An essential tool for any aspiring pizza chef is a pizza cutter or pizza wheel. After time and use though you will notice that the blade will become dull or blunt. Yes it is possible to sharpen a pizza cutter but not all types can be sharpened so its important to understand which can and which can not be sharpened.
In this article we will walk you through what to look out for and give you exactly how to sharpen a pizza cutter. A lot depends on what your particular pizza cutter is made out of. Most people think they are all made of steel but the blade can be made of various different materials. Steel is the most common though. Certain material types cant be sharpened in which case you should look to either replace them or the blade part.
Why Is My Pizza Cutter Dull?
Any cutting implement regardless of weather its a knife, a lawn mower or a pizza cutter will slowly become blunt over time when you use it. The blade becomes blunt or dull on the edge.
So just like when you buy a brand new set of knives for your kitchen they are very very sharp and you can cut things with ease. Over time I’m sure you will have noticed that they become harder and harder to cut with because the blade gets dull. The blade becomes dull with use and its the same with your pizza cutter/wheel. So lets look at how to sharpen a pizza cutter.
Can You Sharpen A Pizza Cutter?
So if your pizza cutter is metal based then yes we absolutely can sharpen its blade. Essentially to sharpen anything you are looking to grind the edge of the metal blade to a point. There are a number of different ways you can do it.
Sharpening Stone/Whetstone
An antient method of sharpening any type of blade is using a stone. People have used sharpening stones or whetstones to sharpen knives for thousands of years and they work just as well on pizza cutters. The stones are actually flat block shapes as opposed to a stone you might find in your back yard.
They work by grinding and honing the steel blade into a pointed shape (sharp edge).
Sharpening a pizza cutter with a stone just grind the edge of the pizza wheel along the stone numerous times on both sides. The edge will become sharper and sharper as you do this.
Sand Paper
Sharpening a pizza cutter with sand paper is perhaps the lowest cost option. Essentially sandpaper works in the same way as any other metal sharpening device, it grinds and hones the metal edge of the blade.
Step 1 you just need to get a few different grades and rub the edge of the pizza wheel blade. Step 2 use the coarsest grade rubbing backward and forward on the edge of the pizza wheel blade. Step 3 work you way down through to the finest grade sandpaper.
Puck Sharpener
Sharpening a pizza wheel with a puck sharpener is a bit easier than using a whetstone. These are basically sharpening stones that have been shaped into a puck. They are easier to hold and manoeuvre given their hockey like puck shape. Its a great design. As a sharpener its a great product.
Step 1 hold the puck at an angle to the edge of the blades surface. Step 2 move the stone puck backward and forward over the edge of the blade. You can get them razor sharp within a few minutes. Its an easy process. Make sure though that your fingers are out of the way as its an easy mistake to make when sharpening pizza wheels. It is advisable to wear some protective gloves if you have some. Just something to consider.
Belt Grinder
You can sharpen a pizza cutter with a belt grinder. Belt grinders are used finishing all sorts of metal products and a pizza wheel is no different.
Step 1 hold the pizza cutter at a angle to the belt and you need to apply a little pressure to the wheel itself or else the wheel will just spin. You need some friction to grind the steel or metal edge. If using this method its a good idea to use protective gloves and make sure you have a firm grip on the handle.
Belt grinders are fantastic at sharpening a blade but unless you already own one its probably not worth purchasing one just for your cutter.
Knife Sharpener
You can sharpen your pizza cutter/wheel with ordinary knife sharpeners. First step is to place the wheel through the knife sharpener whilst applying some pressure to stop it spinning. Again it helps to hold the edge of the blade at a slight angle.
Pizza Cutter Sharpener
You can actually buy a dedicated pizza cutter sharpener tool like the Kitchen IQ. These are designed specifically for the job in question.
Step 1 place the device on a flat surface like a table. Step 2 grip the handle of the pizza cutter and roll the blade of the pizza wheel backward and forward through the tool.
These make the job really quick and easy. Its a a great way to sharpen the blade.
Can Any Pizza Cutter Be Sharpened?
As we said above yes the vast majority of pizza cutters can be sharpened. It all depends on the type of material it was made from.
Most are constructed from metal and this is fine for sharpening. Some manufactures have in recent times started trying to use ceramic or even plastic. The thinking behind this is that they try to prevent the wheel from ever becoming dull.
From my experience of using these types of pizza wheel they do eventually go dull but it does usually take a little longer.
If your cutter is made from either ceramic or plastic then you cant sharpen it.
Conclusion
Any cutting implement will get dull over time. People use cutters to make sure that pizza can be quickly and evenly divided into slices. You need them to be sharp. The reason for this is you want a clean and quick cut through the crust, topping (like cheese) etc. You want it as sharp as a knife. Like a new set of kitchen knives. So its essential to sharpen your pizza device of choice.
How to sharpen a pizza cutter? Here we have outlined various methods like stone, belt grinders etc. The best way (my preferred) is using a pizza cutter sharpening tool as its just quick and easy. If you don’t want to spend the time sharpening most pizza cutters you can just get replacement blades. Blades are easy to fit and allow you to quickly cut pizza again.
Of course you can just use a knife to cut your pizza and the blade is arguably easier to sharpen. I often cut mine straight on the pizza stone.
If your pizza wheel is sharp then cutting pizzas takes little effort. You will have pizza slices in no time. They also have many other uses. Id say its one of my essential pizza making items.
