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Original poster

How old are you and have you always had these things in your house growing up?

169 replies

PaperDoIIs · 10/12/2023 16:15

Things like can opener, knife sharpener, potato peeler.

I'm late 30's but grew up in a different country and we didn't have these in my house until I was late teens. My grandparents in the countryside never had them. I learned at a very early age to just use a knife for all these things and I can do it well , so bar the potato peeler (and even that one took me a while) I just stick to what I know.

OH is early 50's and English so he always buys /uses these things . It's a thing in our house because he moans I make the knives blunt, but then sometimes sheepishly asks me to open a can for him if there's no pull ring and the can opener broke again. Grin

We were talking today and he said he always had these things growing up , so it made me wonder.

Riveting conversation... I know.

OP posts:
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Topseyt123 · 10/12/2023 16:50

I'm 57.

Growing up, we always had a can opener and a potato peeler. I don't think we had an actual knife sharpener, but my Dad regularly sharpened kitchen knives against a stone step at the back door.

He would also sharpen pencils by whittling them with his pocket knife. I preferred to have a small metal pencil sharpener in my pencil case for school.

TheLurpackYears · 10/12/2023 16:54

Mid 40s. Can opener, yes. Peeler, no, we ate the skins- healthy innit. There was a steel for sharpening knives that was part of a carving set but it was rarely used.

bluesatin · 10/12/2023 17:00

Knife sharpener and tin opener yes, potato peeler no. I also have an apple corer, it's Victorian, belonged to my grandmother.
Many years ago while holidaying in Crete I watched a lady make a very neat job of opening a large can (~5 litre size) with a hatchet!

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Home improvement
Musicaltheatremum · 10/12/2023 17:00

When we go self-catering in the uk my husband takes his tool box with him which has his steel for sharpening the knives!!! He hates blunt knives!

Oxonc3 · 10/12/2023 17:05

Yes to can opener and knife sharpener, no to potato peeler. I have a peeler now but my parents still don’t

Moveoverdarlin · 10/12/2023 17:11

I’m 43 and had all those things when I was growing up in both my house and both sets of grandparents. When I was 26 and bought my first house I went out and bought those things. I can’t imagine many Brits being able to open a can without a tin opener or a ring pull. If we had to rely on a knife, We’d all be in A&E.

MintJulia · 10/12/2023 17:13

I've always had a tin opener and a potato peeler.

We always had a knife steel, which I guess counts.

PepperIsHere · 10/12/2023 17:14

I'm 55 and we had a potato peeling machine when I was a kid.

Pinkpinkpink15 · 10/12/2023 17:15

I'm 54

we had a steel for knives, we had can
openers & potato peelers, but lots of people who peeled potatoes with knives. Though some left so much potato on the skins you could have washed them & cooked them!!

I have an 'Any Sharpe' dead cheap & brilliant for knives!!

I use a potato peeler, it's just easier (for me) but will happily use a knife if a pp isn't available.

id throttle anyone opening cans with my knives!! Just no need.

Itajustagig · 10/12/2023 17:15

We had all of those apart from a knife sharpener. My dad was a Queen's Scout so prides himself on being able to open cans with a knife and on one memorable occasion a car key and a stone. Bless him.

I have all these things now, but for a long time I only had a peeler and a very blunt veg knife. Everything that could be was cut with scissors. This was because my ex partner used to get knives out threaten to stab himself. I got rid of them all, the 4th time he did it. Sadly, it took me quite a bit longer to get rid of him.

DumboHimalayan · 10/12/2023 17:17

Late thirties, grew up with implements extremely similar to the ones in these pictures.

I'd be very irritated with you if you used my knives for hacking away at tins. Your tin opener shouldn't be breaking all the time — get a decent tin opener and stop ruining your knives! My parents have used the same basic Brabantia tin opener for my entire life and probably longer, and it still works like new.

