My experience with Pallarès knives

I have seen and used Pallarès knives all my life. They have run in the kitchen of my grandparents and my mother. I still remember going into a store in town holding my mom's hand to go buy them. I am used to them and I am fond of them, and therefore it was a pleasure and an illusion, I must admit, to incorporate them into the store.

But when you love something so much, sometimes it's hard to be objective, so I asked Virginia, author of Sweet&Sour , since she's been using them in her kitchen for weeks (since she took these delicious photos for us!), to give us your opinion about them. So I leave you with that.

Until a few months ago , Pallarés knives were unknown to me. I admit that I saw them in prestigious foreign blogs forming part of the props of their photographs. I looked at them with eyes of desire, but it was just that, a desire, because I could only find them in online stores, also foreign ones with high shipping costs.

So, as you can imagine, when Claudia, from "Claudia&Julia", contacted me to be part of the project to launch these knives, and told me that they were manufactured in Solsona (Lleida) by a family business, I couldn't believe it.

It seems unbelievable that an artisan product of such quality as Pallarès knives were, until just a month ago, almost unknown to the vast majority of the public who do not live in the area.

The history of Pallarès knives dates back to 1917, when the Pallarès brothers began manufacturing these knives in the Lleida town of Solsona. Since then, these knives have formed part of the history of the different generations of families in the region, and are currently still manufactured in the same traditional way by this family business, now run by the third generation of the Pallarès brothers. Undoubtedly for Solsona Pallarès is a brand that has left a special mark in this town.

Each of these knives is made and sharpened by hand by master craftsmen. This is one of his secrets. This and the fact of using top quality materials, such as iron (carbon steel) for its blade and boxwood and beech wood for its handles.

Iron, unlike the steel used by the majority of cutlery that is marketed, is lighter, and keeps the edge in perfect condition for longer.

The first thing that catches the attention of these knives is their particular design. Nothing to do with traditional knives. An innovative insurance design for the time they began, but which continues to be valid today, because it combines tradition and design in those rounded boxwood handles.
However, things do not stop there. The first thing that caught my attention when I had them in my hand was how light they are and therefore how easy it is to use. When it comes to peeling food, it's almost like an extension of your own hand.

The rounded handle fits perfectly in the hand and is easy to use, both in the kitchen and at the table (in fact, the same knife design exists with a stainless steel blade , designed for use at the table ).

As for the models with a beech handle , they are equally light, and if I'm honest, I use them almost as much or more than the ones with a boxwood handle, because they have an ideal size for somewhat larger cuts, such as meat and larger vegetables.

To sharpen these carbon steel knives, the use of sharpening stones is recommended, which will keep the edge in perfect condition.

You just have to keep in mind that when we use them we must dry them perfectly and, if we are not going to use them for a while, it is convenient to spread a drop of oil to protect them. For the rest, I attest that these knives are passed from generation to generation, as is the case with iron cocottes and other quality products. Acquiring over time a patina that makes them special.

And best of all, they are quality knives with a special design, at a very reasonable price for a product with these characteristics. Because we have always been told that good knives are expensive. And this rule is broken with Pallarès Knives, which offer us quality at totally reasonable prices.

So all I have to do is thank Claudia & Julia for introducing Pallares Solsona knives into their catalogue, which until a little over a month ago, could be found in the American and New Zealand markets earlier than in our own market.