Nick and I first discovered Pallarès on Pinterest. We couldn’t look past these series of beautiful photos of stunning knives. We instantly agreed that the knives had such a nostalgic feel to them and so we ordered a couple to try out at home. Admittedly, I had no idea about the merits of carbon steel and stainless steel knives but I was so impressed by just how sharp the knives were as well as how great they felt to use. We reached out to David, who manufactures Pallarès in Spain, and we fell in love with the company’s story. For the past five years, we’ve been working directly with David and his small team and we couldn’t be more pleased to showcase these beautiful knives.
In Solsona, a small municipality in Catalonia, Spain, the knife industry is a tradition that dates back to the sixteenth century. Pallarès was founded in 1917 and is today the only testimony to this local history. Pallarès is a family run business and throughout its history and right up until today, they seek out the highest quality materials to offer the best performing cutting edge.
With the Pallarès range, it’s really important to consider the materials used for the blades. Most of the range is available in either carbon steel or stainless steel. Whilst both are sharp and enduring, this is largely a personal choice. It really depends on the level of care you want to give your knife set. Carbon steel blades typically require a little more care and attention because the blade itself will patina over time. Patina is a very natural process that causes a slight superficial discolouration to the carbon steel. This is because the blade comes in contact with salt, acids and moisture throughout its daily use. It’s important to note however that the patina itself creates a seal like layer to the blade and this will go towards preventing any rusting.
One of the benefits of choosing a carbon steel blade is that carbon steel is harder than stainless steel. This means the blade is sharper and thus it holds its sharp edge longer. A sharper knife often means more precision when you cut and it also makes using the knife a lot safer.
If you’re looking for a knife that doesn’t require this level of care however, the stainless steel blade is a fantastic option. Stainless steel blades are typically composed with chromium. Chromium is what makes stainless steel resistant to rust and discolouration. As we mentioned, stainless steel isn’t as sharp as carbon steel so you may need to sharpen your stainless steel blades more frequently to ensure great performance.
With knife sharpening, it’s useful to distinguish the methods for aligning the blade and sharpening the blade. A knife sharpening or honing steel is designed to align the beveled edge of the knife blade. This isn’t something you can see on your knife, it happens on a microscopic level, but it is something you can feel when you use your knife. Your knife may have previously felt sharp as a razor but it can start to catch on the food you're cutting and provide a little resistance. By using the sharpening steel on your knife, you’re pulling that beveled edge back into alignment and giving the knife it’s cutting power back. If you feel though that this isn’t improving the performance of your knife, this is when it’s best to take your knives along to a specialist knife sharpener.
As with the choice of material for the blade, there is also a choice in the material of the handle. Pallarès offers beautiful wooden handled knives in a variety of knife lengths as well as rubber handles in their Professional series. The Professional series forms Pallarès high end offering. Of course, they are made of high quality stainless steel and designed to be robust enough for the day to day demands of the busy kitchen; be it commercial or a home enthusiast. The Professional range includes a few different knife shapes including the Santoku, the Slicing Knife, the Chef’s Knife and the Usuba.
In addition to the knife range, Pallarès has a series of gardening tools as well as fireplace accessories. You can read all about their iconic orange handled gardening tools in a previous blog post. For your fireplace, the Pallarès Firewood Tongs are a beautiful addition. The traditional design of the tongs in jet black hand forged steel will assist you in safely placing more wood into your fire in the cooler months.
The Pallarès range is really special to Father Rabbit. Not only because of our longstanding relationship with the Pallarès team, but we’re so admirable of the values of the brand and the high standards that they set for themselves. We are firm believers in that there is a purpose in finding the best practice for everyday tasks. We can’t help but feel that Pallarès captures this sentiment by offering the most beautiful, practical, well-priced knives to take centre stage in your home kitchen.
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