How To Sharpen A Serrated Knife Without Ruining The Blade

Blunt knives are no fun, and can actually be more dangerous since they pose a greater hazard of slipping when used. These problems get compounded if you're trying to cut something that requires a serrated knife. A tomato or a loaf of bread will also get squashed when you try to slice it with a blunt edge. Fortunately, most knives are quite easy to sharpen, and even first-timers can quickly get the hang of it. Once you do, sprucing up that old serrated knife isn't much more complicated, provided you follow a few additional pointers to avoid damaging the peaks on the blade.

Since the edge of a serrated knife isn't a straight line, one needs to individually sharpen each groove. This does take longer, but you only need to sharpen one side as most serrated knives are only beveled on a single face. In fact, any tool that sharpens both sides of a knife — including electric sharpeners — is not recommended for serrated knives. It's also important to use a knife sharpener that fits in the divots between the peaks on the blade and isn't too wide for the knife's serrations. Since any kitchen requires multiple types of knives for various purposes, a tapered honing rod can be a good option for keeping them all sharp. Practice on cheaper knives before moving on to your prized serrated saber or even your chef's knife, which is the knife every home cook should splurge on. Start slowly to avoid oversharpening or taking too much metal off the edge, and your serrated knife will soon be back to its former glory.

Unlike a straight-edged knife that requires long, even strokes on the sharpener, a serrated knife is best honed using small movements. It helps to think of each little valley on the edge as a separate curved blade that needs to be sharpened. When using a regular-sized honing rod for, say, a bread knife, rest the tip of the honing rod on a stable flat surface, and with your other hand, move each groove on the knife's edge back and forth on the rod. A compact sharpener like AccuSharp's portable knife sharpener works better for smaller serrated blades like steak knives and versatile little paring knives, which chef David Chang of Momofuku fame swears by in his kitchen. In this case, rest the knife on a flat surface and move the small honing tool in single strokes away from the blade.

Once you do this for each serration, a consistent burr arises along the blade. A burr is a thin sliver of shaved metal that builds up on a knife's edge as you sharpen it. Since the burr is curved towards the opposite side of the blade, turn the blade over and give it a few long strokes on the honing rod as you would a straight-edged knife. This smoothens and straightens the burr, giving your knife a sharp new edge. You can also use a leather or denim strap to fix the burr.

For a quick honing, use a regular steel or ceramic sharpening rod. A thorough sharpening of a heavily degraded blade requires a more robust diamond sharpening rod, such as the Kota Japan Diamond Carbon Steel Professional Knife Sharpener Rod. Be careful not to remove too much metal from the blade by only using a diamond sharpener in single-direction strokes.