A Guide to buying the best hand forged kitchen knives.
If you want to be the best chef you can be , it is very important to have the right kind of tools for preparing food in your kitchen. It can be overwhelming to find just the right kitchen knives for your needs with all the different kinds of knives that are on the market. If you don’t have the right knowledge you will find yourself with a kitchen full of knives , some of them useless, that you will never use. Having the right kinds of knives for your kitchen will make your time in the kitchen enjoyable and your food preparation safer and faster.
We’ve all heard of that trite expression that your knife is an extension of your hand. This just goes to show the importance of having a good knife in your kitchen . But how exactly does a knife earn the title of being labeled a good knife? As you may already know, each part of a knife serves a specific function. A lot of craft and expertise goes into producing a good knife— it is highly important to make sure that the knife provides the chef with the appropriate balance, an effortless gliding motion, as well as the surface area to be able to cover hefty vegetables and meats. However, the knife should also be designed well enough to make an easy task of chopping, mincing, and dicing jobs. In essence, the design, the material used, and the process of making the blade is crucial in determining how well your kitchen knife will perform when it’s time to get the job done.
We are going to talk about one of the best chef’s knives that are available on the market: Hand forged knives.
What Are Hand Forged Knives?
Whether you are working at a restaurant or at home, cooking for your family, a good well-functioning knife can mean the world of a difference. If you are in the market for a good blade, hand forged kitchen knives come highly recommended. So, what exactly are forged kitchen knives? A forged knife is crafted using a single piece of steel. The process of forging a knife basically consists of this: a steel block is shaped via a powerful press before it is whetted and sharpened. Lastly, the handle is added to help provide a better grip allowing you to quickly chop, dice, and filet.
The major reason why most people would opt to purchase hand forged kitchen knives is how extraordinarily durable hand forged kitchen knives are.Since knives are important tools basically used in the kitchen everyday, it is important to invest in a good one that could last you a long time. At MySokoHome, we offer high-carbon stainless steel, hand-forged butcher knives that feature a pakka wood handle and a 7" blade. The fashioned forged knives are solid and sharp. A comfortable fit for any chef, the 4mm thickness is ideal for simple cutting through meats, vegetables, or anything else that needs dicing on your go-to chopping board.
Advantages of Owning a Forged Knife
While industrial advancements have made it possible to mass-produce kitchenware, it is no secret that these knives may lack the structural integrity that forged knives provide.
More Strength
As we’ve touched upon earlier, a hand forged knife is whetted and shaped at a molecular level instead of simply going through a machine that’ll stamp out its final shape. The grueling hammering process allows the grain of the steel to hold to the blade’s shape which ultimately makes them sturdier and a reliable kitchen companion.
What takes our hand forged kitchen knives a step further is that we extend more metal through the pakka wood handle. Not only does this create a more seamless motion it also offers better grip as there is a singular piece of metal running from the handle to the tip.
Lasting Edge Retention
Our blades have a higher carbon content. But what does this mean in lay terms? Essentially, our forged knives can stay sharp for longer periods of time. There’s nothing worse than having to pull out your whetstone and sharpen your blade when you are pressed for time in the kitchen. Investing in a knife with a higher carbon content will save you a lot of time in the long run.
A seasoned chef knows that the main difference between a mass-produced knife and a hand forged one is that the former are visibly more brittle. This helps chefs perform more precise cuts since they don’t deform over time. Of course, when the time comes to service your forged knives, you’ll find that they don’t bend too easily(a huge plus) — but a major problem with mass-produced knives.
A Classic Look
Let’s be honest, having people appreciate your knife collection would give anyone a rush. Forging knives by hand is an art and craftspeople pour their skills into creating the perfect blade— one that not only looks sleek and sharp-edged but also is highly functional and should be able to complete the task at hand with ease.
Thus, another major advantage of a hand forged blade is that whether you are a casual cook or a professional, it completes the look of your workstation.
Maintaining Your Hand Forged Kitchen Knives
If well-maintained, a hand forged knife can last you a lifetime. These hand forged knives are indeed an investment, and many chefs know that regular upkeep of their blades can reap long-term benefits . Keep reading to find out the best ways to service your knife to keep it performing at its best. In this section, we are going to suggest a few ways to do just that!
Since forged kitchen knives have high carbon steel, they are more prone to rust. To combat this, your non-stainless knives, including a forged knife, must be hand washed and dried immediately afterward and stored in a dry place. Abstain from putting your knife in the dishwasher or in the sink. We recommend adding a light coat of cooking oil just to add an extra layer of protection against rust.
