The Simple Paper Test To Tell If You Need To Sharpen Your Kitchen Knives

Whether you're a novice cook or a professional chef, you probably know that one of the most important rules to follow in the kitchen is to keep your knives sharp. Sharp blades make meal prep so much easier and make cooking more enjoyable. A sharp knife easily cuts through tough vegetables and cleanly slices meat without much effort. When you let your blades become dull, they mash and crush your food instead of cutting it. Dull blades are also more dangerous because you have to apply more pressure. More pressure typically means less control, so you could accidentally cut yourself. If you want to avoid all this but you're confused about when to sharpen your blades, you can perform a simple paper test.

The time to go between sharpening dull kitchen knives depends on how often you use them. If you're preparing meals for yourself or family, you can generally go three to six months before sharpening with a whetstone. If you are a professional chef who spends several hours a day in the kitchen chopping meat and vegetables, you should plan to sharpen your main knives every one to two months.

If you find yourself constantly piercing food with the tip of the blade before cutting it, it could be a sign you need to sharpen the blade. You may also notice soft vegetables like tomatoes turn to mush instead of thin slices. Slicing meat and bread requires a sawing motion instead of a quick cut. If you notice any of these signs, it's a good time to perform the paper test.

The paper test is a popular and simple method used by all types of cooks because it quickly determines whether your knife has lost its edge. All you need is a standard sheet of paper or even a page from a magazine. The main goal of the test is to see how quickly and cleanly your knife can slice through the material without tearing or snagging the fibers.

Hold a sheet of paper upright by the top corner with your non-dominant hand. Let the rest of the paper hang freely in the air. Holding your knife, pull the blade against the top edge and move continuously downward at a slight angle. A properly sharpened knife will make a clean cut through the paper without any effort. If the blade struggles or tears the paper, it's a good sign your blade is dull.

Keep in mind, if you aren't handy in the kitchen and you don't cook that often, you can stop struggling with dull blades by sharpening your knives a few times a year. While a dull knife is definitely a problem, it's also important to note that you can sharpen the blades too often. Each time you sharpen the blade, you grind away steel and shorten the lifespan, so it's important to avoid unnecessary sharpening.