My experience with Pallarès knives

I have seen and used Pallarès knives my whole life. They have been in my grandparents' and my mother's kitchen. I still remember going into a shop in the village holding my mother's hand to buy them. I'm used to them and I am fond of them, and for that it was a pleasure and, I must admit, a thrill to add them to the shop.

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

Until a few months ago the Pallarès knives were completely unknown to me. I admit I used to see them on prestigious foreign blogs as part of the props in their photographs. I looked at them with longing, but it was just that, longing, because I could only find them in online shops, also foreign ones, with high shipping costs.

So as you can imagine when Claudia, from “Claudia&Julia”, contacted me to be part of the launch project for these knives, and told me they were made in Solsona (Lérida) by a family company, I couldn't believe it.

It's hard to believe that an artisanal, high-quality product like the Pallarès knives were, until just over a month ago, almost totally unknown to the vast majority of the public who don't live in the area.

The history of Pallarès knives goes back to 1917, when the Pallarès brothers began making these knives and pocketknives in the Léridan town of Solsona. Since then, these knives have been part of the history of the different generations of families in the region, and they are still made 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 on this town.

Each of these knives is manufactured and sharpened by hand by master craftsmen. This is one of their secrets. That and the fact they use top-quality materials, such as the iron (carbon steel) for the blade and boxwood and beech woods for the handles.

The iron, unlike the steel used by most cutlery on the market, is lighter and keeps the edge in perfect condition for longer.

The first thing that catches the eye about these knives is their distinctive design. Nothing like traditional knives. Surely an innovative design for the time when they began, but one that remains relevant today because it combines tradition and design in those rounded boxwood handles.
However, it doesn't end there. The first thing that struck me when I held them was how light they are and therefore how easy they are to use. When peeling food, it is almost like an extension of your own hand.

The handle, with that rounded shape, fits perfectly in the hand and as I said they are easy to use, both in the kitchen and at the table (in fact, that same knife design exists with a stainless steel blade, intended for use at the table).

As for the beech-handled models they are equally light, and to be honest I use them almost as much or more than the boxwood-handled ones, because they have an ideal size for slightly larger cuts, such as meat and larger vegetables.

For sharpening these carbon steel knives, it is recommended to use whetstones, which will keep the edge in perfect condition.

Just bear in mind that when we use them we should dry them thoroughly and, if we are not going to use them for a while, it is advisable to spread a drop of oil to protect them. Other than that I can confirm these knives are passed down from generation to generation, as happens with cast iron cocottes and other quality products, acquiring over time a patina that makes them special.

And the best part is, these are quality knives with a distinctive design, at a very reasonable price for a product of this type. Because we've always been told that good knives are expensive. And that rule is broken with Pallarès Knives, which offer us quality at totally reasonable prices.

So I can only thank Claudia & Julia for having introduced the Pallares Solsona knives into their catalogue, which until just over a month ago could be found more in American and New Zealand markets than in our own market.