Contrary to popular belief, a sharp knife is a safe knife because it requires less effort when in use –as long as you pay attention when using it.
Therefore, you need to sharpen your knife regularly to make your work easier and safer at the same time. Whenever you think of sharpening a knife, you are most likely thinking of the old-school stone or the modern electric sharpener.
Nothing special about that, but what if you came across a knife that sharpens itself. Yes, a knife that keeps its edges sharp without any extra effort or tools.
With such a knife, you would never have to worry about it going dull and you having to do the sharpening. Moreover, such knives take quite a long time without ever needing a replacement.
How self-sharpening knives work
So, how does a self-sharpening knife work? A self-sharpening knife is made up of a storage block with ceramic knife sharpeners strategically positioned within the knife slots. Every time you tuck away the knife into the storage blog, the sharpeners press against it sharpening it in the process.
This happens every time you place or remove the knife from the holder. Since taking good care of a knife is not an easy job, this self-sharpening knife block that does the sharpening effortlessly is a perfect way for homeowners to keep their knives sharp. The only thing you have to do is to clean and dry the knives before you tuck them away.
Technically, the ceramic sharpeners do not actually sharpen your knives in a similar way to other metals. They work with an action known as straightening, steeling, or honing. Unlike actual sharpening, this process does not erode the metal to create new edges. It realigns our trues the edges of knives each time you pull them out or put them back into the storage block.
Typically, you first have to buy a set of knives that come with a storage block to get the best out of the self-sharpening technology. It is important because all the knives need to match their respective slots for the best results. With a whole set, you get knives labeled accordingly to ensure you do not insert them in the wrong slot. Always insert the knives in the appropriate slot to prevent blade damage.
Why use self-sharpening knives?
Self-sharpening knives may eventually require actual sharpening, but this will be after a long time. Less frequent sharpening translates to less erosion of the metal. Therefore, your knife lasts longer and in turn, you save you money.
If you are out to purchase new knives, a set of self-sharpening knives is a good investment regarding efficiency and longevity. There are many types of knives with self-sharpening technology at different price ranges as you can see here.
Pros
- Ensures durability of your multipurpose knives
- Keeps the blades constantly sharp
- The ceramic sharpeners in the block have a long lifespan. You wouldn’t need to change them
- Ensures convenience without consuming any manpower or electricity
Cons
- You would not avoid traditional sharpening completely
- If the block slots are loose, the knives won’t hold up well or sharpen.
One of the best self-sharpening knife sets is the Calphalon Knife Block Set which comes with all essential knives, including a paring knife, serrated knives, a cleaver, a boning knife, and a chef’s knife to handle everything a knife is supposed to do in the kitchen.
Although you will have to sharpen your knives sometimes in the future the regular way, at least it wouldn’t be as constant as it is with normal knives. In the long term, you will end up saving a significant amount of money. Besides, these knives last longer than traditionally sharpened knives.