8 steps on how to sharpen a knife with a stone

Sharp knives can cut your prep time in half,  and, believe it or not, they're actually safer  than dull knives—they're less likely to  slip.

You will need a  sharpening stone, also known  as a  whetstone, a  bowl  of water large enough to hold the stone,  a kitchen towel, a flat, stable surface,  a dull  knife and a honing steel or ceramic sharpening  rod.

• Step 1.

Soak the sharpening stone in a bowl of water  for 5 minutes.  Avoid oil stones-they are difficult to use  correctly, even for culinary professionals.

• Step 2.

Remove the stone from the water and place  it on a towel on a stable surface.  Make sure the coarse side faces up.

• Step 3.

If you're sharpening a chef's knife, hold  it semi-parallel against the stone at a 20-degree  angle with one hand on the handle and the  other on the top part of the blade.  The 20-degree angle should be about the width  of a matchbook, or even smaller for knives  that requires a thinner edge.

• Step 4.

Starting with the base of the knife, called  the heel, draw the blade sideways along the  stone while pulling the blade toward you so  that the point of contact slides from the  heel to tip.  Apply moderate pressure, especially when working  on this coarse side of the stone.  Keep your fingertips on the top edge of the blade to maintain the angle.

• Step 5.

Repeat this motion in the following pattern:

10 times on each side, then 5, then 3, then  single strokes alternating between right and left 6 times.  You should be able to feel with your fingernail-carefully!-that  a rough burr has developed on the edge.  Knives with thinner edges might take slightly  longer to sharpen; they are typically made  from harder carbon steel than the softer steel  that most Western chef's knives are made from.

• Step 6.

Turn the water stone over to fine-tune and  "polish" the edge.  Repeat the sharpening motion with a slight  lighter touch.  A coarse edge wears more quickly than a polished  edge, but is good for slicing items that have  a tough skin but delicate flesh, like tomatoes  and fish.

• Step 7.

Rinse the blade.

• Step 8.

For an even more polished edge, finish up  with a few draws along a honing steel, making  sure to draw the blade at the same angle as before and with a similar sharpening motion.Now slice away with your new samurai-sharp  blade!