The kitchen is a holy place for cooking enthusiasts and professional cooks. Everything must be in harmony for aesthetics and, of course, convenience at work.
If your kitchen interior has a vintage, country, or minimalist style, you should have knives that perfectly match the vibe. Good-looking knives are inspiring to use. You get the tasks done with a happy heart, and you will always be excited to cook.
This article will review knives from Old Hickory. We’ll particularly look into the five-piece knife set. At one glance, you’ll know that the knives are a perfect fit for your kitchen, but let's dig deeper into the details about the brand and its knives.
About the Brand
Ontario Old Hickory’s establishment dates back to 1923 when its mother company Ontario Knife Company expanded from its humble beginnings in 1889. Until today, the two brands—Ontario and Old Hickory—are inseparable.
The Ontario Knife Company offers a wide array of knife products and tools, including hunting, tactical, outdoor, camping, garden, and home knives. Old Hickory is a brand that focuses on kitchen knives. They sell 14 knives separately:
- Slicing knife
- Paring knife (3 ¼-inch and 4-inch)
- Boning knife
- Butcher's knife (7-inch, 10-inch, and 14-inch)
- Cook’s knife
- Sticker
- Ice pick
- Skinner
- Cotton sampling
- Cleaver
- Fillet knife
They also offer a five-piece knife set you can purchase as a one-stop shop of the tools you will need in the kitchen, and that is what we recommend you get from this brand.
Review: 5-Piece Set of Old Hickory Kitchen Knives
Blades
The Old Hickory knife set has five kitchen knives with blades specifically designed for particular uses in the kitchen. All the knives are made of carbon steel, making them robust and capable of withstanding any slicing.
If you are into knives with a rough finish, you’ll get that from these knives. You’ll notice the blades have dark streaks because of the carbon steel, which is not as shiny and flawless as traditional knives.
The carbon material also makes the knife prone to rusting, so ensure proper knife care by keeping it dry and clean after use. It would also help to add protective mineral oil to the hardwood handle regularly.
Handle
The handles of the knives are made of hardwood. You can see the details of the wood on the handle, which makes it look natural—a perfect fit for your cozy kitchen. Brass rivets securely put together the blade and the handle. The Old Hickory brand is also clearly engraved on the side of the handles.
Pros
- Robust blades made of carbon steel
- Sturdy handle
- Complete with knives that accomplish different kitchen tasks
- The rough finish provides a vintage look.
Cons
- Not dishwasher-friendly
- Prone to rusting
- The rough finish may not be appealing if you are used to polished knives.
- The wood handles wear out more easily than plastic and other synthetic materials.
Set Inclusion
- Paring knives (4-inch and 3.25-inch)
- Slicing knife (8-inch)
- Butcher’s knife (7-inch)
- Boning knife (6-inch)
An In-Depth Look at the 5 Knives
1. Slicing Knife
This knife is for slicing cooked meat. For example, imagine a Thanksgiving dinner where you need to slice the turkey. This knife is the tool you can use.
It is more flexible than a carving knife, so you can also use it for more delicate ingredients like fruits and vegetables.
Because of its 8-inch length, it is best to use it for bigger ingredients. Leave the smaller ingredients to the other knives included in the set.
On the other hand, this slicing knife is not for the more arduous task of chopping bones and rigid portions of meat. You can leave those tasks to the cleaver or butcher’s knife.
2. Paring Knife (3.25-Inch)
Do you like your baby potatoes and tomatoes peeled, or are you preparing a specific dish that requires this detailed knife skill? Leave the task of peeling the smallest ingredients to the 3.25-inch paring knife.
Paring knives are for peeling fruits and vegetables. This item is the smaller of the two paring knives included in the set. Using this smaller paring knife ensures that you peel and slice perfectly. Your ingredients will not end up crushed or overly peeled because of the knife size. Even peeling garlic, which is a tedious task, is easier with this knife.
3. Paring Knife (4-Inch)
You can peel potatoes, cassava, carrots, apples, and other medium-sized fruits and vegetables better with a knife of just the right length. This paring knife is 4-inch, so you can comfortably skin your ingredients with it.
You’ll notice the benefit of using the right knife when you peel a lot of the same kind of fruits or vegetables. Using bigger knives than necessary will bring down the quality of your output and be uncomfortable for your hands.
4. Butcher’s Knife
Roasted turkey, chicken, pork, or beef ribs are dishes that take hours or even days to prepare. To ensure that the serving of these courses is perfect and gives justice to your efforts, get an Old Hickory butcher knife that can slice through them like you are cutting butter.
You can also use the Old Hickory butcher knife in the set on raw meat. The sharp edge of the knife can cut through meat in one slice. Although the butcher’s knife included in the kit is the 7-inch version, Old Hickory manufactures a 14-inch, which can assist you in making bigger slices of both your raw ingredients and well-cooked specialties.
5. Boning Knife
As the name of this knife suggests, it should be the knife to use when separating bone from meat. Who does not like pure meat and boneless dishes? Since the Old Hickory knives are made of carbon steel, you are sure of their sharpness. Therefore, you can cut through the meat closest to the bone without worrying about the edge wearing out from consistent use.
This knife has a size of 6 inches; with this, you can have a solid grip and safely slice the meat you are preparing.
In Closing
You may have noticed that the manufacturer did not include the Old Hickory chef’s knife in the set. Still, we recommend that you buy it separately as it also has the same solid functionality and stunning aesthetics as all the knives discussed in this article.
The knives are made with first-class materials to ensure their durability and performance in handling all the cutting and slicing tasks in the kitchen. The rough finish of the blades from the carbon steel material used for it perfectly matches the wood handle.
As you begin another day of cooking, let this set of knives that are pleasing to the eyes and always do the job be the first thing to greet you in the kitchen.
August 18, 2022
