What is your first thought when you realize that your knives are no longer as sharp and powerful as they used to be last year? At a first glance, you got two major possibilities. First, you can get rid of the problematic units and invest in new knives instead. Do your homework and find a reliable manufacturer, then buy the units you require. However, this option is not necessarily the most cost efficient one. After all, even a single knife can cost a lot of money, especially if you choose a quality unit from a reputable brand.
The second option implies sharpening your knives. There are plenty of services out there that can do a pretty good job in no time. Once again, the expenses are not too user friendly. Then how would you like to buy your own sharpener? Knife sharpeners have gained a lot of popularity lately due to their cost efficiency. While they do cost more than sharpening your knives at a professional service, they will pay for themselves within a few years. Furthermore, you have the opportunity to sharpen knives whenever they show some signs of weakness. You do not have to wait until they are terribly dull. The results will be instant – extra productivity, less fatigue and less pressure.
Cutting the costs
Whether you use a knife sharpener for your home or your restaurant, chances are you will save a lot of money in the long run. The more frequently you need sharpening, the more money you will save. When it comes to home uses, sharpening is needed about once or twice a year, depending how often you use your knives or what you use them for. If you run a restaurant, a catering service or other food related business, you will need to sharpen knives more times a year. Do the math and you will be surprised by how much money you are wasting. A professional sharpener will pay for itself within a year or two in any of these situations.
Enhancing food preparation
You do not have to be a genius to realize that using sharp and perfectly cutting knives will enhance your cooking techniques. You will most likely save a lot of time when you can cut foods with one movement, rather than pushing through them. The results will also be a lot more pleasant. It is one thing to ensure a straight cut and a different thing to make your food look like it was torn apart. In the attempt to prevent making a bad impression, cooks just get rid of the bad looking parts. This is one of the main causes of food waste. When you just cannot prepare food accordingly, some parts become entirely useless. Once again, this issue leads to a waste of money, whether it occurs in your home kitchen or your food related business.
With these ideas in mind, purchasing a sharpener will save a lot of money in the long run, but it will also add some extra convenience in your kitchen.
Steven Larson is an avid food enthusiast who loves everything about cooking and especially using modern tech in cooking that can make even a novice cook look like an expert chef. He occasionally shares his opinion about the latest and craziest kitchen gadgets on the Kitchen Gadgets Wars blog.
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