My mother had this trick that she used whenever her knives went a bit dull. She would hone the blade by running the edge across the bottom of a small ceramic bowl. It's a stop-gap until she can properly sharpen her knives. Works pretty well.

It makes me so happy that I'm not the only one driven INSANE by this! My mother's knives are so bad she just uses her STEAK KNIVES to chop (and also sees nothing wrong with this!!)

crystaljoyyy- I literally cringed when I read that. I think I did one of those squint one eye cringes! Ha.

My rents have decent knives, and a steele. Do they use them? NO. I do it, then its passable... barely.

My parents weren't getting their knives professionally sharpened because they thought it was prohibitively expensive; but when my own hardware store started advertising their knife-sharpening services ($1 a knife at DC-area Ace Hardwares for all of December, WOO!) I looked into it and found that blade-sharpening is a pretty common service at many hardware stores for $3-5 a blade; it's just not widely advertised because it's time-consuming to do and people are less understanding about losing access to their knives overnight or for a couple days than losing access to tools they're not currently using for the same period. So if you think there's no place around you to get them sharpened or think the culinary stores are too expensive, give some hardware stores a ring. You might be surprised!

I guess that I am pretty fortunate since my father keeps their Cutco knives razor sharp. I often wonder if he just sits around honing them whenever he has a free moment.

I have a different problem. My dad insisted on sharpening my chef's knife on Thanksgiving, and I'm sorry, I don't trust his technique, and I found myself saying things like "I think it'll be okay, Dad, I JUST had them professionally sharpened Saturday," and "Dad, I don't think it needs to be sharpened, I just had it sharpened less than a week ago."

To no avail, I watched him take my razor-sharp chef's knives and drag it back and forth on his sharpener.

Sigh.

What about buying them a new set of knives for Christmas?

The most cost effective thing to do is to sharpen them yourself the next time you go over, before cooking starts.

I always take knives with us when going to my father in law's house if we plan to be cooking. I am amazed at the number of people who think that dull knives are safer! Crazy!

We got my in-laws some Cutco knives last year for Christmas as yes, they had the same knives for 30 years and they were dull as anything. We have been getting messages thanking us throughout the year as they marvel at how much easier it is to cut corn off the cob now!

take your sharpener with you instead of bringing your own knives... that way they get to KEEP the sharp knives, and will hopefully see how important it is when they use them next!

Don't forget that a steel isn't for sharpening knives, it's for prolonging the life of the edge on an already sharp knife. Trying to use one to put and edge an already dull blade will be an exercise in near-futility. I have a set like this for my sharpening chores, and it is pretty awesome. I've managed to bring some really abused knives back from the dead with it:

http://www.amazon.com/Lansky-Professional-Sharpening-System-Serrated/dp/B001KN3OKO

I'm in the same boat when it comes to inlaws, and my wife and I were just discussing whether it would be appropriate to buy knives for a Christmas present (they don't really have any to begin with). We bring our own when we go there, but I really don't understand how they make do with what they have (I suspect, like crystaljoyyy's mom, it involves steak knives).

Any thoughts on whether it's presumputous to buy such a basic kitchen tool for someone as a gift? (Also, I'm sort of afriad they wouldn't appreciate them, and it would make me want to cry.)

@alicelost - I wouldn't say it's presumptuous unless they are already knife people. I've found that most people who make do with poor knives do so simply because they have never used a proper knife and don't know any better.

I think a good way to open someone's eyes to world of good knives is to get them a good santoku or chef's knife, and then teach them how to use it well.

That said, you don't need to spend a fortune to do it. This chef's from Victorinox is totally decent, and makes a good "gateway knife":

http://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-40520-Fibrox-8-Inch-Chefs/dp/B000638D32

My dad keeps all his knives in great condition, but my best friend's family is another story. After years of struggling to prepare food at their house, my dad finally bought them a decent knife. They raved about how it was their favorite knife ever, when really it was just sharper than all their other ones. The next year we bought them a sharpener to which they responded with an amazed, "you can sharpen knives?"

boy do I feel like a dissenter...

cause nothing is worse than a kid playing know-it-all to a parent who doesn't need it.

I'd ask them first if they have skill issues/problems with their knives to see if this is an issue that needs resolving.

