As you know, food is a big thing in my life – it is practically my life. One of the undeniably best places to eat in the world is right at home. And for ‘just a home cook like me’ knives hold a special mystery when it comes to chefs and the art of cooking. Knives are the most important and personal part of a chef”s tool kit. So much so that chefs take their knives with them from job-to-job like a photographer would their camera.

With fascination, I’ve watched chefs carefully, lovingly and with respect unwrap their knives from their knife rolls. So captivated by this…always.

Knives are really the first step in the dance of preparing food.

And I get the importance of a good knife. And I really believe that a good set of knives is such a personal thing and you have to hold them to know if it’s right. A good knife has to have heft, but also be light enough to maneuver easily. They need to be sharp (A dull knife is a dangerous knife) and fluid working as an extension of my own arm.

These knives. Oh these beautiful functioning knives! Les Forgés 1890 are the chef’s kiss…literally!

Their beauty is otherworldly and you can feel the story & heart that went into them. They're even more beautiful in person. As much as I tried to capture their prestige here..I feel you just have to see and hold them in person.

LES FORGÉ 1890 FEATURES…

Absolute Comfort

V-grip helps guide the blade for cutting precision

Ergo-Profile prevents hand clenching to help reduce fatigue

Stabilized Beech Wood Handle provides comfort and improves water resistance

Here are the knives I have been playing with from this collection for several delicious recipes. I love each one and am truly discovering how each knife plays a different role in my kitchen in terms of working with various cuts of meat and fish.

Forged 1890 5" Boning Knife

Steeped in tradition, the Forged 1890 5" boning knife is as versatile as it is beauti-ful in the hand of any butcher. Fully forged from X50CrMoV15 steel, the blade sharpens easily and holds a clean edge. The full tang provides exceptional bal-ance. The bolster guard adds additional grip and safety while you quickly remove bones and ligaments from even the toughest of meats. This one works really well for my beef tenderloin recipe….perfectly trimming the white membrane off the tenderloin. This gem of a knife really cleans up the meat nicely with little to no effort on my part. The knife does all the work.

Dimensions
5" Blade, 11" Total
Materials
Treated European Beech Wood, X50CrMoV15 Stainless Steel
Care
Hand wash, air dry

Forged 1890 6" Chef Knife

Steeped in tradition, the Forged 1890 6" Chef’s knife is a true workhorse anywhere in the kitchen. Fully forged from X50CrMoV15 steel, the blade sharpens easily and holds a sharp edge. The full tang provides exceptional balance and confidence. Use the knife for chopping, mincing and slicing. This is the knife I use most often…for vegetables and pretty much anything. I actually own two of these- all though not necessary but Rodge and I can work on various dishes at the same time and this knife is truly our favorite. We cook almost every night at home!

Dimensions
6" Blade, 12" Total
Materials
Treated European Beech Wood, X50CrMoV15 Stainless Steel
Care
Hand wash, air dry

Forged 1890 6" Carving Knife

Steeped in tradition, the Forged 1890 6" carving knife is a worthy foe to all cuts of meat. Fully forged from X50CrMoV15 steel, the blade sharpens easily and holds a neat edge. The full tang blade provides exceptional balance in one’s hand, providing a steady and sure cut while carving large poultry, shanks and other tough cuts of meat. I love using this one for trimming meat and cutting meat once it’s cooked. This is the knife I used for my delightful brisket enchiladas for this shoot.

Dimensions
6" Blade, 12" Total
Materials
Treated European Beech Wood, X50CrMoV15 Stainless Steel
Care
Hand wash, air dry

Forged 1890 7" Fillet Knife

Steeped in tradition, the Forged 1890 7" fillet knife makes quick work of fish. Fully forged from X50CrMoV15 steel, the blade sharpens easily and holds its edge over time. The full tang provides exceptional balance to your hand and offers the right amount of flexibility to separate meat from the skin. this knife is truly the best for the filleting process. Their is so much flexibility in this knife’s blade. I was honestly a bit intimidated to play around with fish recipes until this knife came into my life. Grab a grilled yellowtail snapper recipe here. It was delightful!!

Dimensions
7" Blade, 13" Total
Materials
Treated European Beech Wood, X50CrMoV15 Stainless Steel
Care
Hand wash, air dry

There are more knives in this gorgeous collection so be sure to check them all out here. I personally I hope I get the Forged 1890 7" Santoku Knife for Christmas. And I must have the Forged 1890 Bread Knife.

I highly recommend the Opinel Large Beech Wood Cutting Board too. This beauty was designed in collaboration with Swiss designers - Big Game. It is ideal for trimming and cutting large produce for the perfect "mise en place". The juice catcher helps collect juice while carving meat and poultry to be re-used in recipes and is just pure genius. Opinel has a great article here on how to care for your boards!

Don’t forget to order your 5-Slot Beech Wood Knife Block too. Simple elegance. This 5-slot knife block features four large slots for bigger chef knives and a single smaller slot for smaller kitchen knives. Made in Italy from European beech wood, this block is a beautiful addition to any kitchen. The silicone pads on the base keep the block firmly in place, keeping knives safely in place during storage. They do offer a 9-slot knife block as well.

And as I previously mentioned my fascination with chefs carrying their beloved knives….just look at this beautiful knife carrier. This synthetic leather knife roll can accommodate up to 8 of your favorite chef knives. It’s classic feel will make you stand out at your next cooking class while keeping your knives safe and protected. Love the dark color but it also comes in a lighter camel color too.

The Opinel 9.5 inches Natural Sharpening Stone Is a Must too!

Natural sharpening stone From Lombardi, Italy. The quarries of Lombardi are know to produce some of the world best natural sharpening stones. The natural Lombardi stone has been recognized since the 15th century for its outstanding sharpening qualities due to its perfect, uniform balance of quartz and carbonates. Use with water.

The Opinel Story- It all began in 1890

In 1890, 18-year-old Joseph Opinel worked in the family blacksmith workshop. With a passion for new machines and innovative technologies, he built his own camera and soon became the photographer for weddings and special events in the mountainous region of Savoie he called home. He'd caught the manufacturing bug, and soon he was daydreaming about overhauling the family workshop for the modern age. Against his father's wishes, he spent most of his free time refining the shape and manufacturing of a small pocket knife that could be swiftly manufactured using modern technology. The Opinel No.08 was born!

The Crowned Hand

In 1565, King Charles IX of France ordered that every master cutler affix an emblem on their manufactured items to attest to the origin and quality. Recalling this tradition, Joseph Opinel chose the Crowned Hand as his emblem in 1909. The hand represents the blessing of Saint John the Baptist, taken from the coat of arms of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, the nearest town in Albiez-le-Vieux, the birthplace of the Opinel family. Joseph Opinel added a crown as a reminder that Savoie was a duchy.

All the blades on Opinel knives and tools have been stamped with The Crowned Hand ever since.

And some more brand facts:

MoMa NY 1986- Opinel is included in the museum’s collection list of iconic objects.
1989-Opinel made it into the French dictionary to describe a folding knife with wooden handle.
And they use 100% of the wood shavings produced while shaping the handles to heat their workshops and office

As you can see Opinel has created a collection of kitchen knives with extraordinary cutting ability and maximum grip comfort and safety. And I just know you are going to love them as much as I do!

https://www.opinel-usa.com/