Already knowledge about how to sharpen a serrated knife will not only save your time but also keep you away from irritation in the kitchen. These knives have tooth-like edges that are perfect tools for slicing those things that have a hard outer shell with soft interior.
Due to that reason, serrated knives are widely used for cutting fresh bread and meat. Beside all these things, it is necessary to keep your knife sharp to grip and rip the outer layer and glide smoothly into the soft interior.
What is a Serrated Knife?
A serrated knife is a edge base instrument which comes with a sharp, scaled and secure blade which is easy and secure to handle. This kitchen knife is different from other chef’s knives because of their unique blade appearance.
Every scallop point is serrated and these small points along the cutting edge give the serrated knife its role in your knife set because they allow it to tackle tasks that other kitchen knives aren’t suited to. These serrated edges are specifically designed for those foods that have a hard exterior and soft interior.
Furthermore, it can also be used for squishy products like tomatoes as applying force on sharp points having blade edges can break the surface of food. The part between the serration is known as gullets which allow the blade to move food gradually.
The second name of serrated knife is bread knife which comes in various sizes to perform tasks.
Why Do Serrated Knives Get Dull ?
As hard as bread crusts can be, serrated knives – and knives in general – dull from contact with the cutting surface rather than contact with the food itself. The knife blade hit the cutting board repeatedly and dulled.
How to Sharpen a Serrated Knife
Sharpening a serrated is not as easy as traditional knives. Due to its unique shape of blade you can’t use some ordinary knife sharpener or electric knife sharpener to sharpen it.
But there are many high end electric knife sharpeners that have slots for sharpening a serrated knife. If you really want accurate results then you should use a ceramic honing rod,in the following section we provide the way to use it.
Locate the Knife’s Beveled Side
First of all your serrated knife should have a flat and beveled side. Beveled side of the blade is the side which allows the users to cut and sharpen it.
Carefully Run the Sharpening Rod Through Each Gullet
Serrated knives are different types of knives and there is no shortcut of sharpening it and require sharpening every serration. If you do it the first time nicely then you will not need to do it again.
You should place the honing rod flat against the beveled edge angle to make sure you are doing it with the right angle, Then run it through the gilt toward the cutting edge and keep it with the bevel the whole time. Repeat the same process until you don’t sharpen all the gullets of the knife.
Remove the Burrs
While sharpening the knife, the small pieces of metal (burrs) will collect on the flat side of the knife.Remove these pieces of metal by running the flat end of the knife over a whetstone or a piece of fine-grit sandpaper. After all these things you will get a clean and sharp edge serrated knife.
Tips for Sharpening a Serrated Knives
Selection of Low Maintenance Knife
A serrated knife with limited serrations is easy to sharpen and also a good cutting tool on various instances. While slicing with your serrated knife make sure that you are applying force on each serration. Therefore, the fewer serrations there are, the harder they bite into food.
Sharpen with Necessary
The serrated knife is designed in such a way that the tool does not make contact with the cutting board and because of these reasons we don’t need to sharpen it as compared to other kitchen knives. You should only sharpen your serrated knife when you feel it’s getting dull. If you use your serrated knife infrequently, it may need sharpening every few years.
Use Bread Test
If you are not sure whether you need to sharpen your knife or not then pay attention next time when cutting the bread. If you see a lot of crumbs are being produced and your bread slice is not clean then you should consider sharpening your knife.
How to Maintain a Serrated Knife
If you see technically then you can’t sharpen a serrated knife at home. It is important to handle it with great care to keep it in optimal or moderate condition.
Storage
You should not throw your serrated knife with other tools in the drawer at home, otherwise it will get scratched on the blade. You can store it on a wood block or on a magnetic strip.
Use
When you use a serrated knife for cutting, try to use it on wood or some hard plastic cutting board rather than use directly on your countertop. You can’t use it for chopping or frozen food like rock-hard burger patties.
Cleaning
Don’t throw a serrated knife in the dishwasher because the extreme heat can damage a handle material and other objects can hit it and dent the edge of the blade. The handle becomes shrunk when someone has put the knife in the dishwasher and the knife also gets little nicks and dings on it.
Always cleaning their knives and putting them away is what we recommend you treat with serrated knives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do You Need a Special Sharpener for Serrated Knives?
Yes, for a serrated knife you need a special style tool called sharpening rods. Some bars, like the ones you’d normally find in a kitchen, are larger. They will not be helpful for working with small serrations.
Can You Sharpen a Serrated Blade with a Knife Sharpener?
You can’t sharpen a serrated knife with a traditional knife sharpener or with electric knife sharpener because of their unique shape of blade.
How Do Chefs Use a Serrated Knife?
Serrated knives are famous because of their scalloped and toothlike edge and considered an ideal knife for those knives that have a hard exterior and soft interior like crusty bread. It is similar to saws such as the teeth of the blade grab and then break as the knife slides easily into the food.
Should I Use Fine or Coarse for Serrated Knife?
Most of the cases, the fine grit provides a good cutting edge and will at a good rate. It is optional grit for faster sharpening rate on each dull serrated knife. Furthermore, the delightful and ceramic grits will provide a polished edge as well.
Why Do Serrated Knives Work Better?
The teeth of the serrated blade will tear through the hard crust while the rest of the blade will follow and easily slice the bread. through the tomato skin, while the serrated blade will easily cut thin slices of tomato and is perfect for slicing lemons too.