Is Rice Really All You Need To Bring Dull Knives Back To Life?

A solid, sharp kitchen knife makes all the difference when you're doing prep work in the kitchen. One of the biggest mistakes everyone makes with their kitchen knives is not sharpening them regularly. Dull knives are dangerous to use because they require more force to make a cut, which often leads to slipping. A dull knife is also more likely to get stuck in whatever you're cooking, and you might end up chopping your food into inconsistently sized pieces.

If you've noticed that your kitchen knives feel dull on the chopping board, try sharpening them with rice. There are several knife-sharpening methods out there, but if none of them seem doable while you're preparing to cook, this may be an easy solution — most people have rice on hand, after all. If you do have a sharpening stone or an electric knife sharpener, those are ideal choices for sharpening your cookware, but as for the rice method, it couldn't be much simpler: Just store your knives in dry, uncooked rice when you're not using them.

Using only rice, you can make a homemade knife holder that will automatically sharpen your blades. Start with a box that's large enough to hold however many knives you own. Fill that box to the brim with uncooked rice. Then, submerge your blades in the rice for storage. The rice will also help soak up any residual moisture on your knives, which will prevent the accumulation of mold and rust. For additional sharpening, you can repeatedly thrust the blades in and out of the rice, which will both hone and improve them. Blender blades can similarly benefit from rice sharpening; simply add some uncooked rice to your blender, and turn on the motor for a couple of minutes.

If you're looking to cut down on kitchen injuries, start by ensuring all of your kitchen knives already have sharp blades. After all, knives are a chef's most important tool, and using dull blades is one of the most dangerous kitchen knife mistakes you can make. If you discover that some of your kitchen tools have dulled, fight the urge to run to the store and purchase a sharpening block — instead, save your money by using something that's probably already in your pantry.