But maybe I just see this as obnoxious because I don't have this problem :)

Ha, so true! My solution was to make my mom get a good parer and chef knife. After she gradually stopped using all the other knives, she realized it was time to replace them, too. She loves them so much (they're Culinary Institute of America) that she buys them as gifts for other people now.

@alicelost, a nice chef or santoku knife is a lovely gift for anyone.

Yes, this is a real issue for me too! :) I brought my own knives along to cook at my in-laws' house for Thanksgiving, and they scoffed me for it. But hey, I was happy in the kitchen.

It's not only my mother's dull knives that nearly drive me to tears when I try to cook at her house, but her vegetable peeler too, which is so dull it's useless.

Rather than an electric sharpener, I highly recommend the Wusthof manual sharpener (I got mine, and one for my sister, and now my mom wants one to replace her electric) at BB&B. I think they were excluded from the 20% off coupons, but still $20.

My in-laws are extremely guilty of this. My husband has tried everything, buying his dad a new fancy knife for his birthday, buying them a sharpener, sharpening them himself when he goes down there... but they're always dull. His mom throws them in the dishwasher and says she prefers dull knives so she won't cut herself. It's crazy! This thanksgiving I was watching her pare an apple and she was so close to cutting herself about 5 times that I had to leave the room because she wasn't listening to me. I'm not the type to judge anyone, but I was literally shocked.

I had no idea this was a thing! My mom's knives are great because she cooks, but my dad only has steak knives, its almost impossible to cook without bringing my own set.
That said, I agree with the other commenters that it's condescending to harass parents about their knives - obviously their setup works just great for them.

If I'm cooking at someone's house and know they don't have the utensils that are up to my standards, I'll bring my knife roll.

Silicone spatula, metal whisk, sharp knives, tongs - anything I know I use regularly when cooking at home.

If I repeatedly visited a home with dull knives, I'd definitely bring the sharpening stones along.

Ridiculous! You'd actually go into someone else's home and sharpen their knives?? Yes, in general sharp knives are safer, but if someone is used to working with dull knives -- their OWN dull knives -- suddenly having a sharp kinfe is a recipe for disaster.

Take your own knives with you when you visit. Period.

It's not just parents, it's 95% of every person's home I visit, including good friends. I actually feel like I am putting myself in danger when I am helping to cook at another person's house. If they are local (ie I don't have to fly there), I am not above bringing over my own knife. People are kind of surprised but they are rarely insulted or get over it quickly.

Ha! I spent today over at my mother's cooking for a holiday cocktail party she's throwing tomorrow.

But! A few years ago when I replaced my chef's knife (with the very nice, very inexpensive Victorinox mentioned above), I took the old one over to Mom's house and left it there. She almost never uses it so it keeps its edge, and if it needs a little sharpening I don't hesitate --- after all, it's my knife!

omg i used to bring my own knives with me when I visited home for meals.

My mom used to get so offended too! My dad would say oh their just fine and stand behind me struggling with them as I cut through stuff so easily.

I finally gave up expecting them to buy a new knife and bought them a set of two ceramic knives at ikea.

I'm so relieved that we're not the only ones dealing with this! My in-laws are "drawer-knife people" because they're paranoid someone will break in, grab a knife out of a knife block & stab them to death. Out of sight out of mind I guess...

Thanks for that Hollywood....

My mother's knives are DULL, and she likes them that way. She claims she'll cut herself more easily with a sharp knife. She also insists on using those CHEAP Pampered Chef knives they sell for a buck apiece for most tasks. As a general rule, I avoid cooking at her house. Between the crappy knives, the lack of a decent cutting board, no spices and too much food in a can, it ain't worth the effort!

I guess I'm the only person who finds this all a bit patronizing! If you're just visiting your parents for a short while, can't you just live with it?

Your parents won't be around forever. Don't complain about their knives (of all things). Enjoy your time with your parents and have fun with them while they're still here.

I'd love to be in my mother's kitchen this Christmas with her damned blunt knives.

I'm cracking up at all of these stories. My mom was so excited to show me her new, sharp knives - and then pulled out her ancient GLASS CUTTING BOARD to start the prep work. I just about cried.