How old are you and have you always had these things in your house growing up?
How old are you and have you always had these things in your house growing up?
How old are you and have you always had these things in your house growing up?
ShinyAppleDreamingOfTheSea · 10/12/2023 17:18

Late 50s - they sound like basic kitchen essentials to me . Always had growing up and have now - although we rarely sharpen knives .

Isthisblocked · 10/12/2023 17:18

I am 69 and we have those in my house growing up and I have always had them in my house

RinklyRomaine · 10/12/2023 17:18

46 and yes to all three, but we did have one of those weird pointy can openers until I was maybe 10

RinklyRomaine · 10/12/2023 17:20

RinklyRomaine · 10/12/2023 17:18

46 and yes to all three, but we did have one of those weird pointy can openers until I was maybe 10

Posted too soon. Like this. Lethal star shaped lids in the bin.

How old are you and have you always had these things in your house growing up?
QueSyrahSyrah · 10/12/2023 17:20

I'm 40. Don't recall us having a knife sharpener (although I have one now) but perhaps because my Mum wasn't terribly domestic and probably used more pre-prepared food than prepping herself so knife sharpness not an issue. We always had tin opener, peeler, bottle opener etc though.

Giggorata · 10/12/2023 17:26

i'm in my sixties and we had all of those in my parents' house, plus a metal rod for the carving knives and a whetstone for other knives (eg: fishing, shooting, etc) No one but children used a potato peeler instead of a knife.

Our household today is equipped similarly, except that I also have an electric tin opener. I switched over from a potato peeler to a knife as I got older.

RealBigBarbie · 10/12/2023 17:27

HeddaGarbled · 10/12/2023 16:23

You open cans with a knife?

I thought everyone knew how to do this?

We had a potato peeler and a can opener but they were really cheap budget ones that would always break. For that reason, I still know how to peel the skin of a potato with a knife and I know how to open a can with a knife. I just opened a tin of ambrosia with my knife as my can opener broke and I cba to replace it😂

We had a knife sharpener but honestly no one ever knew it. It did fuck all anyway

Ohhmydays · 10/12/2023 17:27

Had a tin opener and potato peeler. Don’t know why we had the peeler tbh as my mum always used a knife lol

RealBigBarbie · 10/12/2023 17:28

I’m mid 20s btw

hiredandsqueak · 10/12/2023 17:30

I'm 55 we never had a potato peeler but had the others. I've never owned a potato peeler either I just use a knife to peel fruit and veg.

Original poster
PaperDoIIs · 10/12/2023 17:37

I'm feeling quite comforted that others know what I'm talking about and have similar skills. Everyone I mentioned it to in real life looks horrified. I'm quite proud of my tin opening skills .Grin

OP posts:
EndofDaze · 10/12/2023 17:39

I’m 54 and we’ve always had a Norwegian cheese slice. No idea how or why. I’ve inherited by Grandma’s and that probably predates me by a good 10 years.

Original poster
PaperDoIIs · 10/12/2023 17:43

DumboHimalayan · 10/12/2023 17:17

Late thirties, grew up with implements extremely similar to the ones in these pictures.

I'd be very irritated with you if you used my knives for hacking away at tins. Your tin opener shouldn't be breaking all the time — get a decent tin opener and stop ruining your knives! My parents have used the same basic Brabantia tin opener for my entire life and probably longer, and it still works like new.

I'll be honest, I can't quite properly use a tin opener, so on the rare occasion I need to , I resort to what I know.

OP posts:
DontListenToWhatYouveConsumed · 10/12/2023 17:52

I'm in my 50s.
I don't remember a peeler and mum taught me to peel with a knife. We had a sharp pointy tin opener when I was young, I don't remember when that changed. Not sure about sharpening knives but I would imagine my father did that.
I only bought a peeler to get my GC helping in the kitchen.
I have seen a magnificent old fashioned peeler, where the spud (or apple or whatever) is held between pincers and the you turn the handle and it gets peeled in one.