My recommendations to people who don't want to spend a lot of time learning specialized sharpening techniques

Sometimes people just want to cook, and don't care how their kitchen knife gets sharpened.

• Resharp automated machines, available at some local Ace Hardware stores.
• Pull-through sharpeners work ok, however they can (if used many, many times) remove much more material from the knife than other sharpening methods do.
• There are many mail-in sharpening services available online. These services can produce very good results on a wider variety of blades, however you'll be without your knife for a little while.