I just know y’all have been waiting eagerly for me to update the kitchen knife dilemma.
So I’m pleased to inform you I was right!
Finally — long after my son Domer and I returned the set of brand-name knives to its manufacturer, with a nice note saying they wouldn’t cut and requesting a replacement — finally, the knives arrived back to Domer’s domicile.
‘How do they work now?’ I asked him over the phone when he announced their return.
‘They’re individually wrapped and look new,’ he said. ‘I think they’ll be fine.’
And, for me at least, that seemed to be the end of the story.
Enter Grandma, who was horrified to hear her grandson was riding the Struggle Bus with some kitchen equipment.
‘You can cut yourself more easily with a dull knife than with a sharp one,’ she reminded me, quoting my late dad who used to say the same thing as he sharpened all the knives in the house.
Trying to distract her from worrying over Domer’s problem (which I thought we’d solved) was futile. Avidly, she browsed store ads in search of just the right set of knives.
And, when she found them, she sent me an hour up the road to the store to purchase them and then downtown to the post office to mail them to Domer in the Land of the North.
Last night, he informed me they’d arrived.
‘These are awesome!’ he said. ‘Heavy and sharp, just the way knives ought to be. I’ll bet they let me chop like the Food Network chefs do, rather than having to saw my food.’
Right.
‘They say they’ll never need sharpening,’ I told him. ‘But since you’re used to a dull knife, be extra careful ’til you get used to the new ones.’
(It’s a mom’s prerogative to warn and worry, you know!)
And what does Domer plan to do with the replacement set, the knives that saw rather than slice?
‘I think I’ll donate them to charity,’ said my darling son (easy to be generous with stuff mama paid for!!)
Musings by an ND Domer's Mom 
*laughs* He should maybe practice throwing with them?
I wouldn’t dare suggest that, Professor. Domer still has enough “kid” in him to take you up on it — and master the art, ha!
“‘I think I’ll donate them to charity,’ said my darling son (easy to be generous with stuff mama paid for!!)”
Bwhahahahahaha! LOVED that, Debbie! But maybe he can keep them as a ‘backup?’
Happy to hear that Domer is enjoying his new set of knives. And your mother and father were right, you can cut yourself with a duff knife just as much as you can with sharp one because I’ve done that myself. And it’s was actually a worse cut because the blade was more jagged.
Hope you’re having a super week, my friend!
X
Thanks for validating that old axiom, Ron. I’d often wondered if it was true, but I never got “brave” enough to test it out, ha!
Good suggestion to keep the knives as backup. Can one have too many cutting utensils??
Glad you got a kick out of “the rest of the story,” my friend. Have a *sharp* weekend!!
It just occurred to me — is that set that didn’t cut serrated knives? I’ll never forget the Christmas I asked for a good set of knives, and got serrated ones, instead of the sort that could be sharpened. I never said a word, but it’s a fact that while serrated will cut bread or apples, they’re no good at all for real chopping, cutting meat, etc.
In any event — I’d tell him to keep that useless set for backup. You never can have too many knives!
Actually, if memory serves me, Linda, the first set contained serrated steak knives as well as the usual assortment of paring knives, chef knives, utility knives, and so forth. It was the paring knives that irked Domer and me so much that we requested a replacement set. Come to find out, even the replacement set is “cutting challenged”!!
The new set advertises that it NEVER needs sharpening. Well, perhaps, but I think your suggestion of a sharpener might be in order for Christmas anyway. After all, he can test it out on that first set and who knows? Maybe he’ll find that they’re not so bad, ha!
“Riding the struggle bus!” I’ve never heard that one. I like it! 🙂
Good knives are important. I never appreciated a truly good set of knives until fairly recently. After twenty-some years of marriage, we finally invested in a really good set of knives. And yes, I do mean “invested.” A friend of my daughters took a summer job selling Cutco products and we agreed to have an in-home demonstration. I was impressed with the performance of the knives, but not the price. My hubby convinced me though that it would be a worthwhile purchase and we bought an entire kitchen set, payable in five installments! (Crazy! Never thought I’d spend such money for knives, but it was worth every single penny.)
Good for you, Terri! I agree, knives are definitely a worthwhile investment. They’re used every single day in most homes, so I imagine they eventually pay for themselves. And realistically, having the proper implements should make us want to stay home and cook, rather than go out to eat, right?? Borrow Domer’s “struggle bus” phrase any time you’d like!!
Donate to charity. ha ha You gotta love that Domer. I don’t know anybody who is more concerned about a set a knifes than my Frenchman. It is almost as crucial a part of the culinary scene as the wine itself.
Ah, Pat, I can only guess how true that is — the French, much like the rest of the world, are less “forgiving” of dull utensils than we Americans are. Perhaps that’s why so many of the really GOOD knives originated in Europe?? How anybody can even think of using dull knives is beyond me — slicing food is way better all around than shredding it!
Our knives are very dull. Putting them in the dishwasher is our worst, lazy crime. My sweet Mom doesn’t own a dull knife so she bought us a super sharp knife a couple of years ago when she visited and swore if we put it in the dishwasher she’d stab us herself. Its remained sharp.
Sounds like Domer is all set to safely create culinary masterpieces with the correct tools thanks to his Mother and Grandmother.
Yes, they are always so much more generous with our money. Good job on procuring the replacement set. The charity of Domer’s choice will thank you too!
I’d never heard that putting sharp knives in the dishwasher dulls them. Thanks for that tip (and thank your dear mom for me!). I don’t think it’s inconvenient to hand wash a knife — maybe a tad on the dangerous side, but only if you aren’t careful. If hand-washing prolongs the knife’s usefulness, seems like a small price to pay.
HAaaaaa.
I used to think my knives were bad, but NOoooo!
I was just cooking my meat too long!! xx
Too funny, Kim! Can’t say that was Domer’s problem though because he complained about sawing veggies before they were cooked. Hugs from dreary Central Illinois!!
Well, leave it to Grandma to find the right ones. So glad this story had a happily ever after ending!