Would you like to maintain your knives quickly without having to master all the techniques involved in using a sharpening stone? An electric knife sharpener is a particularly practical solution. It allows you to restore an effective cutting edge in just a few minutes while making it much easier to maintain the correct sharpening angle.
Its main advantage is obviously the time saved. While a sharpening stone requires you to maintain a consistent angle yourself and perform numerous movements, an electric sharpener uses guides that support the blade as it passes through. This makes it much more accessible for users who want to maintain their knives without becoming sharpening experts.
Some appliances are also extremely versatile. This is particularly true of the Chef's Choice Trizor XV CC15, which we will use as an example throughout this tutorial. This sharpener features three successive stages and sharpens at an angle of 15°. It can be used with many European and Japanese knives, as well as certain straight and serrated blades. It can even gradually convert a traditional 20° Western edge into a finer 15° geometry.
The exact operation will always depend on the model you use. Some appliances have just one sharpening stage, while more advanced models combine several stages. With a model such as the Chef's Choice Trizor XV CC15, sharpening is divided into three stages: an initial abrasive stage, a finer sharpening stage and finally a finishing stage.
Before placing your knife in the appliance, start by checking that it is compatible with the sharpener. Not all models are designed for the same blade angles or geometries.
The Chef's Choice Trizor XV CC15 is particularly interesting in this respect because it works at an angle of 15°. It is therefore suitable for Japanese knives using this geometry, but can also be used to gradually convert a Western knife originally sharpened at around 20° to a finer cutting edge.
However, bear in mind that this process genuinely changes the geometry of the cutting edge. It is therefore more than simply routine maintenance.
This is probably the most important point when using a multi-stage electric sharpener: you do not necessarily need to use every stage each time.
The Trizor XV CC15 offers three sharpening zones. The first uses relatively abrasive diamond discs and is designed to restore a particularly dull knife. The second works more finely to create and refine the cutting edge. The third is dedicated to finishing and uses a much finer abrasive.
A knife that has only lost a little cutting performance therefore does not necessarily need to go through the first stage. The coarser the abrasive you use, the more material you remove from the blade.
If your knife genuinely no longer cuts properly, you can begin with the first sharpening zone. On the Trizor XV CC15, this stage uses diamond discs designed to carry out the most substantial work on the cutting edge.
Place the heel of the knife into the appropriate slot. The guiding system automatically helps keep the blade at the angle determined by the appliance.
This stage should be reserved for knives that really need it. For routine maintenance, it is generally better to move directly to a finer stage.
Once the blade is correctly positioned, gently pull it towards you. The movement should be smooth and continuous: start at the heel and gradually guide the entire length of the blade through to the tip.
There is no need to pull very quickly or apply heavy pressure. The abrasive discs need to work evenly along the entire cutting edge.
As you approach the tip, slightly raise the handle to naturally follow the curve of the blade. This helps prevent one section from being sharpened excessively compared with another.
On a sharpener fitted with two separate guides, each pass sharpens one side of the cutting edge. You therefore need to alternate between the two slots to obtain an even edge.
Try to perform a similar number of passes on the left and right sides. The objective is not to make dozens of passes, but to work gradually until you achieve the desired result.
The second stage refines the work performed previously. On the Trizor XV CC15, it also uses diamond abrasives, but they are finer than those used during the first stage.
This zone can also be used directly when your knife already has a good cutting edge but is beginning to lose some of its performance.
For a Japanese knife, the manufacturer recommends using stages 2 and 3 rather than systematically starting with the highly abrasive first stage.
The final stage uses an extra-fine abrasive to finish the cutting edge. It helps eliminate the last irregularities and produces a finer, more effective edge.
This is also the stage that will often be preferred for routine maintenance when a knife is still cutting reasonably well.
On the Chef's Choice Trizor XV CC15, this third zone is also the most suitable for certain serrated blades. However, it is always advisable to check the instructions for your appliance before sharpening this type of knife.
A common mistake is to perform too many passes simply because an electric sharpener is quick and easy to use. However, every pass removes a small amount of metal.
After a few passes, stop the appliance and check the blade. You can, for example, try slicing cleanly through a sheet of paper or a tomato. A properly sharpened knife should cut into the material easily without requiring heavy pressure.
If the result is satisfactory, there is no need to continue: your knife is ready to use.
Once sharpening is complete, carefully clean your knife to remove any very fine metal particles that may remain on the cutting edge.
Lightly wash the blade and immediately dry it with a soft cloth. Your knife is now ready to return to the kitchen.
The first criterion is compatibility with your knives. In particular, check the sharpening angle offered by the appliance. If you mainly use thin Japanese knives, a model working at around 15° will be particularly useful. For more traditional Western knives, consider whether you want to preserve their original geometry or potentially modify it.
Having several sharpening stages is also a major advantage. An appliance such as the Chef's Choice Trizor XV CC15 allows you to choose between substantial restoration of the cutting edge, finer sharpening and finishing. This avoids unnecessarily removing too much metal when a knife only needs light maintenance.
Also consider the types of blades you own. If your drawer contains European knives, Japanese knives and a few serrated blades, choose a versatile sharpener rather than an appliance designed for a single blade geometry.
Finally, your sharpening frequency should help guide your choice. For a few knives sharpened occasionally at home, a simple model may be perfectly adequate. For keen cooks, families with numerous knives or professionals looking for greater speed, a multi-stage electric sharpener provides a particularly convenient solution.
The objective nevertheless remains the same: use the least abrasive stage necessary to keep your knife performing well for as long as possible. Good sharpening is not about removing a lot of material, but simply restoring the cutting edge to the geometry it needs.
