Close-up and detail of a knife in a knife sharpener kitchen tool. Metal and chrome.
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The Chef's Choice 300 Electric Sharpener is a handy tool for any chef or at-home cook. The Chef's Choice 300 features a diamond abrasive disk two-stage system to sharpen knives. The first stage is for fine sharpening of medium to extremely dull knives. The second stage is for filing and polishing the razor-sharp edge to perfection. Diamond abrasives sharpen inexpensive to the most expensive knives without damaging, detempering or weakening the metal. The Chef's Choice 300 comes with springs inside the sharpening slots to hold the knife firmly against the diamond disk.

Stage 1

Find an open space with enough room to comfortably sharpen your knives. The Chef's Choice 300 will plug into any standard kitchen outlet and has a simple on/off switch on the bottom panel.

Take a knife and first make sure it is completely clean and dry. Before turning on the machine, practice by taking the knife and placing it first between the left slot and the spring on the stage 1 section. On the left and right of both stages are slots with springs to guide the knife gently along the diamond abrasive disk. When using either stage, you will first run the knife through the left slot and then the right, alternating each time.

Slowly lower the knife into the slot until it touches the diamond abrasive disk. Pull the knife toward you, gently lifting the knife at an upward angle and pulling it slightly off the slot while touching the tip of the blade to the diamond disk. Repeat this process on the right slot of stage 1.

Once you've completed this practice run, turn the Chef's Choice on and repeat Step 3 until the knife is sharpened to your preference.

Stage 2

Stage 2 is where the blade gets its final polish and razor-sharp finish. When using stage 2, you will first run the knife through the left slot and then the right in the stage 2 section.

Following the same procedures as in stage 1, slowly pull the knife toward you and up to sharpen all the way to the tip. Two or three pulls of the knife through stage 2 will be adequate.

Once you can slice through a tomato without squeezing the juice and seeds out, your knife is ready for action. Another great test is on a fresh onion. Onions when chopped cause a teary reaction for the chopper; with a perfectly sharp blade, this reaction is literally severed.

Tip

You do not need any lubricants or oils when sharpening. You can clean the disk, but you shouldn't have to do this for quite some time. Make sure your knives are completely clean and dry before sharpening for the best protection of your diamond abrasive disks.

Warning

Be careful not to use too much pressure when sharpening your blades. Allow the blade to come into light direct contact with the diamond disk, without pushing into it.