There’s a number of different ways to sharpen a knife, you can even use a coffee mug if you’re desperate (more on that later). As always, safety comes first with knife sharpening, so if you have the funds we recommend hitting up your local knife sharpener to get the job done for you. Paying a professional is always going to be the first and best option, however, if you’re like us, you want to learn things, because lord knows impressing your partner is always cooler than paying someone.

Whetstones are stones used for sharpening knives. They come in a range of sizes, shapes, prices and materials. Because some knives need more sharpening than others, whetstones are commonly broken down by levels of grit and coarseness. Rough whetstones have less grit and more coarseness. As such, they’re best used for blades that are especially dull or even chipped. Medium whetstones are the most common type, and they’re used during the first step of knife sharpening (grit count from 800 to 2000). Finishing whetstones have the highest grit count (3000 or more), and they eliminate the bumps or ridges that remain after sharpening.

Soak rough and medium whetstones in water for 20-30 minutes before using them.

Don’t soak the finishing stone. Instead, rinse the surface of a fine-grit stone and rub the dressing stone along that surface to create a type of polishing mud or slurry. Use the slurry on the finishing stone.

The chances are you’ve either seen someone using a honing rod to “sharpen” a knife or you have one sitting in your knife draw at home. A common misconception, the honing rod doesn’t actually sharpen your knife, instead, it straightens out the sharp ‘cutting’ edge on the blade to allow for tighter, more effective and thus safer cuts. In an ideal world, you’ll have both a knife sharpener and a honing rod.

Keep four fingers on the knife handle and your thumb on the spine, away from the blade’s edge.

Quick and easy (though probably not recommended by experts) is the method of sharpening a knife using the surprisingly rugged ceramic of an overturned coffee mug.