The practice of keeping your blade dry doesn’t only apply at the end of your cooking— remember to wipe your blade if you are cutting particular wet food such as fruit and veggies. Putting the knife aside with juice on it can put your blade at risk of catching rust as well.
Furthermore, we advise against storing your forged kitchen knives in a drawer containing other utensils. This is primarily to prevent scratches. A better alternative to a drawer would be a magnetic knife rack for it to hang off of.
While it is true that these blades have excellent edge retention, don’t wait around for the knife to become dull before you pull out the whetstone. Dull knives typically take longer to sharpen and ultimately harder to maintain.
What really helps in this scenario is knowing the difference between honing and sharpening. Honing refers to the upkeep that is done a little more frequently. It essentially involves grinding the edge of the knife against a whetstone to even out the blade’s edge. This process isn’t meant to sharpen the edge but rather make sure that the blade's surface is perfectly aligned. This helps you make more precise cuts. Sharpening the blade involves actually shaving away some of the blade material.
To sum up, honing should be done at regular intervals while sharpening should be done only a couple of times a year.
Lastly, be heedful of the kind of material you choose to use your knife over— marble cutting boards may be a little too tough on your knife so you may want to opt for a plastic or wooden board instead.
Things to Consider Before Buying Your Forged Knife
The term “forged knife” largely refers to the way a knife was constructed. Once you’ve decided to purchase this superior make of kitchen knives, there are still a few things you need to consider before buying your first set of hand forged kitchen knives
Cost
If you are doing a great deal of cooking and know you’ll get good use out of your knives, you are going to need to invest in a good quality forged knife. Because of their versatility and the way they are constructed, these blades are typically on the more high-end side. While a greatly forged knife can effectively fetch over $200, for those of us who are on a budget but still need a high functioning knife, we suggest you go through our website and browse our unlimited and affordable collection of kitchenware including forged butcher’s knives. You are definitely going to come across some great deals on our forged kitchen knives .
Weight
A crucial factor in finding the perfect forged blade, particularly when it comes to a chef’s or Santoku cut, is how comfortable you feel working on it. Weight could be an enormous portion of that. While there isn’t a universally “correct” weight to explore for when it comes to kitchen blades— this is something that depends on personal preference, varying from individual to individual.
As someone who is a newbie to forged knives, it may surprise you how heavy they are. This weight can be attributed to the way the knife is constructed. We suggest you try out these knives— do a small bit of testing to see what works for you.
However, most people—once used to the weight— will appreciate the heftiness of the heavier forged knife to the airy feel of a stamped-on knife. Generally speaking, those who choose forged knives feel like they have more control over them. Usually an individual preference.
Another thing you can do, if you don’t have much experience with chef’s blades, is to see if you know someone willing to let you work with theirs to get a feel for how they work.
Balance
Balance goes hand in hand with weight in deciding how comfortable you’ll find a forged kitchen knife. Experts and craftspeople agree that in case the weight falls too much to one side or the other, you’ll find yourself working twice as hard on cutting, chopping, and dicing. In the event that you don’t have that choice with a knife you are considering, try checking out the reviews of the knife first. MySokoHome believes in being completely transparent with its clients. We encourage our clients to rate and post extensive reviews of our products so that other shoppers may find them useful.
Handle Comfort
The last factor that produces an enormous difference in how comfortable holding and using a specific forged blade will feel to you is the handle comfort. Much of this to a great extent depends on the material used – wood, plastic, metal, and composites are the most common options available on the market. Additionally, handle comfort also depends on the shape and weight of the blade’s handle. Our forged knives come with pakka wood handles. Pakka wood is an engineered wood/resin composite that produces a rigid and long-lasting material. Compared to its real wood counterparts, pakka wood is very thick and more water-resistant. Pakka wood is most commonly utilized in knife handles due to its impressive material properties and how well it holds up against daily, rough use. Numerous high-end forged kitchen knives are expected to last a lifetime— to be your “knife for life”. Of course, for this to happen, the handles have to deliver to the same expectations as the blade.
Ease of Use
A sharp blade will make chopping things less demanding, and a comfortable feel within your hand will make dinner prep more wonderful and productive for you.
Additionally, making sure you utilize the proper blade for the proper cutting job is crucial in not making the work harder for yourself. Be sure to keep different knives for the different tasks they're meant to perform. This way all the workload won’t fall upon one singular instrument, so that it can last a long time.
We hope that this guide has been helpful in helping you make the decision on your purchase of a hand forged kitchen knife.