How Often You Should Sharpen Your Knives, According To A Chef

If you're investing in a good chef's knife, a knife sharpener will keep your blade at its best quality. "Your cutting board and the items you're cutting are constantly dulling your knife. And while it may go against what you may think, if your knife is dull, it's actually more dangerous because it won't slice cleanly through your food," says Adrienne Cheatham, chef at the Institute of Culinary Education. "When you're cutting items like herbs and vegetables with a dull knife, you end up crushing the cells instead of slicing through them. Having a sharp knife helps your food, too, so that you aren't bruising it."

To keep your knifes at their best, here are the best manual, electric, and stone knife sharpeners that you can buy. We also have plenty of picks for other useful utensils and tools like these 47 kitchen gadgets and the best steak knives.