Why do I enjoy knife sharpening?

Why do I enjoy sharpening knives?

Knife sharpening on a whetstone is one of those tasks that I’ve started to enjoy after joining the career ladder. Simply put the blade onto stone and feel the crevices become nil whilst enjoying the smooth grinding sound. The mechanics of sharpening is not hard. It is only moving the blade up and down on a whetstone with moderate pressure. But, there is a lot of skill and technique at keeping a consistent angle and to know what angle to use. It’s a calm activity that requires absolute focus.

I think that is why I like it. A purely mechanical task which can help still your mind after a busy day.

Sharpening is also not a task you need to do often, so I would not classify it as a chore. It’s something you can do when you want. As a home chef, you rarely need to do it. This is in contrast to dish washing where there is little postponement to the activity and you have to complete it on the day. The results of sharpening a knife is also very satisfying. From a dull knife that requires a lot of force to cut, it can become something as good as new. The validation of success also makes me slightly better each time I do it, as I can start to understand the stone and knives better.

I personally have a 1000/6000 grit stone that I have been using for the past 5 years. Out of my 7 knives, I usually sharpening then as a batch, ~three at a time, once every 2 months.