LFC Kitchen | AUGUST 2025
Nidhi: Could you please suggest a Japanese or Swiss knife brand, and the type of knife I should look for? I don’t cook meat, but I still need a tough one to easily slice through hard vegetables like yam, sweet potato, and arbi. I also need something that’s really sharp to cut through ripe tomatoes easily, and be able to julienne vegetables.
Do I need two different ones, or is one enough? And is a forged one better than a stamped one?
Ruchira: I find that a paring knife cuts tomatoes the BEST way.
Shivam: Choosing between a forged or stamped knife depends on the weight preference of the user. Forged knives are crafted from a single piece of steel that’s heated and hammered into shape, resulting in a heavier, more durable blade with a full tang.
Stamped knives, on the other hand, are cut from a sheet of steel and then honed, making them lighter, and potentially less durable.
Kartikeya: Good quality knives with regular handles will also have the entire thing be one piece of steel (full tang), and the handle just covers the metal part where you hold it.
Also, knives have to be sharpened somewhat regularly, depending on how heavily you use them.
Smriti: Try REHA knives from Gujarat. Absolutely excellent. I have gifted the REHA knives to uncountable chef friends of mine. They are so under-discovered, even within India.
Rachit: I have used the ones from REHA, and can absolutely vouch for them. And pretty good with tomatoes.
Smriti: These are made from steel that comes from abandoned railway tracks from the British era, which is why the quality is solid. This is what I was told in Kutch.
Jagjot: I now know what I am gifting myself next. Thank you!
Read an excerpt from ‘From the King’s Table to Street Food’ (2024), by Pushpesh Pant, published by Speaking Tiger Books here.