Knife FAQ
“Sabatier” is the mark used by several kitchen knife manufacturers. The name Sabatier has its origins in the Thiers region of France and is reserved for knives of the highest quality. The knives of these manufacturers have a long history and are highly regarded.
Judge Sabatier knives are made under strict tolerances and quality inspection, under license from Rousselon Frères (Owners of the Mexeur Lion Sabatier, first registered in 1812).
Every material offers up varying advantages and disadvantages:
Ceramics’ advantages: Stays sharp for longer, no need to sharpen, very good at slicing, and they stay taint free. Ceramic’s disadvantages: Can not sharpen, brittle – so you can not chop
Steel is durable, easily maintained and adaptable: it can be mixed with other metals to improve the blades properties; such as carbon steel, vanadium, molybdenum, chromium.
There are cooks who remain adamant that only “carbon steel” will sharpen to a critically sharp edge, but it will also stain and rust easily, so definitely not dishwasher safe!
It is possible for stainless steel knives to rust if they are left in a warm, damp atmosphere such as a dishwasher. We, therefore, recommend that you hand wash the knives even though they are dishwasher safe. The best way to wash them is to wipe them over before they are washed in soapy water. They should then be dried immediately. If the knives are washed in the dishwasher they should be removed and dried as soon as the cycle finishes as knives must never be left for prolonged periods in a hot damp atmosphere as rust spots can develop.
All our ranges are ambidextrous (suitable for left and right handed use.
Yes, so long as they are made from steel. Ceramic knives cannot be sharpened at home. There are several methods of sharpening:
Using a Whetstone
Place the whetstone on a cutting board or countertop, with the coarse grit face up. A wet paper towel underneath the stone can help keep it from sliding. With one hand, grasp the knife by the handle and hold the edge against the stone, point-first, with the cutting edge meeting the stone. You can stabilize the blade with your other hand. With moderate pressure, slide the blade forward and across the stone, covering the entire length of the blade and keeping the blade flush against the stone at a constant angle.
Do this 10 times, then flip the knife over and give the other side of the blade 10 strokes. Now flip the stone over to the fine grit side and give each side of the blade 10 strokes. Finish by using a sharpening steel or ceramic honer to hone the blade, then rinse and wipe the blade dry to remove any metal particles.
Using a Sharpening Steel
Hold the
Sharpening Steel firmly in one hand with the guard positioned for protection. Place the cutting edge nearest the knife handle on the front base of the Steel. Maintaining a sharpening angle of between 15º and 20º, lightly draw the knife upwards along the steel, ending the stroke so that the tip of the knife is at the top of the steel. Then repeat this motion on the back of the steel. Sharpen the sides alternately five to ten times. Carefully wipe the filings from the blade and the Steel with a cloth.
Using a Purpose built Sharpener
For some people, learning the skill of sharpening with a steel or a wet stone is daunting task.
Click here to see our automatic knife sharpener