I love going home to cook for my parents. I've bought them a new knife for the past 2 Christmases and they've loved them! Before that, I was very afraid of using their dull knives.
Next year, I am replacing the plastic cooking utensils that have melted edges.

If they are open to change, buy an electric knife sharpener and show them how to use it. Or even better, if they live in an area where they can take cooking classes, investigate the possibility of a knife skills class. Once a person actually knows how to use a knife, they will prefer a sharp one every time.

Just get this. Costs $8.49, takes 30 seconds to use, lasts seemingly forever. I have Chef's Choice, steels, stones, etc., and this is the tool I turn to over and over. Works like a charm - way more than good enough for this type of situation.

Oh Emily, you are definitely not alone! I managed a kitchen store for nearly a decade, selling Wusthof, Shun, & Henckles - some of the best knives in the world. My parents' knives are appalling. I tried getting their knives sharpened, but my mother cut herself so badly (from being used to dull knives) that she's forbidden me from doing that. Since she'll never sharpen her knives, I bought her a ceramic knife. She loves it because she doesn't have to anything to it, and I love it because it's always sharp when I visit!

@alicelost "Any thoughts on whether it's presumputous to buy such a basic kitchen tool for someone as a gift? (Also, I'm sort of afriad they wouldn't appreciate them, and it would make me want to cry.)"

It is presumptuous, and they wouldn't appreciate it. It's sending them a message that you think they're useless in the kitchen.

Just the thought of elderly people wielding super sharp knives makes me cringe - why would you want to cause a possible accident just so you can briefly show off in your parents' kitchen?

haha! my parents have the worst knives. They don't even have a proper chef knife. My mom chops with a steak knife and my dad uses his mezza luna for everything. I like to cook a lot for thanksgiving so I always bring my chef's knife and my sharpener with me.

And the worst part is my dad and I even took a class at a local cooking school on basic knife skills!

I bought my mom a sharpener and use it when I'm at her house. She's pretty good about upkeep on them though.

You know, if my barely adult son dissed my knives, I'd be tempted to test the blades on him.
However, I watch my mom go from good cook to hating the kitchen because her tools didn't age as well as well as she did.

Since I learned the hard way about dull knives, I tell the story ( lopping deep into my finger, creating a minor infection days before going into labor, causing the hospital staff to think I had developed something there).
Mom will decide if knives are what she wants.

When I drove to see her, I would bring my knife (her paring knife will do), and my "crazy vegetarian ingredients."

Now I take her out to eat.

pearmelon,

My mom's not elderly!

She has the world's worst knives, despite having a son who's a chef. She's bought *him* nice knives, but hers are terrible. And yes, we grew up using steak knives to cut everything. It's ridiculous, and I'm not above telling her so. I cuss her dull knives every time I visit her. Maybe if you have a super formal relationship with your parents, that might offend them, but that's not how my family is, and my mom's feelings aren't going to get bent out of shape if I tell her that her knives suck, or if I bring my own, or if I sharpen hers for her.

I have an elderly Mom and the last thing she really cares about is the knives in her kitchen. She uses old, inexpensive ones and is perfectly happy with them. I whined a bit when I used them the last time, but this post made me realize there are a lot worse things, like not having my Mom to cook with in the kitchen at her home. I promise to never complain again.

It's funny to read this post, because I thought I was just being fussy about it. But whenever I visit my parents once or twice a year, I'm always shocked by the dullness of their knives. Is it just snobbery of me to expect a sharp knife. Apart from this, they use the smallest vegetable knife of EVERYTHING... chopping, peeling, etc.
Also, when they visit us, my dad who insists on doing the dishes is AFRAID of my sharp knives and will not even touch them!

This is hilarious and not true for me, because my mom is the one who bought me my electric knife sharpener! She sharpens my knives whenever she visits, and I am glad to let her.

I agree with the folks whose friends are the real perpetrators of dull-knife syndrome.

BEWARE of taking your sharp knives home with you - after I saw my mom using my Hattori to poke something she couldn't reach off a shelf, and then found it in the dishwasher, I've sworn off bringing my knives with me when I go to my parents' to visit (although it does make the kitchen work ever so much easier.)

Ditto on the vegetable peeler comment. I think I got a blister making mashed potatoes at my in-laws last year. The hilarious thing was that they eventually got a new peeler and got us one because they were so amazed with it. It's still terrible!

