Once the turkey or ham is on the table with loved ones gathered for Thanksgiving or Christmas, there's nothing worse than finding your carving knife is blunt and unusable.
So, how do professional chefs keep their knives sharp and ready for carving during the holiday season?
I spoke to five pros to find out their top tips on the best ways to sharpen kitchen knives, and here's what they recommend.
I Asked 5 Professional Chefs What They Use to Sharpen Knives for Holiday Carving
1. A Honing Rod
To keep her best kitchen knives sharp and ready for use, Lydia Hayman, our in-house trained chef and kitchen appliance editor, swears by her HexClad Honing Rod, which came with her HexClad Essential Knife Set, available at Amazon.
'This works really well to realign the blade between sharpenings, and keeps a precise edge,' she says. 'It has a very solid grip.'
She's not the only one who relies on a honing rod, either.
For example, Kyle Taylor, founder and chef at He Cooks, says, 'I like to keep it simple. I use a ceramic Professional Carbon Steel Black Knife Sharpening Steel available at Amazon to keep my chef's knife sharp.
'A few passes before I cook is all it takes to keep the edges straight and sharp. I've tried stones, but nothing beats the speed and control of a rod for day-to-day maintenance.'
Joanne Gallagher, co-founder and recipe developer at Inspired Taste, agrees, too, adding that her honing rod is one of the few tools she reaches for almost every day in the kitchen.
'A ceramic rod gently realigns a knife's edge without removing too much metal, which helps my knives stay sharper for longer,' she says. 'I use my Professional Ceramic Honing Rod available at Amazon on all my knives, even my Japanese ones, and just a few passes bring them back to razor-sharp.'
2. A Whetstone
You can also, as JD Alewine, former sushi chef and founder of Them Bites, suggests, use a whetstone. This is often recommended to sharpen hedge trimmer blades, too.
'Having a sharp knife was a must for my time in kitchens, especially when breaking down a whole fish,' he says. 'I love the brand of KING whetstones, available at Amazon, which are made in Japan. This is what I was traditionally taught to use by my teacher Kazuhiro Sato from Kyoto.
'It's always worked with achieving a sharp edge on a knife, and many of the whetstones come with two sides that have different grits. This one in particular has a 1000 grit, and 6000 grit side.
'This is great because you can use the lower grit side to form the edge you want, then use the higher grit side to really define, and hone that edge, thus resulting in a very sharp knife.
'I keep my knives sharp by taking routine care of them, and sharpening them as needed. It's basic maintenance, and if you cook a lot, it's needed.'
If you're unsure how to use a whetstone to sharpen your best chef's knives, David "Chef Fig" Figueroa, professional chef, grill master, culinary expert, president, CCO and co-founder of Melinda's Foods, shares, 'I soak the stone for about 10 to 15 minutes, then draw the knife smoothly across at a 15-degree angle, alternating sides.
'Once the edge feels right, I use a stone to keep the blade aligned between sharpenings, and finish with a few passes on a good leather strop [such as the Hutsuls Brown Leather Strop available at Amazon] to remove any burrs, and add that mirror shine.
'I never use diamond or pull-through sharpeners. They are quick fixes that can ruin a good knife.'
In terms of which whetstone David uses, his go-to is the Sharp Pebble Premium Whetstone, also available at Amazon.
'It's made for precision sharpening, which gives me total control over my edge,' he explains. 'The 1000 side restores the blade, while the 6000 side polishes it to a razor finish.'
A Water-Cooled Electric System
Finally, adds Lydia, for full sharpening, she's often been recommended the Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener, available at Amazon – a water-cooled electric system that is ultra-precise and avoids overheating the steel.
'It's expensive, but a really pro-level bit of kit,' she says. 'If you don't want to invest in a machine, many chefs send their knives away to be sharpened by the professionals!'
What to Shop
All prices were correct at the time of publication.
This is the knife set, complete with a honing rod, that Lydia loves and uses at home. It may seem expensive, but it works out at great value for a six-piece, good-quality set.
This knife sharpener is suitable for both straight and serrated knives, and is compact and easy to store.
This professional-grade knife sharpener kit is highly durable and long-lasting, and can be used to sharpen any blade, from kitchen knives to scissors.
This knife sharpener sharpens your knives in as little as ten seconds, for fast and efficient results.
This knife sharpener includes seven abrasive grits to allow you to cater to your specific tools, with a sharpening angle that can easily be adjusted from 15 to 30 degrees.
If you need a new set of knives, this everyday essential collection features a stylish design with long-lasting, sharp blades.
Meet the Experts
For another affordable option, Punteha van Terheyden, Head of Solved here at Homes & Gardens, saved her dull knives with an affordable rolling knife sharpener.
