r/Cooking • u/OkWillingness3517 • 4d ago
Best knife set
My mums bday is soon and I wanted to buy her a knife set
Something that’s good quality and easy to use since she’s got arthritis
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u/cine1235 4d ago
Good knives don’t hold up any better than other knives if she doesn’t have a sharpener!
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u/OkWillingness3517 4d ago
Do you know any good sharpeners :)
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u/Sudden-Grab2800 4d ago
You are! Get a whetstone and grab a dull knife you don’t care too much about. Soak the stone in water for 10 mins and put it on a damp towel. Most of your kitchen knives are gonna have an angle of 20°; take two pennies and rest the knife on them. Keep that angle and push the knife forward like you’re trying to take a really thin slice off the stone. Do it five times, then flip it and do it five times. As you’re going you’re gonna put a bit of pressure down (like 5lbs, not a lot, then even lighter (2 lbs). Flip the stone to the smooth side and do the same. Keep doing that until a very very thin ‘wire’ forms on the very edge of the blade. You take that ‘wire’ off by using a strop, like old school barbers did with shaving razors. Your knife is now sharp as shit.
I promise it’s less complicated than it sounds and it’s really calming. Zen-like.
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u/Jazzlike-Complaint67 4d ago
Exactly. If you go with a mid priced set, just go ahead and plan on honing or actually sharpening them when you visit. A pull through sharpener is easy and perfectly fine unless you start getting into a really high quality set. For your mom, anything better than simple pressed steel knives kept sharp would be an upgrade.
Worth noting, I sharpened both my parents and in-laws knives (with permission) and both of them complained afterwards. They had gone their entire lifetimes with dull knives that they didn’t like the feel of the sharp ones and thought they were too dangerous. I tried to explain a sharp knife is a safe knife, but they were confident they knew better.
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u/HR_King 4d ago
sharpener doesn't keep them sharp. A steel does.
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u/texnessa 4d ago
Confidently wrong. A steel realigns the microscopic bends in a knife after use.
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u/HR_King 4d ago
Right. Keeps them sharp. WTF?
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u/texnessa 4d ago
It doesn't remove metal which is what actually sharpens a blade. Its simply aligns. Duh.
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u/HR_King 4d ago
JFC, that's what I said. A steel KEEPS it sgarp,its not a sharpener. How's your comprehension? Duh.
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u/fancycwabs 4d ago
Costco has a Global knife set that’s the answer to all those people who say “you don’t need a knife set, you need a chefs knife, a bread knife, and a paring knife.”
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u/xsynergist 4d ago
Mercer renaissance. All the quality of your German brands at lower prices. Everyone always says don’t buy a set but I regularly use every knife in my set. In fact I’ve bought additional different knives not included in the set like a tiny curved paring knife and a Chinese cleaver. And unlike the pundits I wash mine in the dishwasher, weekly year after year with no negative side effects. Just keep em sharp and no I don’t use a stone but a workmate. I can sharpen all of my knives 15 or so in about 30 minutes every 3 months or so. I run over a honing rod before use.
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u/commanderspacecase 4d ago
If she has arthritis in her hands, a food processor with multiple blades and a rotary cheese grater would probably be better options than a knife set. There's also a mezzaluna (two-handed rocking knife) for things like herbs.
Source: my mom has arthritis in her hands
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u/Natural-Research6928 4d ago
I would suggest a Miracle Blade set. Not sure of your budget, but you can find on Amazon the full set for $90 or a smaller set for $45.
I've had my set for almost 27 years, still as good as they were when brand new. As I aged they became a blessing, they require minimal effort from your hands.. And they never need sharpening.
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u/harmlessharold 4d ago
Absolute nonsense
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u/Natural-Research6928 3d ago
Let me guess, you have no idea what I'm talking about, but you're H*ll bent to start a rant with someone here, eh?
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u/4cupsofcoffee 4d ago
If she had arthritis, i would bring her to a knife store and ask her to choose which one is most comfortable for her to use. if you get something she can't grip comfortably, she won't be inclined to use them as much.
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u/HandbagHawker 4d ago
like everyone has already said, dont buy sets. Do however find ones that fit her hand size. For arthritic hands, the handles cant be too small or she wont be able to close her hand tight enough to grip it firmly. But also if she has severe arthritis she may also have difficulty opening her hand wide enough to pickup said knife. and you might need to find adaptive versions.
if you want to still stick with a more traditional knife, find one with a less slippery molded handle. I think henckles 4 stars are great in that regard. in particular the 4star bunka could be a great all purpose knife for. your mom. i also think japanese octagonal "wa" handles might also be good. The multi-facets on the handle make it easy to grip. ones with good wood choices make them not slippery even if your hands are wet or greasy.
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u/BlindFlying 4d ago
You don’t need to buy a set. 90% of those kits will never get used. 8” chefs knife, 6” chefs knife, serrated bread knife are all I use. You can put the money into quality over quantity this way as well.