I cook with this gal I know at her house on occasion (teaching her to do a few things), and knowing her knives were dull, brought my stone along. It's just a cheapo stone I picked up at Fleet Farm for like ten bucks, but it works like a charm touching up all our blades. Usually you can find 'em in the hunting/fishing departments of whatever department store you go to. Just be sure and get the kind that use water and not oil.

what quality of knives require sharpening? I feel as though ours are not worthy (silly, I know) and have been putting it off.

Nope--my mom's knives have always been sharp. She found a little knife sharpener (a little machine with 2 stainless steel discs) at an Amish market somewhere when I was little, and she bought one for each of her daughters, too, for "someday." I have a ceramic one now from Cutco and that stainless steel one. For some reason, in my head, it makes sense to sharpen my good knives on the ceramic one (maybe because it's Cutco?) and my lesser quality knives on the stainless steel one. Does anyone know if it really matters?

My mother-in-law is 91, though, and has no real need for knives anymore. She never eats fruit in her apartment that requires cutting and she takes her meals in the adjoining assisted living complex. But before she moved in there, I recall her asking my to sharpen her knives on a stone. I didn't really know how, but I gave it a go, and they were certainly better when I was done.

hazel8--I sharpen any of my knives if they won't easily slice through softer fruits like tomatoes. Even those handy little $1 or $2 paring knives with the plastic handles get sharpened on my stainless steel sharpener till they're useless little nubs and I have to buy another knife and start over again.

pearmelon--Knives are harder to use when they're dull, more likely to slip where you expect them to slice, cutting you instead of your fruit or veggie. I was discussing this one day with the home ec teacher in the school where I taught--I'd run down to her classroom to use one of their knives to cut something for my breakfast, and I'd been appalled to discover how dull their knives were. "Yeah," she said. "I feel like a hypocrite because I tell them it's more dangerous to use dull knives, but the board doesn't let them use sharp knives."

So even though my parents are on an aspirin regimen bleed more easily than they used to, my mom always keeps her knives sharp.

my mother actually prefers a dull knife. she went into my drawer and got a meat cleaver to slice up some turkey (that had already been pulled off the bone) after thanksgiving rather than use my chef's knife that I had out on the counter.

Amaranta- despite b1tching about various family members' knives and their condition with my partner, I agree with you. It's christmas, let's be nice and deal with other's kitchen shortcomings.

I bring my own knife. At holidays I do a lot of the cooking and there is no reason to test my culinary patience.

I had this issue when I lived at home. My solution? Take the knives and get them professionally sharpened. Seriously, how hard is that to do? We lived in a small city and still had access to sharpening services. I got her set of 5 knives (Wustof from way back when) sharpened for about $10.

I feel like this would only be a problem if you, like me, are temporarily living with your parents. If I were staying with my parents for a few days for the holidays, I doubt I'd notice or care what/how they cooked. However, now that I've been living with my dad for the last three months, his set of dull knives drives me crazy and I've had to buy him another set. He didn't get offended at all though. I guess it kind of depends on your parent's personality.

Haha, glad to know I'm not the only one!

@Amaranta You make a good point. I suppose it feels like a bigger issue because I visit home for several weeks at a time. Fortunately, my mom and I actually treat the knife issue as more of a joke than anything. :)

We have a special knife for our kids (Chroma), and when we show it to friends they always look at it and say: "But it's sharp!" We try to tell them that it's safer that way, but we've never managed to convince anyone. Our daughter has never cut herself and is good at chopping, so we're glad we bought it.

I accidentally introduced my mother in law to basic sharpening stones, and she proceeded to get incredibly excited and just BUTCHERED all her knives. They were dull and nicked before, but now they're a mess! I feel so bad! I didn't realize they could mess up knives quite so much.

An electronic knife sharpener is definitely my next gift to her. I think they're a bit more "foolproof" than stones.

We have lots of knives (all blunt), and an array of steels and stones that only guests use when they stay with us. I don't get offended when they sharpen our knives - I just use the kitchen scissors for cutting.

Ha! On a visit to my son's home I offered to cook dinner & almost took off the top of my index finger: he was using knives that he'd inherited from my dad about 20 years ago & had never sharpened. Since he said he wasn't planning to get them sharpened I bought him a ceramic knife. Not the best knife ever, but at least I don't have to worry about him losing a finger to a blunt blade.

