Expert Tips for Sharpening Your Serrated Knife Under 10 Minutes

Of what use is a serrated knife that is unable to cut? The last time I tried to cut something using my serrated knife, I realized it was dull. Really dull! I had to use a lot of force to cut through the meat. In addition, instead of cutting, it was tearing the food. Due to its distinctive edge shape, I could not sharpen the knife as I do the other regular ones. Did you know that a dull blade is a real safety hazard?

The serrated knife is often avoided in the kitchen whenever it goes blunt. However, most people tend to think that sharpening a serrated knife is hard or impossible. The truth is that it is possible to sharpen your serrated knives on your own. The secret is just knowing what to do.

With the right tools, technique, and effort, you can put a dull serrated knife on the sharp edge with the least effort. I have taken the time to create an in-depth article on three different ways you can sharpen your serrated knife. Before I start on the various sharpening processes, there are a few rules that you must adhere to.

Rule 1: Never try to sharpen the flat side of your serrated knife. Only sharpen the serrated side, which is also referred to as the beveled side.

Rule 2: Do not sharpen a dirty serrated knife. If your knife is rusty, consider throwing it away as it is a sign of poor quality.

Rule 3: Always wash your knife after sharpening. This is because the blade is usually left with some tiny metal particles that may be hazardous if not properly removed.

Tools You Will Need To Sharpen A Serrated Knife:

• A sharpening rod either made from steel or ceramic

• A SpydercoSharpmaker

• A Chef’s Choice

The 3 Different Ways To Sharpen Your Serrated Knife

1. Sharpening Your Serrated Knife With a Ceramic Sharpening Rod

Although it takes longer than other methods, using a ceramic rod is the best way of sharpening your serrated knife.

Before purchasing a sharpening rod, take into consideration the size of your knife’s serrations. A rod that is too broad will not fit well into space and will be pointless to use with your serrated knife. On the other hand, a rod that is too thin will take a little more work before you hit the whole serration.

Directions

• Choose the proper grit to sharpen your serrated knife. Grits are available in fine, extra-fine and coarse. The coarse grit is recommended for an extremely dull knife and enhances the sharpening process. The fine and extra-fine grits provide a polished edge.

• Lay the ceramic rod in the serration space between your blades teeth.

• You can sharpen the grooves by moving the rod up and down. Use short, light strokes to sharpen the beveled edge of each serration.

• Make sure to look at the edge of the splines every time while grinding to make sure you grind the entire length of the serration.

• After sharpening, a burr will appear on the other side of the blade. Use a leather strap to level the back side of your knife, and make sure to alternate with the front side.

• Lightly run your finger on the flat side of the knife to check for any sharp bumps. If you don't detect any bumps, then your newly sharpened blade is ready for use.

2. Sharpening Your Serrated Knife Using a Spyderco Sharpmaker

SpydercoSharpmaker is a common serrated knife sharpener in most homes. This sharpener is known for its sharp finish. It comes with two medium ceramic stones, two safety rods, two fine ceramic stones, and a base with four slots.

Directions

• Set up the stone by placing one fine ceramic stone’s angular side facing in and set the other rod with the flat side facing in

• Place the serrated side of your knife against the angled side of the ceramic rod.

• Place the flat side of the sharpening rod in the ceramic stone holder.

• Slowly move your knife against the rod to allow the edgy side to sharpen your serrations.

• Ensure you use the right angle when sharpening your serrated knife. It has to be slightly slanted than a regular knife when sharpening.

• Grind it slowly by moving the knife from top to bottom against the angled side of the ceramic stone. Move it from top to bottom

• Repeat the process five times for each serration.

• After you are done sharpening the serrated side, remove the burr from the other side of the knife. Then, slowly move the flat side of the knife along the flat ceramic rod once.

• Make sure to pay attention to the angle when removing the burr from the flat side of your knife.

• Your knife is ready for use.

3. Using An Electric Sharpener To Sharpen Your Serrated Knife

An electric sharpener offers one of the easiest ways to grind your serrated Santoku knife. Electric knife sharpeners have the advantage of speed over the other sharpening methods. In fact, an electric knife will take a minute or two to sharpen a serrated knife.

The other advantage of using an electric knife sharpener is that you will not have to worry about the angles. The electric sharpener offers non-variable/ fixed angles that provide consistent and precise angles. Although the electric sharpener will leave your knives razor sharp, they tend to make a serrated knife lose its serrations, making it dull. The Chef’s Choice 120 Diamond Hone 3-stage Pro sharpener offers one of the best electric knife sharpeners which also happens to sharpen serrated knives.

Directions

• Pull your dull serrated knife through the last polishing slot on the electric knife sharpener to sharpen it.Pro tips on sharpening a serrated knife

• Lay the knife on the edge of your table when sharpening. This will help prevent accidents, and your serrations will receive a regular sharpening result.

• Do not apply too much pressure to the file. Too much pressure only grinds your knife down faster without necessarily sharpening it.

• The safest way to sharpen your serrated knife using a ceramic rod is by pulling the rod away from the knife.

The serrated knife is the only knife in your kitchen that can still perform when dull. However, because it never seems to get dull, most people do not seem to realize the need for sharpening it. But as you can see, sharpening a serrated knife is not so hard after all. With a little practice and some patience, you will master the skill, and you will be able to sharpen your serrated knives in less than 10 minutes.

Remember, your serrated knife can do more than just slicing bread. Experiment with a sharp serrated knife to see how it will smoothly cut into your tomatoes, vegetable, meat. You can also use it outdoors to cut a rope among other things.

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