp longer, reducing how often you need to sharpen. A well-maintained knife can go months between sharpenings, while a poorly treated knife dulls in days. Prevention is the most effective sharpening strategy.

Take your knives to a professional sharpening service or mail them to a reputable sharpener. Professional sharpening produces the best possible edge using equipment and expertise that would be impractical for home use, and it is the safest option for expensive or specialty knives.

Flip a ceramic coffee mug upside down and use the unglazed ring on the bottom as an improvised sharpening surface. This is a well-known emergency technique when you need a sharper knife and have no sharpening tools available.

Clamp the knife in a fixture that holds a sharpening stone at a precise, locked angle. Guided sharpening systems remove the hardest part of freehand sharpening -- maintaining a consistent angle -- and produce excellent results with minimal skill or practice.

Sharpen the knife on a flat steel plate embedded with industrial diamond particles. Diamond plates cut faster than any other sharpening surface, never dish (develop a concave wear hollow), and work on virtually any steel including extremely hard Japanese knives and ceramic knives.

Draw the knife edge along a ceramic rod to hone and lightly sharpen the blade. A ceramic rod is harder than steel rods and actually removes a small amount of metal, making it a true sharpening tool rather than just a honing tool. It bridges the gap between a traditional steel honing rod and a full…

Draw the knife blade backward along a leather strop to remove the microscopic burr left by sharpening and to polish the cutting edge to razor sharpness. Stropping is the final step in a complete sharpening workflow and the best way to maintain an already sharp edge between sharpening sessions.

Run the knife through the slots of an electric sharpener, which uses motorized abrasive wheels or belts to grind a new edge automatically. Electric sharpeners are the fastest way to restore a very dull knife and require no skill in maintaining a consistent angle.