Chef s knives

At Friedr. Dick, more than 40 process stages are necessary in the manufacture of a forged chef’s knife. A forged blade is produced from a single piece of red-hot steel under high pressure without any welding. This greatly compacts the steel. Blade, bolster and the full tang guarantee optimum weight distribution. The base material is a high-alloy stainless steel.

The material is delivered and cut into lengths. During the subsequent forging process, the blank is heated until it is red hot and then pre-forged and subsequently finish-forged. The forging hammer presses the raw material into the die from a height of up to 2.5 m with a drop weight of approx. 1.5 – 2.5 t.

After forging, the blank is soft-annealed with the protruding material in order to stamp out the blade, including bolster and tang, as a single piece without cracks.

Hardening is crucial to the quality of the finished knife. The blank is hardened in a protective gas atmosphere at temperatures exceeding 1,100° C. The equipment used at Friedr. Dick meets the current state of the art and guarantees a defined and continuously controlled hardening process. Any contact with oxygen is avoided to prevent surface oxidation since this would necessitate additional grinding.

The next process stage is so-called tempering. As the hardened steel is brittle and inelastic, tempering at temperatures between 200 and 300° C now has to eliminate the greatest internal stress within the steel. The molecules in the steel can re-align and impart the desired ductility and strength to the steel. Freezing to –70° C gives the blade another final “shot” of elasticity.
Special CNC-controlled, automated grinding machines are used for the actual grinding of the blade; these guarantee a consistently high quality. The subsequent finish-grinding produces a completely smooth surface. The handle is then attached. Dick handles are attached by means of a special method, resulting in a seamless welding of blade and handle.

The handles are made from high-quality, durable, food-safe plastic. The knives are, of course, dishwasher-safe. However, we recommend that, after use, the knives are simply rinsed in hot water and then wiped dry.

Final honing of the cutting edge is performed by specialists working on machines that have been developed in-house and that give the knife the optimum cutting performance. Laser angle-measuring equipment is used to check whether the optimum grinding and honing angle has been achieved.

Documented process checks are carried out throughout the production process.

Finally, each knife is given the unmistakable Dick etching, which is synonymous with quality and tradition. In addition to ongoing quality checks during manufacture, all Dick products are also subjected to a strict final inspection. This is because, for Friedr. Dick, quality is a way of life.

Friedr. Dick is the only manufacturer worldwide who offers a complete range of knives, sharpening steels, ancillary items for chefs and butchers as well as grinding machines. The long-standing tradition and experience of manufacturing products for chefs and butchers allow a continuous development of innovative products. Input from customers, especially end-users and own ideas are converted into high quality products.