I Didn’t Realize How Bad My Old Knives Were Until I Tried This Ninja Set – It Cut My Prep Time in Half, and Now It’s Finally on Sale

As an avid home cook, I know that the experience of home cooking can be massively helped or hindered by the knives you have to hand. I know they say a bad workman blames his tools, but if you have ever had to cook with a terrible knife, then you know the pain.

I seem to be on a never-ending hunt for the best kitchen knives, and have lost count of the many hundreds of pounds I have spent over the years buying new kitchen knife sets, always sure that this set would be the last and best. Of course, when you first buy knives, they're razor sharp and sure to impress. But it doesn't take long before their fresh-from-the-packet sharpness is dulled, and they become a little lacklustre.

However, I recently invested in the whizz kid of all knife sets, the Ninja Foodi StaySharp Knife Block with Integrated Sharpener, and it exceeded every single expectation I had. It is, undoubtedly, the best knife set I have ever used, and today, I spied it in Ninja's Black Friday Sale, so if you were thinking of investing in this powerhouse of a knife set, now is your time to strike.

Truthfully, I'm not really one for gadgets or mod-cons. I usually prefer to stick to traditional kitchen utensils, and I am always slightly skeptical of big claims brands make about their 'wonder products'. This time, though, I simply had to pay attention. I had heard through the grapevine that this was a seriously impressive kit, and the rave reviews seemed to follow suit. I made the plunge, and it's safe to say, I am hugely grateful I did.

The set includes five knives, and frankly, I would pay this price for just one of these knives; that's just how powerful they are. Each knife in the set serves in own purpose, and you will find that you use each one every single day. Cutting through an onion feels like cutting through butter. Slicing roasted meat takes seconds. Peeling spuds becomes utterly painless.

Of course, one of the best features is the integrated sharpener. The sharpener adjusts to the knife you are using, ensuring it is sharpened correctly every time. This means that when you are working on your culinary creations, the knife is performing at its very best, every time. The sharpener is foolproof, too, and so easy to use, so you really can't make any errors with it.

The bottom of the knife block itself is covered in suction cups, so it sticks to your kitchen countertop. This means that when you do sharpen your knives, it doesn't budge. When you slot a knife into the sharpener, you must lock it in first, too, so the safety aspect of this knife set is second to none. There's no room for error, which, for me, is a must.

Ninja promises these knives will stay sharp for ten years if you use the integrated sharpener regularly. Although I haven't managed to put a decade of research in, so far, these knives are a force to be reckoned with, and my eye-wateringly expensive Japanese knives are simply no match.

Lydia Hayman, Kitchen Appliances Editor here at Homes & Gardens, is also a huge fan of this set. 'I always say that a chef is only as sharp as their knives, and it’s true,' she notes. 'This Ninja set basically takes care of that for you. The knife block has a built-in sharpener that keeps your blades in shape, without any extra effort at all. Ninja uses German stainless steel, tapered to a fine edge, so the knife cleanly glides through ingredients. Equally important to me, the handles are designed to be comfortable, so you get superior control and precision, even as a beginner cook.'

I plan to buy two of these knife sets for friends this Christmas. On the face of it, it might seem quite a utilitarian gift idea, but if you know someone who is an aspiring home cook, then believe me, this will be the gift to end all gifts, and it will put a huge smile on their face.

Whilst I am browsing the Black Friday Sale, I found these unmissable discounts worth shopping for, too.

These are some of the best Ninja products for your kitchen, and they're all discounted for a limited time, so take heed of our advice and act fast.