Why Your Knife Gets Dull Quickly?
In reality, there isn't just one reason why a knife becomes dull. When a knife becomes dull, appropriate measures need to be considered based on the specific cause. Anniversary World will provide you with a solution to the "dull knife" issue.
Index
| 1. Are there any knives that maintain sharpness permanently? |
| 2. What makes a knife lose its sharpness and become dull? |
| 3. Reasons for knife blade wear |
| 4. Can you sharpen your knife at home? |
1. Are there any knives that maintain sharpness permanently?
Both you and Anniversary World (AW) hope that your knives can maintain "eternal" sharpness, however, AW regrets to confirm that no knife has that ability!
Therefore, to continue using the knife, you will need to re-sharpen it to restore its original sharpness.
AW frequently receives questions from customers like "I've tried sharpening but the knife is still dull" or "After sharpening, the knife's sharpness hasn't improved" and many similar queries.
Why does an initially sharp knife become dull, and why isn't it as effective after sharpening? To help extend the sharpness lifespan of a knife even a little, AW will explain in detail the reasons for this.
2. What makes a knife lose its sharpness and become dull?
The reason is quite simple and perhaps everyone can guess: the knife's blade gradually wears out and becomes rounded, making the knife lose its sharpness.
Why does the sharpness decrease?
If you try to stroke the worn blade against your fingertip, you'll notice it doesn't catch and slides off your fingertip.
"Do not attempt this action if you are not an expert"
You can see in the image above how this condition makes cutting food more difficult. As the knife doesn't catch onto the food's surface, it cannot cut deeply into it.
This is precisely the situation of a "dull kitchen knife" that people often refer to.
3. Why does the knife become dull immediately after sharpening? Why does the knife blade wear out?
So, what causes the blade to wear out?
Many may think it's because we use the knife for cooking, so the main cause would be from food ingredients. But in reality, it's not like that. Food ingredients are usually softer than the knife and do not cause much wear and tear.
So, where does the wear on the knife blade come from? Yes, the main reason is from "your cutting board."
Research shows that up to 87% of food cutting activities involve using a cutting board.
Though you may not often pay attention to this, in reality, you are cutting both food ingredients and the cutting board simultaneously.
So why isn't the cutting board being cut? The reason is that the cutting board is much harder than the food ingredients.
Therefore, only the softer food ingredients get cut, but the knife constantly wears against the hard surface of the cutting board, gradually losing its sharpness."
Have you thought about replacing your cutting board?
If the reason your knife becomes dull is mainly the cutting board, one of the ways to address this issue is to replace it with a cutting board made from knife-friendly materials.
Currently, most people use cutting boards made from plastic, I think. Of course, they are very hygienic and convenient for cooking. However, cutting boards made from plastic are usually very hard, causing a lot of damage to the knife blade.
Replacing it with a wooden cutting board might be a simple but effective solution to increase the durability of the knife blade. A wooden board will gently receive the knife blade when you cut, minimizing damage to the knife. Additionally, cutting on wood feels softer, providing comfort during use. Especially, types of wood with high regenerative properties, such as cedar or rubberwood, used as raw materials for food-safe cutting boards, help increase the cutting performance of the knife blade. Therefore, AW recommends using a wooden cutting board.
About Incorrect Sharpening
An important note is that the sharpening angle has a significant impact on the sharpness of the knife blade after sharpening.
**Pay attention to the cutting edge on the surface of the cutting board**
If you have sharpened the knife correctly but it still loses its sharpness immediately, it might be due to incorrect cutting. As mentioned above, the reason for the knife becoming dull is the knife blade cutting into the wooden board, causing the knife to wear out.
**Low-Quality Knife**
To be frank, the cutting ability and durability of a knife are greatly influenced by its quality. In today's industrialized era, there are many types of mass-produced knives, but knives made from high-quality steel by skilled craftsmen and made with dedication still maintain the sharpness of the blade for a long time.
4. Can you sharpen your knife at home?
If you are confident enough, try using a specialized sharpening stone at home to sharpen your knife; otherwise, you can also seek a professional knife sharpener.
For those who face difficulty with the knife becoming dull immediately after sharpening, perhaps they are not aware of the proper sharpening techniques or their sharpening tools are not up to standard.
However, it's worth noting that knife sharpening services usually complete within 30 minutes. In many cases, machine-based knife sharpening services can cause unnecessary wear and scratches. We use six different types of sharpening stones from rough to fine and manually sharpen knives.
We hope these insights will be helpful for you in the process of sharpening and using kitchen knives!