Imagine this: You are slicing-and-dicing your way through an amazing dinner preparation. You’re doing your best, maybe trying to impress the in-laws or friends. You get to the tomatoes, and you’re sliding that knife right across that flesh, getting a perfect cut. Then your knife slips off the tomato and squishes it instead of cutting. The first thing you think is “Why didn’t I use an electric knife sharpener”? We’ve all been there, and it’s always because of a dull knife.
Why Sharp Knives Matter
Now let’s get to the nitty gritty and walk through how to figure out the best electric knife sharpener for you. Before we do that though, let’s take a brief stop and talk about why you need a sharp knife for cooking. It’s not just so that it’s easier to cut through food. Sharp knives cut cleanly as well as in lessening passes. This means less hand force is needed, so you are less likely to cut your hand when using the knife. Sharp knives also slice cleanly which can make your food better because of the texture and appeal.
Having established the paramount importance of nice, sharp knives, let us now explore which electric knife sharpener to invest in to do the job so that your kitchen is fully equipped. This guide will run through everything you need to know in order to help you choose the proper sharpener for your arsenal of cutlery.
What Exactly Is an Electric Knife Sharpener?
An electric knife sharpener is a handheld device to hone your kitchen knives with the minimal human effort as possible. While a manual sharpener needs a lot of stamina and time to sharpen your knives, an electric model with a set of motorized abrasive wheels enables you hone the edges using only the power switch.
How Do Electric Knife Sharpeners Work?
An electric knife sharpener consists of slots with wheels or belts with abrasive surfaces that remove material from a blade, forming a new, sharpened edge. Most models have multiple stages: coarse abrasives are used to reshape the cutting edge, and finer abrasives for honing and polishing.
“Won’t Electric Sharpeners Damage My Knives?”
One of the most widely voiced questions about electric knife sharpeners is: ‘Will it hurt my knives?’ And in fact, you can damage your blades by using the wrong type of sharpener, or one of inferior quality, or by misusing that tool. But an electric sharpener of high quality will be made to prevent that sort of damage, with features such as controlled sharpening angles, and multiple sharpening stages, to be uniform and gentle on your precious tools.
“Are They Really Worth the Investment?”
Another recurring question concerns whether or not to invest in an electric sharpener. The answer to that is almost always “yes”. The reason is pretty obvious: you don’t do a lot of cooking. But if you do, having sharp knives will mean that tasks take less time, they are safer to use, and they will be more pleasant as well. Moreover, the electric sharpener will prolong the life of your knives and, in the long run, might prove to be the more economical choice.
“Can I Use Them on All My Knives?”
Not all electric sharpeners are made equal, and some are not robust enough to tackle certain types of blades such as serrated blades or Japanese-style blades. Many of today’s electric sharpeners have multiple settings that can cater for a variety of knives, so be sure to check the specifications before buying.
Adjustable Sharpening Angles
There are knives with different angles on their blades, as well, and maintaining the correct angle for the blade shape is key to keeping an ‘honest’ knife. Make sure the sharpener can adjust angles or has preset angles for different kinds of knives, so the edge you get is the exact one you are seeking.
Multiple Sharpening Stages
A decent electric sharpener will include at least two stages — one for sharpening and one for honing — and some of the higher-end models will offer a third, fourth or even more sensitive stages offering a polishing option that, if used carefully, could provide a razor-sharp finish on your knives — and multiple stages are definitely the way to go, offering the ability to carefully and progressively refine the blade, rather than remove a lot of material at once and run the risk of wearing the blade out.
Safety Features
Safety ought to be a high priority. Consider a sharpener with a sturdy base, finger guards and non-slip feet. And auto-stops, which reduce the risk of over-sharpening.
Ease of Use
Another benefit you gain from electric sharpeners is convenience. Choose models with clear instructions, easy-to-use settings and no-hassle maintenance to make sure you’ll use it regularly — which will keep your knives in good condition.
Durability and Build Quality
It is always worthwhile investing in a quality electric sharpener that you won’t need to buy again in a year. Look for small appliances that are made from durable materials that should withstand a reasonable amount of use. Not everything can be guaranteed in the box, but you can pretty much tell if a product is not built to last by the comments of customers who purchased online. A lot of times you get helpful information from experts.
Our Top Picks for Electric Knife Sharpeners
1. Chef’s Choice Trizor XV EdgeSelect
It’s a model favored both by home cooks and professional chefs, and comes with three sharpening stages, an adjustable angle feature and the promise of being able to work with any sort of sharp knife at all. The Trizor XV promises ‘razor edges with uncanny consistency’, and as long as you don’t drop it on the floor, it’ll deliver on that promise season after season.
2. Work Sharp Culinary E5
Another good choice is the Work Sharp Culinary E5. It has a vacuum in front that collects metal filings so that your workspace stays tidy, and various settings for different steels. It’s about as easy to use as it gets, and quite modern looking.
3. Presto EverSharp
My limited budget meant my first knife sharpener was the Presto EverSharp — perfect for beginners: it’s two-stage, semi-automatic (no need to pull the knife) and gets the job done. At around $30, I worked with this single household purchase until it became almost unusable. In retrospect, I recommend the EverSharp to newbies and to anyone on a budget. You can’t work miracles with an inexpensive tool, but my EverSharp was an excellent mechanical palmate that brought my affordable kitchen knives back to their original, sharp state.
Maintaining Your Sharpened Knives
Now that you have that visual in your mind’s eye, you are probably wondering ‘Now what do I do?’ Maintenance is crucial and definitely an element you don’t want to skimp on. The good news is that things just got easier.
Did It Make The Cut?
If you are about to buy an electric knife sharpener for the first time or simply want to replace your old one, there are several things to look for — and a few mistakes to avoid. If you follow my advice below, you are guaranteed to find a quite good sharpener that fits your budget, and it will definitely make your cooking better. For example, if you select a sharpener with adjustable angles, multiple sharpening stages, extra-safety features, easy operation and maintenance, and good warranty coverage, your choice is likely to be a sound one.
Don’t scrimp when it comes to an electric knife sharpener. A good one is an investment, and the ultimate reward is a superb kitchen, sharper knives and the pleasures of slicing. So carve, peel and cut away, something in there caught your eye.