A Guide for Mukilteo, Everett, and Snohomish County Homes and Businesses.

Mukilteo, Everett, and Snohomish County neighbors!

Whether you’re a home cook prepping meals for your family in Mukilteo or a chef running a busy kitchen in Everett, one question I hear a lot is: “How often should I sharpen my knives?” It’s a great question, because keeping your knives sharp makes cooking safer, faster, and way more enjoyable—whether you’re slicing veggies for a BBQ or prepping orders for a packed dinner rush. Let’s break it down for both home cooks and commercial kitchens so you know exactly when to give your knives some love.

For Home Cooks: It Depends on How Much You Cook

If you’re a residential client here in Mukilteo, Everett, or Snohomish County, how often you should sharpen your kitchen knives depends on how much you use them. Are you chopping veggies every night for dinner, or maybe filleting fresh salmon from Pike's Place Market for a special meal? If you’re cooking daily, your knives might need sharpening every 3-6 months. But if you’re more of a weekend cook—maybe firing up the grill for a BBQ—you might only need to sharpen once or twice a year.

For EDC knives, like the pocketknife you carry on a hike in the Cascades, it’s a bit different. If you use it daily for small tasks (like opening packages or cutting rope), you might need a sharpen every 2-3 months. The key is to listen to your knife: if it’s not slicing as smoothly as it used to, it’s probably time for a touch-up.

For Commercial Kitchens: More Use Means More Sharpening

If you’re running a restaurant, food truck, or catering business in Everett or anywhere in Snohomish County, your knives get a lot more action than the average home kitchen. Chefs and kitchen staff might be prepping hundreds of meals a day—think slicing, dicing, and chopping for hours on end. That kind of heavy use can dull even the best knives pretty quickly. For commercial kitchens, I usually recommend sharpening every 1-2 months, depending on your volume.

I’ve worked with a few restaurants in Everett, and they’ve told me that keeping their knives sharp speeds up prep time. If you’re a busy kitchen, let’s set up a regular sharpening schedule so your team can focus on what they do best: serving up amazing food for our community.

Signs It’s Time to Sharpen (For Everyone)

Whether you’re a home cook or a commercial client, here are two easy tests to tell if your knives need sharpening—I share these with all my friends and family:  

• The Paper Test: Grab a piece of paper and try to slice through it. If your knife tears the paper instead of cutting cleanly, it’s DULL.  

• The Tomato Test: Try slicing a ripe tomato. If your knife squishes it instead of cutting through easily, it’s time for a sharpen. I’ve had folks in Mukilteo tell me they didn’t realize how dull their knives were until they tried one of these tests, and chefs here in Snohomish County kitchens have said the same—it’s a quick way to know when your blades need some care.

Don’t Over-Sharpen: Balance Is Key

Here’s a tip I’ve learned from years of sharpening knives: you don’t want to sharpen too often, whether you’re at home or in a commercial kitchen. Each time you sharpen, you remove a tiny bit of steel from the blade, which can shorten its lifespan over time. That’s why I recommend using a honing steel between sharpening—it keeps the edge aligned without taking off material.

For home cooks, a quick hone once a week can stretch out the time between full sharpening. For commercial kitchens, honing daily (or even between shifts) can help maintain that edge during busy service. A little care goes a long way, and it keeps your knives ready for action without wearing them down too fast.

I’ll Make Sharpening Easy for You—Home or Business

Not sure when your knives need sharpening, or just too busy to keep track? I’m here to help! I’ll come to you anywhere in Mukilteo, Everett, pick up your knives, and drop them back off factory-sharp for just $5-$20 per blade. For home cooks, I’ll make sure your knives are ready for your next family dinner or BBQ. For commercial clients, I can set up a regular schedule to keep your kitchen running smoothly—no downtime, just sharp blades ready for service. Book me at getsharpusa.com—I’d love to help you out, whether you’re cooking at home or feeding our community!