I was desperate the other day. I had just brought in the first ripe Black Krim tomato from the plant I grew so lovingly in the container on the porch. It was perfect and I could tell from the look and feel of it that it was going to be delicious. I got out my trusty cutting board and knife, but wasn’t expecting what came next. The knife wouldn’t even pierce the skin of the tomato. That will teach me to wash the knife by hand rather than throwing it in the dishwasher. Of course, cutting that cardboard box to create a kitty hut for the cat may have dulled it a but too. I’m sure chopping that frozen soup to get it to melt faster wasn’t helpful either.
I remembered a video I watched online a while back and decided to try it. The video said you could sharpen your knife by simply swiping it on the rough bottom ring of a ceramic mug. I took a mug out of the cupboard, flipped it over and with an outward circular motion away from my body, scraped the knife along the rough ring on the bottom of the mug several times on each side, just as I would a sharpening stone. I tried to cut the tomato again and it sliced like a champion. It really worked and didn’t cost a cent! It also added one more kitchen tool without taking up any extra space.