If you're mashing onions or tomatoes, or hacking at a piece of steak, you're in definite need of a knife sharpener.
According to Fleishers Craft Butchery’s head butcher Jason Yang, shop butcher manager Kyle McCarthy, and butcher manager Sam Masler, you’ll want to use either a traditional whetstone or, for convenience, a sharpener that allows you to pull the knife through opposing abrasive surfaces without grinding or warping the blade. “This is fast and easy because it mimics the cutting motion, and you don't have to worry about setting an angle to regain the edge of the knife,” the team explains. The more common electric sharpeners will make your knives sharper, but they're harsh on knives and might not last as long as these two methods.