Hi folks.

My wife has been going down hill at 78 and I've taken over her former household duties including cooking our meals. I've grown to really enjoy cooking and meal prep and, if I do say so myself, I've gotten pretty good at it. We have an old "block" of assorted kitchen knives that were not very expensive and they perform as such.

I once worked for a meat packing plant and learned the immense value of a sharp knife. I also learned that the more carbon steel used in the blade, the sharper you could get it and the easier it was to maintain the edge. They would tend to not stay bright and shiny like stainless steel knives but I'm looking for sharpness, not pretty. There was an old saying amongst the meat cutters that "a sharp knife will never cut you." Meaning that the less force you needed to apply to make your cuts, the less likely you would slip and have an accidental self-inflicted stab wound.

Considering the above, some of you must have a "go to" kitchen knife that is versatile and maintains a sharp edge with a normal amount of attention. I'm not looking for a set of knives but rather a good utility knife. As with any search, my head is spinning with the number of options that come up and, no matter how I try to specify what I'm looking for, all I get is offerings for anything resembling a knife.

Any guidance would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

I get Old Hickory and other carbon steel knives at second hand stores for almost nothing. They are pretty inexpensive new. I have found other knives too,like a Japanese knife that is my favorite.

Old Hickory knives have done a fine job in my kitchen for years. They sharpen well and hold a good edge.

I like the feel in my hand so that’s what I use.

I assume you’ve sharpened the one you have fully? Not just on a steel but on a stone and really hone it (or take it to someone)? Over time any knife is going to wear down the evenness of the edge beyond what you can fix with a steel. last I knew, local sharpeners were charging $1-$1.50 per inch.

Absent that, I will make the same reco that i bought for my in laws who were in the same situation. My MIL was getting older and never had strong hands to begin with. My FIL was never a kitchen user besides the fridge. An 8” chef’s knife wasn’t what they needed and their 40 year old block knives were beyond saving. Mercer culinary M21076 Genesis 6” short bolster chef’s knife. Standard chef knife shape, smaller size for handling and better for delicate stuff. They hold a great edge and the black synthetic handle is a great size for lower grip strength. It is slightly sticky such that it doesn’t slide in your hand when damp.

Also, $35.

I use Shun Cutlery knives. Japanese knives that hold an edge forever it seems. They are owed by the same parent company of Kershaw knives and they offer free lifetime sharpening.

I’m sorry to hear that your wife isn’t feeling up to her normal activities. I wish her great health and longevity.

The following is a response only worth reading if you’re looking to go in a little more in depth on this search. If you’re looking for simpler, but disregard. Knives, steels, forging technique are a separate hobby/rabbit hole in themselves.

I would start with picking the right steel. For you. Steels have a direct trade off between edge retention, chipping, and sharpening ease. The harder the steel, the longer edge retention you get, but the more prone to chipping/breaking and the more effort/time involved in sharpening. You can get a crazy super steel, but it’ll be a pain to sharpen, and if you apply too much pressure against a solid enough force (bone), your blade will chip. If you go the opposite direction and get cheaper/softer steel, it’ll be far less likely to chip, and be MUCH easier to sharpen. But its edge will dull much quicker, and require stone time much sooner. I would research some common kitchen knife steels and decide based off your use case, what is most suitable. I think this is more important than any other choice you make when selecting a cutting tool. Any knife can be made sharp enough for any kitchen task. It comes down to how often you want to maintenance the edge, and how much effort you want that maintenance to take.

I have a block of Wustoff knives that I have had for a quarter century. There’s not a lot I can’t do with the 8” chef’s knife or a 6” santoku. There are other knives in the block including a boning knife but those two are what I do 90% of the work with from breaking down big pieces of meat to making a salad. You can get them in various grades at Target or any kitchen store.

All that said, when I worked in a commercial kitchen we used Zwilling and Victorinox and those are great values with very comfortable non-slip handles.

32 minutes ago, AnonymousSoreMouther said:

able to be I’m sorry to hear that your wife isn’t feeling up to her normal activities. I wish her great health and longevity.

The following is a response only worth reading if you’re looking to go in a little more in depth on this search. If you’re looking for simpler, but disregard. Knives, steels, forging technique are a separate hobby/rabbit hole in themselves.

I would start with picking the right steel. For you. Steels have a direct trade off between edge retention, chipping, and sharpening ease. The harder the steel, the longer edge retention you get, but the more prone to chipping/breaking and the more effort/time involved in sharpening. You can get a crazy super steel, but it’ll be a pain to sharpen, and if you apply too much pressure against a solid enough force (bone), your blade will chip. If you go the opposite direction and get cheaper/softer steel, it’ll be far less likely to chip, and be MUCH easier to sharpen. But its edge will dull much quicker, and require stone time much sooner. I would research some common kitchen knife steels and decide based off your use case, what is most suitable. I think this is more important than any other choice you make when selecting a cutting tool. Any knife can be made sharp enough for any kitchen task. It comes down to how often you want to maintenance the edge, and how much effort you want that maintenance to take.

Thank you. You are absolutely right about any knife being able to be sharpened enough for the kitchen. I need to "hone" my sharpening skills (get it) instead of buying more knives. The voice of reason wins again. Salute to you.

Well if we’re not feeding the Knife Monkey and you want something easier to hone/sharpen with, I suggest a Tumbler sharpener/hone. Can I get it sharper with some longer work? Yes. But I’m cutting potatoes not shaving a baby, so a good sharp edge is good enough.

And if we’re not feeding the knife monkey but want to feed the mental knife bank, I give you my favorite producer from England. I’ve been using an original Savernake (7” Nakiri shape) for 10 years now (shape second from bottom) that I customized with a rosewood handle and black liner. The only time I grab a different knife in the kitchen is either (a) I am cutting through a lot of bone/filleting or (b) I am opening a package. I use it almost every day for veg, meat, herbs, etc and have never sharpened it- just a steel to touch up the edge. The edge is still mirror finish.

I got my wife the nimble chopper which is a mini santoku (5”). Same steel, little smaller and different shape, but perfect for her hands. Red liner with black/grey/white marbled grip.

I keep wanting to order another one, but haven’t found a need for something I can’t already do with what I have.