Saving trick for the kitchen: How to make knives sharp again with old jeans
Created: 09/01/2022 15:22
By: Anne Tessin
Already knew?
Knives can be sharpened easily with jeans.
© Imagebroker/Imago
Blunt knives make cooking a test of nerves.
If you long for a sharp blade, then simply reach for jeans.
The pro tip explained.
When cutting vegetables and meat, they are the be-all and end-all: sharp knives.
Anyone who has ever had to struggle with a dull blade knows that this is not only annoying, but spoils the cooking result.
Squashed tomatoes instead of accurate slices is just one example of many.
But what to do if the knife has already suffered?
If you don't want to hire a professional knife sharpener, you can do it yourself.
You can buy a sharpening steel and knife sharpener, but you can also use a piece of clothing that we all probably have at home.
Yes, you can sharpen knives on old jeans, assures chef Stephan Schnieder in the ZDF television garden (ZDF) and refers to scenes from Western films in which the protagonists also sharpen their knives on iconic trousers.
Sharpening knives on old jeans: this is how the savings tip works
To understand why the jeans trick works, you need to know what actually dulls the knife.
When cutting onions, meat and the like, a burr forms on the blade over time, it bends, folds over and the sharp edge is gone.
But the burr is so fine that you can straighten it up again even on the robust denim fabric and this is how it works according to Schnieder:
Fold the jeans in half lengthwise and stretch them by stepping on the bottom with your foot, grabbing the waistband and pulling up at an angle.
On this sloping level, pull the knife blade upwards at a flat angle with a swing.
With a little practice, you can rotate the knife on the downward motion and sharpen the blade in that direction as well.
Otherwise you will have to switch sides after a while.
To sharpen the entire knife, make sure to move the entire edge along the jeans as you move up and down.
And the knife is sharp as ever again.
Of course, you won't get a really dull blade back into shape that way, but if you use this tip regularly before or after cutting, your kitchen knife will stay sharp for much longer.
Don't want to use old jeans to sharpen knives or don't have any in your closet?
Then use a conventional pull-off leather (advertising link).
This works with the same effect and ensures the proverbial razor-sharp blade.
But which knife do you actually use for what?
Here it is easily explained.
