KNIFE SHARPENING ANGLE: HOW TO KEEP THE RIGHT EDGE

If your kitchen knives become blunt over time and no longer cut as precisely as they did at the beginning, then it's time to sharpen them. Preferably regularly. This is important to keep your knives sharp and to preserve the pleasure of cooking. But sharpening doesn't just happen. The sharpening angle, for example, is important. It has a significant influence on how sharp your knives become. And how long they retain this sharpness. 

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SHARPENING ANGLE

The grinding angle is also known as the sharpening angle. This is the angle at which the blade is guided on the sharpening tool - for example, the whetstone or sharpening steel. The optimum angle varies depending on the type of knife. A smaller grinding angle results in a sharper blade, while a larger angle offers more stability.  


  • It is important to understand the difference between the sharpening angle and the cutting angle. The sharpening angle refers to the inclination of the blade. The cutting angle is the angle the blade has after sharpening. A smaller grinding angle usually results in a smaller cutting angle, which leads to a sharper blade.  
  • If you sharpen your knives at the wrong angle, you risk the blade will not stay sharp for long and dull more quickly or the blade will not be as sharp as it could be. A too-shallow angle will result in a thinner, more sensitive cutting edge and dulls more quickly. A too-steep angle results in a thicker edge that retains its poorer (initial) sharpness for longer but cuts less precisely. 

WHAT SHARPENING ANGLE DOES MY KNIFE HAVE?

Sounds complicated? But it's quite simple once you've done it. To find the optimum sharpening angle for your knife, you need to take a few factors into account. The grinding angle depends on the type of knife, the grind and the desired sharpness.

CALCULATE THE SHARPENING ANGLE

For precise sharpening, you just need to know how to calculate the sharpening angle. With a one-sided grind, the grinding angle is halved as only one side of the blade is sharpened. A typical sharpening angle for European knives is around 15 degrees, while Japanese knives often have a sharpening angle of 10 degrees. Chopping knives are an exception - they always have a larger sharpening angle. 

BLADE WIDTH AND BLADE HARDNESS

The blade's width and the knife's hardness also play a role in determining the optimum sharpening angle. Wider blades often require a larger grinding angle to ensure their stability. The thinner the blade and the harder the steel, the smaller the angle. 

TYPICAL SHARPENING ANGLES FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF KNIVES

  • Chef Knife: European chef's knives often have a sharpening angle of around 14 degrees, while Japanese chef's knives have a sharpening angle of 15 degrees. 
  • Santoku Knives: Santoku knives usually have a sharpening angle of 17.5 degrees, which makes them excellent all-purpose knives. 
  • Cleavers: Due to their thicker blades, cleavers are often sharpened to an angle of around 27.5 degrees. 
  • Chinese Chef Knife: These knives often have a sharpening angle of around 25 degrees. 

KNIFE SHARPENERS AND SHARPENING ANGLES

You can use various tools from ZWILLING to sharpen your knives. Here are some of the most common ones and how they relate to the sharpening angle: 

  • Sharpening Steel: The sharpening steel is a tool for wonderful sharpening. To maintain the sharpening angle, the blade should be guided at an angle of about 15-20 degrees. It takes practice to keep the right angle, but it will give you a great result.   
  • Sharpening Stone of Whetstone: Sharpening stone or whetstone: You can maintain the sharpening angle more precisely with a sharpening stone. Sharpening also requires some practice and strength, but it is authentic, handcrafted and makes every knife perfectly sharp. You must choose the correct grit depending on the degree of dullness (the duller the knife, the coarser the grit). 

KNIFE SHARPENING ANGLE TABLE

A practical way to determine the correct sharpening angle for your knives is to use a knife sharpening angle table. In this table, we use the blade width to explain how high you need to hold the knife on a whetstone to achieve the desired sharpening angle.

Blade width Grinding angle 15° Sanding angle 20°
2-4 mm 0,5 cm 0,7 cm
5-7 mm 1,2 cm 1,5 cm
8-10 mm 2,0 cm 2,5 cm
11-13 mm 3,0 cm 3,5 cm

SHARPEN KNIVES CORRECTLY WITH OUR TIPS

A lot of information at once - summarized once again: The sharpening angle is crucial when sharpening knives. The correct sharpening angle depends on various factors such as knife type, grind, blade width and hardness of the steel. With our tips and sharpening tools from the ZWILLING online store, you can bring your knives to the desired sharpness and improve your cooking experience. Keep an eye on your sharpening angle, and you will enjoy your sharp, precise and longer-lasting knives.

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