Lesson Description & Goals

The sign of a true professional chef is one that trusts solely their own hands to sharpen their most important kitchen tool – their chef’s knife. A sharp knife is essential in every kitchen, yet the vast majority of cooks have knives that cannot even cut through a tomato without difficulty. Dull knives make cooking less enjoyable because the initial task of prepping ingredients becomes a difficult chore – not to mention a safety hazard to your fingers. The quality of your knife’s edge will ultimately reveal your desire and commitment to get cooking.

In this lesson, you will learn about the importance of a sharp knife. You will learn about various whetstones and how to care for them and what happens to a knife during sharpening. You will learn how to sharpen, polish and maintain your knives.

With just a bit of patience and practice, you will be able to sharpen your own knife just like a professional cook – a true crafts person. The first time you successfully sharpen your knife on a whetstone with your own hands to the point that it will cut through tomato skin and especially through paper, it will give you a boost of confidence. This will make it easier for you to pick up your knife and get started and will confirm that you belong to this craft we call cooking.

• Understand the importance of a sharp knife
• Understand what happens to a knife during sharpening
• Know how to properly sharpen a chef’s knife using a whetstone
• Know how to properly polish a chef’s knife
• Know how to care for your whetstone

Lesson Topic Videos

• Introduction to Knife Sharpening (1:29)
• The Importance of a Sharp Knife (0:58)
• Types of Whetstones (1:46)
• What Happens During Knife Sharpening (2:04)
• Sharpening a Knife (7:09)
• Knife Polishing & Maintenance (1:30)

All Lessons in the Knives, Knife Cuts and Knife Sharpening Section

• Selecting a Kitchen Knife Set
• Handling a Chef's Knife
• How to Cut Using a Chef's Knife
• Knife Sharpening with a Whetstone