My parents are elderly, and the last time we were visiting them, they had incredibly dangerously dull knives. I lectured them about how dangerous this could be, and I wasn't able to properly cook for them. I am not kidding when I tell you that I could not cut a tomato. I asked them how they manage to cook anything at all! Then my husband hopped into our rental car and drove to the nearest Target. He came back with all new knives. I took their dull ones (many had handles that were loose and wiggling on their last leg as well) and tossed them into their condo's dumpster. Then I made them a gorgeous meal with their new knives, and had no more problems slicing that tomato. lol

I'm the one with the dull knives (well, compared to my parents')! My dad is an amazing cook, and when I lived down the street from them, I used to bring my knives over every once in a while for him to sharpen.

My boyfriend's dad has the worst knife set though! When we go stay with him (and especially trying to cook on Thanksgiving) I will occasionally bring my own cooking tools since he has so few tools. He does most of his own cooking too! Guess it works for him, but it would drive me crazy to use dull knives and not have the convenience amenities (like electric mixers or casserole dishes) to cook with!

I second manjar's comment on the AccuSharp. They are great stocking stuffers and easily transportable. I bring mine to my friend's cabin every year and it does a great job.

@hazel8 - I think any knife you use is worth sharpening, and that includes taking it to a pro. I love high-end toys as much as the next person, but imo how you care for the blade and how you use it is more important than how much you paid for it.

My Mother-in-law's knives are good quality, but never sharpened. I do the best I can to hone/sharpen them with the tools available, but mostly I just deal. (I'd happily give them new knives, but I know she'd be hurt) Took a smidge more effort to get dinner on the table, but it's not like anyone's going to take a bite and shriek "I can't eat this, it was prepared with a cheap knife!"

My parents had terrible, terrible knives. Old as dirt, cheap to begin with, and probably sharpened last when I was about 10. I learned to cook with their crappy knives, and it was mind blowing when I started using ones that were sharp. They live across the country now. When I did visit, it was always frustrating trying to cut anything. I finally just bought them a knife set with a block for christmas last year. No offense was taken, and they enjoy using their new "fancy" knives.

Years ago I sent my then 15 year old daughter across country to visit her newlywed brother and sister-in-law for Passover. The newlyweds were having 80 – 100 Seder guests (they have a Chabad House) and meal preparation must have been going very slowly. When my daughter called to check in with me, she complained, “All they have are paring knives!” Thankfully, no one took offense when I sent along few good chefs’ knives the next time my daughter came to help out!

My mum is a steak knife person, it drives me mental.

She went to a cooking class once where they used Victorinox chefs knives and she raved about how great they were, so much so that she went out and bought a set of Victorinox steak knives to use in the kitchen *facepalm*.

I think some people find big chef's knives intimidating. I can see no other explanation but then my mother is a doctor and carries a small surgical kit with her everywhere which I find many times more intimidating.

Accusharp!
http://www.amazon.com/AccuSharp-1-001-Knife-Sharpener/dp/B00004VWKQ/ref=sr_1_1

Less than $10. So easy and safe to use, even your parents can do it.

I'm to the point now, where I carry a spare or two, because inevitably when I use it, somebody will just beg me for one.

Fairfax avenue, kudos on your family for handling a Chabad House!
I gave the rabbi at the local Chabad center a set of knives for diary, since the rental kitchen had been meat only .
Being the protocommie vegetarian meant I handled everything non meat.

I had to really laugh reading this thread.

I really hate knives but of course am aware I need to use them. My dad always used to sharpen knives when he was alive.
My mum and I are the same really. My brother complains like mad and has his own set of knives at mums and we aren't even allowed to touch them.

I use one very good serrated knife for most things and meat scissors for meat and fish.

Apart from that I leave the sharp knives to others.... :-)

My siblings and I traveled to my parents' house for Mom's 80th birthday a couple years ago. Mom made a roast, and my sister and I proceeded to carve it. Mom's carving knife might as well have been a butter knife. She had a cheap, hand-held sharpener, but the knife was really too far gone for it to do any good. Lord, what a task it was to carve that roast!