I recently bought those knives that you find advertised on teevo and they worked well and were extremely sharp for about a month and then they went blunt to the point where only two of them work if you use them as steak knives. I cant remember what they are called now but they are useless for longterm and cost a fortune!
I bought a knife sharpener at Goodwill and it brings all of my knives back to life except for the ones that have those colored silicone coatings and can't be sharpened. You're right that knives shouldn't become dull after a month, but a knife sharpener is good to have in order to extend the useful life of all your knives, and you can buy one on Amazon for as low as $5.99
It's not difficult at all to get your knife sharp again. In fact, I sharpen my knives on the cement steps in my backyard. It works really well. Also, there is a knife sharpener in our neighborhood who does his rounds every couple of days. And last, but not least, there is the option of purchasing your own knife sharpener.
Normally I am a cheap SOB. I mean I really pinch every penny. One of the few things I am so glad I didn't cheap out on is a really good chefs knife. I got a $120 Global (I wanted a MAC so bad but they started at $250) chefs knife and I love it! Makes cutting root veggies so easy! I also pay $10 a year to get it professionally sharpened. If you want to do like me and invest in a good knife, do some research and see what the real Chefs are using. Go to a legit kitchen supply store. Do not buy your knifes from a door to door salesman or from a TV ad or from Target.
I think I will get a sharpener for those knives but I feel like taking them back! The good food and wine show is coming here in October and they have chefs knife there which I might buy because it makes things so much easier when you can quickly chop up the veggies when you are in a hurry to cook.
Knives are one of my items in the kitchen I need to have a good brand of. When I left the restaurant I worked for, they bought myself and my sous chef a set of knives as a thank you for our service, what I at first saw as a lovely gift, I later found out they were very expensive knife sets! I love them, they are easy to sharpen and sturdy. I think everyone should have a really good set of knives, it makes cooking so much easier than having to rip your way through your vegetables!
I think everyone that has been in the restaurant game has good knives in their kitchen! I think it is important to have a good knife to use especially when trying to hack through a simple vegetable like a carrot. So sharpening my knives is no good I am going to go out and get new ones!
I do this too! I've also been known to use sandpaper. Any rough and hard surface will do. Sandpaper, by the way, works particularly well with scissors too.
I can feel you there. What you said about knives is something I can totally relate with. It has been years ago since my parents bought a whole set of kitchen knives. Yes they look cool and come in various sizes but we couldn't really use all of them. The other knives ended up gathering dust while the few that were frequently used became blunter and blunter.
I recently bought "the world's sharpest knife" or something silly like that. They were cheap enough and I needed a new knide set, so I said, why not? They've been absolutely amazing. I use them multiple times daily. Out of habit, I give them a stroke against my stone pestle about once a week or so, but even on the serated ones, that I wouldn't normally sharpen, they've yet to loose their cutting edge. It's actually quite impressive!
This's why I don't invest a ton into kitchen knives. I normally pick up a cheap set down at Costco (I strongly suggest shopping there. Boycott that savage Walmart!) and they last me years! That's something my mother taught me - frugality will get you far; and something doesn't need to be promoted beyond all reason to prove to be a good item.
That is true in some ways as sometimes the cheaper item has longevity compared to the over marketed garbage that works for a month and has no guarantee.
I have used knife sharpeners and they do work but when you are in a hurry and you need to quickly chop and throw into a pot you don't have time to still sharpen the knife, it should work like it did the first day that you bought it.
It can literally take two seconds to sharpen a knife if you do it regularly before each use. Two strokes on each side and its generally enough to nicely slice a tomato!
I agree with the other posters who have recommended that you try to sharpen your knives. Make sure to hone your blade before each use to get the most out of it. When buying knives, it's really important that you be able to hold them in your hands and feel the heft and balance of them. A handle that is comfortable to a 6' tall man may not be easy to handle for a 5'-4" woman, and vice versa. When my husband and I selected our current knives, we made sure to test out the feel to make sure we were both happy with them.
My mother-in-law sharpens knife with coffee cups. Seriously, it even works, it's amazing. Probably not as good as a stone, but in dire need, I was impressed! I would buy a stone myself, but I feel like I'd do it wrong and then just fuck it up even more... :/
I didn't realise that it doesn't take that long so I will give it a try before I start chopping today and will let you all know how much time it took away from my prep.
Does she sharpen them on the coffee cup, or just hone them? Honing is what you see when you see chefs move their knife blade across the honing steel (metal stick with the handle) on both sides a few times right before they start chopping vegetables. It just helps to straighten out the edge of the knife blade which will start to curl to one side or another during use. Actual sharpening would remove metal from the blade to result in a new edge.
I'd say it's honing, however a quick google search only shows up results for sharpening, so I'm not sure on that. I actually do the same thing . The ceramic is actually perfect for the job! I also make use of my Mortar and Pestle in the same way. A few strokes on it when I'm not bothered to get my whetstone and it usually does the job.
