Don't worry, you don't have to run to buy a professional whetstone. The toothpaste that is common in your home can help. Yes, you heard it right, the CaCO3 and SiO2 abrasives contained in the toothpaste that helps you clean your teeth every day are exactly the secret weapon we can use to get kitchen knives sharp again. With just a few simple ingredients and a few tips, you can easily complete the process at home, making your kitchen knife sharp again and cutting things a breeze.
To get started with this simple and practical knife sharpening method, you'll need to prepare some common ingredients at home: toothpaste, a porcelain bowl, salt, and some white vinegar. Don't underestimate these things, they are all important players in our sharpening process.
Let's start with toothpaste. The toothpaste you usually use to brush your teeth not only cleans your teeth, but also helps your kitchen knife to regain sharpness. Doesn't that sound a bit surprising, but it's just what you need to do! All you need to do is squeeze the toothpaste on both sides of the knife and gently spread it with your hands, making sure that every inch of the blade is covered with toothpaste. The abrasives in the toothpaste come into play in the next steps to help us remove the tiny grooves and rust on the blade and make the blade sharp again.
Next, it's time to get out that porcelain bowl from your home. Maybe you use it every day to hold meals, but today it has another use. Place the porcelain bowl upside down on the board with the bottom of the bowl facing outward. Sprinkle some salt on the bottom of the bowl, then pour in a small amount of white vinegar and gently stir with your hands to mix the salt and vinegar. The white vinegar at this step not only helps to clean the blade, but also removes any possible rust.
Now, let's get started with the actual sharpening process. Place the kitchen knife at an angle of about 20 degrees on the bottom of the porcelain bowl and gently grind it in one direction. The principle here is simple: the bottom of the porcelain bowl is rough and hard, much like the surface of a whetstone. During the grinding process, the friction between the knife surface and the porcelain bowl creates enough force to help the abrasive in the toothpaste clean the blade and restore its sharpness. Just like that, keep grinding for about a minute and you'll notice that the edge becomes sharper.
After sharpening the knife, don't forget to clean it up. Rinse the toothpaste thoroughly from the knife and wipe the blade with a rag to make sure there is no residue. Again, keep the bowl clean by cleaning the salt and vinegar mixture from the bottom of the porcelain bowl. At this point, your kitchen knife should be as smooth and sharp as new.
In addition to this sharpening tip, there are a few additional tips to help you maintain your kitchen knives. For example, after each use, the knife surface should be cleaned with clean water and wiped dry with a dry cloth to prevent corrosion. It is best to store the knives on a special tool holder, not stacked randomly to avoid the blades colliding with each other. It is also important to use the knives separately, for example, do not cut vegetables with the same knife used to cut meat, so as to avoid flavor transfer between the ingredients.
If your knives rust, don't worry too much. Simple ingredients at home, such as sliced radish, potato or shallots, can be used to remove rust. Rust spots can be gradually removed by rubbing these ingredients repeatedly on the rusty knife surface.
In addition, to better protect the knives from oxidation and rust, you can apply a thin layer of cooking oil after the blade has dried. Such a protective layer not only maintains the shine of the cutting edge, but also prevents rust to a certain extent and prolongs the service life of the tool.
With these simple and practical methods, your kitchen knives will always be in top condition, whether you're cutting meat or vegetables. At no extra cost, just use the ingredients you already have in your home and with a little bit of skill, you can make life in the kitchen smoother and enjoy every cooking.