If you've invested in top-notch knives, it's well worth taking the time to sharpen them regularly. If you let blades become dull it gets more difficult to restore them to a razor-like edge. A little and often is preferable to a sharpening session every now and again.

A butcher's 'steel' is the traditional sharpening tool, and easy to use on a daily basis. Steels are not necessarily made of steel; some are ceramic or diamond-coated, and these produce the keenest edge. To use a steel, simply pass the full length of the blade at a 20 degree angle down the shaft. Do this a few times on each side to make sure the edge of the blade is sharpened easily. Choose a steel that is longer than the blade of your largest knife.

An alternative is the spring-loaded sharpener. You simply draw the blade through a slot across crossed pairs of steel rods arranged in a V-shape.

A flat stone sharpener, called a carborandum stone, is useful for smoothing out little nicks and scratches along the edge of a blade. You'll need to lubricate it with water or vegetable oil first, but otherwise use in the same way as a steel, by passing both sides of the blade across the surface.