Global knives are perhaps the most popular brand among professional chefs and home cooks because they perform so well and maintain their sharpness for many years, even through regular usage.
Like all other knives, however,
Global Knives do need to be sharpened occasionally to maintain the optimum cutting edge. Luckily, there are a range of
Global knife sharpeners available to suit your skill level and preference.
When it comes to choosing the right
Knife Sharpener, it is important to note there are a number of ways to sharpen knives. The most common way being
sharpening steel, which is a long rod of steel that chefs often use. The knife is supposed to be drawn from top to bottom and then back again at an angle to sharpen the blade. The problem with this is that it takes a confident hand and holding the knife just the right angle in order to sharpen it effectively.
Another way is to use a
whetstone, which is what professional knife sharpeners use. However, as with the sharpening steel rod, it requires the use of the right angle and some practice to do it successfully.
The
water sharpener is by far the easiest and safest way to sharpen your knives. Made by Global, the sharpening stones are already set on exactly the same angle as the knives, so there is no risk of error to get it exactly right. It sits firmly on the countertop so you can grip it tightly with one hand to hold it steady.
There are two wheels: the white one restores the knife’s side edges by grinding away any rough areas that occur through damage, and the pink one hones the actual cutting blade edge to make your knife razor sharp.
How to Sharpen a Global Knife with the Water Sharpener
- Open the clear compartment that holds the sharpening wheels. Pour a little water into the bottom. This keeps the wheels lubricated and cleaned as they sharpen the knife.
- Place the sharpener on a steady countertop. Using the white (coarse) wheel first, run the knife back and forth in the groove 5-10 times. Only a light press is required.
- Move the knife into the compartment with the pink (fine) wheel. Repeat the process of running the knife back and forth 5 -10 times.
- Rub the knife carefully with a tea towel to remove any fragments of metal dust. Test out your knife on some vegetables, such as a tomato, to check if the desired sharpness has been achieved.
- Repeat this process once a week if the knife is used very frequently. Every 6 months have a professional knife sharpener use a whetstone. (This is recommended by Global in accordance with using the Water Sharpener regularly).
To view the entire range of Global knives, knife blocks and sharpeners click here
About the Author:
Becky Gilhespie is a food writer and former Masterchef semi-finalist. She is currently working part time as a chef, having chosen to do on the job training instead of enrolling at culinary school. Becky is a recipe writer and product tester for many household name brands via
Everten (Australia’s largest online kitchenware retailer), and her own food blog,
www.eatwhatweeat.com focusses on family friendly meals with the wow factor that are healthy, fast and simple to prepare.
Becky is originally from the US but lived in London for 15 years and now resides in Sydney with her husband and two little boys. Her food is inspired a lot by her travels (and desire to travel more).
