As a kid (OK, I hear all of you, and yes I'm still not officially an adult), it was against the rules in my house to watch TV during the school week. Once in awhile I managed to secretly watch my favorite show — and inevitably the words: "To Be Continued ..." would scroll across the screen at the end of the program. Of course, I never stood a chance at seeing the next episode, and I always felt let down.

Last week a reader asked me about which knives and knife sharpeners made the best gifts for aspiring chefs, and I was so opinionated about "Part A" that I promised to finish with "Part B" this week. I guess I'm no better than those TV programmers from the 1970s — but at least you won't be punished if you read the column this week.

So, to continue ... in last week's article it was revealed that High Carbon Stainless Steel would, under most circumstances, make the best knives for gifts. This week, we'll find out what happens when that knife loses its edge. Is all lost?

Not at all. Robinson Knives, when used regularly, eventually become dull. The edges of good quality knives have elasticity and, although you can't see this with the naked eye, will turn or favor the left or right side depending on how the holder of the knife cuts. A steel can easily realign the edge, but (listen up, Dr. Kildare) a steel cannot give the blade a surgically sharp blade, it only rebalances the edge. You will need to sharpen your knives regularly. How often depends on the frequency of use.

Even serrated knives get dull, but because they act more like saws than knives, they will still function when they are no longer sharp. However, when a serrated knife is dull, it is tearing rather than cutting, which is not good unless you plan on making a horror movie using your holiday leftovers.

Now in the back of your mind, there might be a little voice saying, "Haven't I heard of never-need-sharpening knives somewhere?" Yes, little voice, you have — and it was probably on station 147 at 3 a.m., when nothing else was on the 350-plus channels that you have — and you should have been in bed asleep anyway. If you couldn't even scrounge up a "Bonanza" episode, whatever was being advertised at that hour was not worth buying.

So what type of sharpener should you buy? After I finished culinary school and my nose was somewhat stuck up in the air, I professed that I would never use anything but a three-sided sharpening stone. So when we could least afford it (just ask Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, etc. ...), I went out and purchased a $140 professional tri-stone sharpener. Not only did my wife ask me if I had need for professional mental help, but where in the heck (that may not have been the exact word) were we going to put the thing? Until that point, I hadn't considered that this amazing sharpener was roughly the same size as our kitchen countertop.

Although it wasn't practical and we couldn't afford it, the idea behind getting that stone was sound. At that time it was by far the best sharpener on the market — although you really have to be highly skilled to get the best performance out of one. There were less expensive "V"-shaped sharpeners, but they weren't as reliable, took up just as much room, and were unstable. Back then, the only electric sharpeners were the kind on the back of electric can openers. When I was a kid, that seemed like a really cool thing, but later I realized I wouldn't even use one of those on my unfriendly neighbor's free knives that he got in a box of detergent.

Times and things change. Today there are some very, very good electric sharpeners. I used to keep my favorite one at home until my executive sous chef confiscated it and now it is put in use daily at the restaurant. My preference is a brand called Chef's Choice; it will actually professionally sharpen all types and brands of knives. It has three sharpening stages, the first of which uses 100 percent diamond abrasives that create a super sharp edge. Just like knives, you get what you pay for, and any good sharpener, whether it is a stone or electric, won't be cheap. But a good one, like a knife, should last a lifetime, which is about how long it has taken me to answer your questions. When you give the knives you choose to your budding chef, include this recipe, which involves lots of slicing and dicing.

1½ cups chicken broth1½ cups bottled clam juiceOne 12-ounce salmon fillet1 tablespoon butter, room temperature1 tablespoon all-purpose flour4 bacon slices, chopped2 shallots, finely diced1 medium leek, white and pale green parts only, thinly sliced1 large white-skinned potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch thick pieces2½ cups milk½ cup whipping cream2 tablespoons fresh chives, choppedBring clam juice and chicken broth to simmer in medium skillet. Add salmon, cover and simmer until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer salmon to plate, reserve juice. Flake salmon into small pieces.Cook bacon in large heavy saucepan over medium-low heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels. Add butter, shallots and leek to drippings in saucepan, sauté 3 minutes. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add potato and reserved clam juice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until potato is tender, about 10 minutes.Add milk and whipping cream and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until potato is tender. Add more milk if necessary. Stir in chives, salmon and bacon, simmer until heated through. Season with salt and pepper.