Broke my knivesharpener mid-shift and had to borrow one from the deli counter

Last Saturday during the morning rush, my electric sharpener just died with a grinding sound. I was halfway through a case of ribeyes and my edges were already dull. Had to walk over to the deli side and ask if I could use their Accusharp for ten bucks in their tip jar. It did the job but left a weird burr on my 8-inch chef knife. Anyone else had to use non-standard gear during a busy morning and regretted it?

2 comments

2 Comments

scott.jana22d ago

72 bucks says that burr never actually messed with your cuts, just your head, because a fresh edge with any kind of bite beats a dull blade every single time. Honestly, @charles442 is acting like a fixed angle is some kind of crime, but that Accusharp probably saved your shift and your wrist compared to fighting through ribeyes with a dead motor. Ngl, I’ve used a ceramic coffee mug bottom in a pinch and still got perfect slices, so maybe the real problem is folks being too picky about gear instead of just working with what’s in front of them.

charles44222d ago

Remember that Accusharp pulls metal at a fixed angle, so it's gonna leave that burr on a German-style chef knife, especially if the edge was already uneven. You're better off using a steel or a cheap honing rod from the front of house to knock that burr off before you slice anything else. Next time, keep a backup manual pull-through in your kit, even if it feels like overkill, because dead batteries and burned-out motors happen at the worst times.