Gifting a knife....edge care?

[Ivo4u2]

I would first check what his current kitchen knife is. Could be a nice blade but that he is lacking sharpening tools. Or worse interest in sharpening lacks in which case it is better to give him a cheap new knife every year or a self sharpening one. Long time ago tefal made a kitchen knife with a plastic sheet which sharpened the knife when unsheathed. I binned my tefal when I bought my globals and I have sharpening tools.
But self sharpening Knifes like that are still made and easy pull through knife sharpeners like my global mino sharp 3 water sharpener are affordable and easy to use.

 

[Brocktune]

Also, don't forget to include a penny with the knife!

A Penny?

"Why is there a penny taped to the knife?"We often get this question.In many cultures around the world the act of giving a knife as a gift is sometimes utilized to symbol the ending of a friendship or relationship. But knives are useful and beautiful tools that make great gifts. A tradition that...

parkerriverknife.com

 

[ChefJohnBoy-ardee]

Yes. Salad greens, so the theory goes, when cut by a sharp knife will brown. So there are many versions of plastic knives. I only brought this up because your original post was about salads. Here is an OXO version.
View attachment 1218756

That being said Nikiri knives are great for cutting veg. A Santoku might be more multi-functional. You can buy, sigh, plastic knife guards . . . five pack for less than 10 bucks.

The sharper the better. Less damage on the cellular level. Have read studies and seen experiments with picture where they were trying to find the diminishing return of sharpness level which doesn't really have a way to be calculator other than measuring the distance between grind marks on the microscopic level on the leading edge of the blade.

At work I know who maintains their knives and who doesn't. I can tell who cut what by how the produce on the cold station looks the day after it was cut. For axample, one line cook got a new Shun after using a cheap free knive one of the food reps brought in for the chef who gave it to the line cook... Anyways, he see the difference and calls it witch craft when the RomaCrunch lettuce goes 3+ days without browning. (Greens also get dunked in a lot of water with lemon juice and then drained and spun dry. Held in a covered container under refrigeration.) Likewise if I have time I'll fine dice some mire poix for a soup. We either go through a gallon a day or a gallon every four day. If I have time I'll cut veg. It'll last a week before the veg look off. If I have a line cook do it, it will look bad in a couple of days. If I can't drop a tomato through my blade, it needs worked on.

 

[Tomo]

I thought that I would do the same for my mother in law. Her knives are always bunt and she is always impressed by how sharp ours are. I bought her some fancy knives, a knife block, and honing steel. Soon after the knives were all dull again. I honed them up and explained how to look after them. The next visit they where dull again, with chips and broken tips.

The moral of the story is that sharp knives are more to do with the user and how they look after them than they are about the equipment. She’s terrible to her knives. Scrapes the sharp edges across cutting boards, throws them in the bottom of the sink under pots and pans, throws them in the dishwasher, cuts on metal baking pans and pie dishes, pries into things. I’ve given up. She’s too old to learn or change her ways.

I bought her a pull threw sharpener which seems to help but her knives have a tough life. There’s just no helping some people. She doesn’t get it. There’s no point pushing the issue.

 

[Alacrity59]

Also, sharpness is the best defense from watering eyes when cutting onions.

 

[Billski]

Have you tried seasoning wax? This stuff costs only $19.00.

 

[Billski]

Also, don't forget to include a penny with the knife!

A Penny?

"Why is there a penny taped to the knife?"We often get this question.In many cultures around the world the act of giving a knife as a gift is sometimes utilized to symbol the ending of a friendship or relationship. But knives are useful and beautiful tools that make great gifts. A tradition that...

parkerriverknife.com

Great idea, @Brocktune . I like it.