Food - Drink
How A Coffee Mug Can Double As
A Knife Sharpener
By Lucy Clark
One of the most common safety and food preparation tips in professional and home kitchens alike is to ensure your knives are sharp because a dull knife is much more likely to slip and cause accidents. However, if you ever find yourself with dull knives and no sharpening tool, don't panic—a coffee mug may just solve your problem.
The unglazed ring found on the bottom of most ceramic mugs has a very similar sharpening effect to a whetstone sharpener. Whetstones work by slowly grinding the knife against either a diamond-plated stone or ceramic surface, one side grinding away the metal on a coarser grit, the other side refining and sharpening it with a fine grit.
Similar to the whetstone, you can line up the knife along the unglazed ring found on the bottom of your ceramic mug at an angle—in this case, 25 degrees—then, gently pull your knife back towards you, sliding it off the ceramic ring repeatedly on both sides until your knife is sharp enough. Make sure you wash the mug once you're done.