Intense1

My mom's kitchen knives are all almost from the Vietnam war era and they all have trouble cutting through softened butter, so what two or three knives would you all suggest that I get for her? We're not chefs here, so none of the ultra fancy yet wonderful ones, just a few good medium priced ones, maybe a good chopping/slicing one, a good paring one and any others you can recommend.

Thanks!

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robot_parade

Well, they aren't cheap, but I *love* my global knives.

I just have the chef's knife and the paring knife, and they're wonderful.

Also, Wusthof knives are nice, and a little less expensive than the globals.

Personally, I would get a good chef's knife and a good paring knife - that covers most of what you need. No need to get all fancy with a half-dozen or more knives.

Sage

Don't get her new ones, just go and get them professionally sharpened. Look in the phone book. It'll be a HELL of a lot cheaper than getting new ones. Although, if the components of the knife itself are coming apart, then it's time for new ones. But if the knives are still sound except for the cutting edge, then just get them sharpened. And once they're sharp, remember to hone them on a steel every time she uses them to keep them sharp.

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Intense1

They're not falling apart at all. The blades are like mega steel and the wooden handles are fine. I reckon I'll be able to find a pro sharpener in Nashville (?)....

Sorry for my ignorance, but is honing what one does with that round metal thing that comes with most knife sets? The one with the handle?

And we don't have a good paring knife anymore - can't find it anywhere! We do paring with the bigger knives, which is extremely awkward, to say the least. Thank God for potato peelers, I must say.

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snowy

Yes, that is called a honing steel.

If the handles are good and they are knives you like using, just get them sharpened.

A dull knife is the most dangerous thing in the kitchen, so do remember to use your honing steel and get them sharpened when the honing steel is no longer keeping them sharp.

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Sage

Alton Brown explains all about taking care of your knives

Lots of good advice in this here video

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spindles

If you can't find a knife sharpener, go into the local butcher shop and ask if they will do it - their knives are always sharp...

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rockzilla

I'd recommend a flexible boning knife if you ever work with fish, whole chickens (or any other poultry), or pork/beef tenderloins. You need something flexible to cut the most meat off of a carcass. I use a Henckel 4-star myself.
If you don't do anything that complex, then all you need is a sharp chef's knife and some hand-eye co-ordination. Even detailed work can be done with a good knife and some practice.
Use a steel on your knife every time before you use it to smoothe out any tiny imperfections in the edge, and sharpen it on a watersone every couple of weeks. Be wary of a professional sharpener, they can grind too much of your knife away and eventually you'll be left with a knife that is half as big as when you bought it. I use a Japanese Mac chef's knife which is only sharpened on one side of the blade, most knife sharpeners would ruin it by sharpening both sides, so I prefer to do it myself.

Sage

Well, hoity toity mr. God-like smarty pants!

Just wondering tho, rock, why would you say that a professional sharpener would "grind too much of the blade away"? I would think that they'd know exactly what to do with knives that are sharpened on both sides.

That being said, I concur with using a waterstone. My dad was fastidious in keeping the kitchen knives as sharp as humanly possible because he likes paper-thin tomato slices and the only way to get those is with a razor sharp knife. However, my dad is also the most amazing person in the world at sharpening a knife. Unfortunately I don't think he does housecalls

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rockzilla

Hey hey now Sage, all I'm saying is that over time, its better, and cheaper to learn how to sharpen your knives yourself. I've had to use knives that have been ground down so much that you hit your knuckles on the board every time you make a cut, it really hurts.
Maybe it's just that most professional sharpeners in my neck of the woods are used to sharpening skates, but learning how to sharpen a knife yourself isn't too hard. All it takes is about 10-15 strokes on a waterstone at the right angle (just look at the angle of your knife) and a few strokes on a steel to finish the job.

Sage

Bein silly, no offense meant

I can see how a professional sharpener who is used to sharpening skates would mess up a knife rather quickly. I just wanted to know why you thought as you did, as it dissented from the rest of the opnions put out on the thread so far.

Do you have any more information about how to use a waterstone "the right way"? Or where to get a really good one?

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Intense1

Since I started this whole thing, I thought I'd step in. First, my dad always kept my mom's kitchen knives sharp, but he died almost 6 years ago, so the knives are really dull, even though they're decent looking knives (granted, I'm not a knife expert).

Pop always used a whet-rock - is that the same as a "waterstone"? It's a very heavy like rectangular stone, and he always got it wet when he sharpened my mom's knives. I just don't know how he used it on the blades......

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spindles

intense1 - it sounds like the right thing to me - it is what I use.

It does need to be lubricated - but whether that is water, spit or (cooking) oil, I don't think it matters much.

My dad showed me how to do it - basically hold the knife at the right angle against the stone and grind it using a figure eight motion - then repeat on the other side. I think he uses the figure 8 because it helps you do the whole length of the blade.

Note that stones will usually have a rough and a smooth side - if your knives are really blunt start on the rough side first...

As always google is your friend if you want a step by step guide...
http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=e...e+Search&meta=

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rockzilla

The reason I sharpen my own knives is because I spent a lot of money on them and I use them daily. I got my waterstone (and I'm going to guess that a whet-rock is the same thing) from Lee Valley. A coarser stone will create more imperfections in the edge of your knife, and anything finer won't do much to actually sharpen it. As the name suggests, water is the only lubricant you need. Keep it soaking in water, and keep the stone wet when you're sharpening. I found a great guide to sharpening knives. It can get pretty technical, but all you really need to read is Section 5, the key to using a waterstone is keeping your knife at the same angle the whole way through the process.