Make Your Kitchen Tools Work Better

Your kitchen has things with sharp edges. If you aren't maintaining them actively, they're probably dull. Dull tools require more effort for the same cuts and are often unsafe. Want to fix 'em? It's easy. You probably already have the tools you need.You'll need a tool with a dull edge (usually knives or scissors), a factory-made ceramic mug with a smooth unglazed base (or ring around the base), a Sharpie, and some paper. Bonus points if you have a protractor and some cardboard, a leather belt, a "sharpening" steel, etc. I've taught basic sharpening a bunch of times at ESS, and several people have recently reached out asking me to teach it again. Seems like a lot of folks are spending more time in their kitchens than they used to, thanks to COVID-19, and it might be a good time to make sure your tools are sharp, safe, and ready to go. There are some ways in which this might actually be easier to teach at ESS_remote than at ESS_Wilmot, since people will be at home with their knives, etc., and can also point the camera directly at what they're doing.This workshop is based on the premise that, although sharpening tools really well relies on precision surfaces and abrasives, often uses custom-built jigs and fixtures, and demands rigid adherence to grit-staging, "good enough" sharpening is often a HUGE improvement over the default state of edged tools, and that good-enough sharpening rests on a foundation of use-whatcha-got and can-do mindset and aims for "better" rather than "perfect". This is a great approach if you're wanting to sharpen your chef's knife; less good if you're wanting to sharpen your scalpel, straight razor, or bagpipe reedmaking gouge.