Here’s a hard truth you might not be ready to hear. One of the signs of a true badass is excellence in the kitchen. I’m not talking about tossing some extra cheese and veggies on a frozen pizza so you can call it customized or slapping a chunk of meat over some coals and calling it good if it doesn’t turn into a briquette.
I’m talking about food that means something.
Listen, you might not realize this, but being able to prepare a meal for your loved ones is a privilege and an honor. You’re nourishing them, body and soul, and that shouldn’t be taken lightly.
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Don’t get me wrong, we all have to cut corners now and again. There’s nothing wrong with hitting an occasional drive-thru or getting a visit from Uber Eats once in a while. But I’m telling you right now, if those options are the rule rather than the exception, you’re going to regret it. And probably sooner rather than later.
If none of that sold you on it, let’s try this. Cooking prowess can be damn sexy, no matter who you’re trying to land.
As with any endeavor worth the effort, it starts with the right tools. In this case, we’re talking cutlery. Steelport Knife Co. has entered the chat.
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Craftsmanship Without Compromise
That’s the motto of Steelport Knife Company. Having visited their shop, spoken to one of the founders at length, and sampled some of their products, I can say with some authority that they’ve fully embraced that sentiment.
As with so many other business ventures, they began by seeking to answer a question. In this case, it was, “Why is there no American kitchen knife?” There is the European kitchen knife, exemplified by companies like WÜSTHOF or Zwilling. At the other end of the spectrum are the Japanese kitchen knives, with Shun often topping the list of quality brands.
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Steelport founders Eytan Zias and Dr. Ron Khormaei set a goal of creating an heirloom-quality, American-made kitchen knife. Their first release was an 8-inch Chef’s Knife in 2021. Customers and professional chefs alike fell in love with it and demanded more. They have since added several models to the lineup:
- 10-inch Slicing Knife
- 6-inch Chef’s Knife
- 6-inch Boning Knife
- 4-inch Paring Knife
- 10-inch Bread Knife
- Steak Knife Set
They’ve also introduced a few other kitchen upgrades, including a Bench Scraper, Honing Rod, and SteelCore Cutting Board.
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Steelport Knife Features
From the small paring knife to the large bread knife, the knives share several common features. Each is made from 52100 carbon steel that’s been hardened to 65HRC. They’ve managed to devise a perfect balance between hardness and toughness, allowing for a knife that holds a great edge but that isn’t impossible to sharpen at home. This is definitely something you should learn how to do. Fortunately, Steelport has a great tutorial on their website to use as a starting point. [https://www.steelportknife.com/the-art-and-craft-of-sharpening/]
The knives are drop hammer forged from single billets of steel. There are something like 140 individual steps to take the hunk of steel to the finished knife. The blades are polished and have rounded spines and choils. These are important when you’re talking about a knife that you’re going to use for long periods of time. Ergonomics is a concept that should be incorporated into your tools. Let’s face it, if the knife is awkward, clumsy, or uncomfortable, you won’t use it.
The handles are resin-stabilized and contoured from Big Leaf Maple Burl. Steelport uses a design scheme for their handles that I’ve never seen before. These are full-tang knives, and the burl is shaped to fit over and around the tang in one solid piece, married perfectly to the steel and pinned in place. A half-octagonal handle shape keeps the knife centered in your grip, allowing for a secure hold.
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A coffee patina is applied to each knife. The patina provides some degree of rust protection and also makes it easier for the quality control team to spot any potential issues with the steel. Over time and with use, the patina will further refine, resulting in a unique blade that’s unlike any other on the planet.
4-inch Paring Knife
In a traditional set of kitchen cutlery, you’ll typically have a utility knife and a paring knife. Steelport has combined the two with their 4-inch Paring Knife[https://www.steelportknife.com/product/4-carbon-steel-paring-knife/]. Think of it as the multi-tool of the kitchen cutlery collection.
This 4-inch Paring Knife will handle everything from trimming meat to processing fruits and vegetables. It has the Steelport standard sheepsfoot blade profile. Owing to the height of the blade as it meets the handle, you can use this knife in a pinch grip, something that’s not often seen with paring knives. Many standard paring knives are relatively small and thus can’t also handle larger chores. This model doesn’t suffer those issues. It has an overall length of 8.0 inches and weighs about 4 ounces.
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I used mine to prep a veggie tray for a recent holiday get-together, and it was like someone had handed me a little laser. Every cut and slice was effortless. Food released from the blade easily, which is always appreciated. The knife handled very well and was quite comfortable to use. A few days later, I cut up several potatoes, and again, it was easy-peasy. The handle shape is such that even if your hands are wet, the knife is secure in your grip. Cheese, sausage, and more were all subjected to slicing and dicing.
The more I use it, the more I truly see this as a utility knife rather than a paring knife, to be honest. It’s just so incredibly versatile.
Now the trick will be to keep anyone else in the house from using it.
Bench Scraper
In June 2025, I was with a small press group that visited the Steelport shop in Portland, Oregon. As part of our tour, we each got to work on our own Bench Scraper [https://www.steelportknife.com/product/bench-scraper/]. This is a kitchen tool that’s fairly new to me. But now that I have one, I can’t imagine prepping meals without it.
Like their knives, this is a heirloom-quality piece of equipment, something that can and should be passed down. It features 18-gauge stainless steel, which is durable and won’t bend or fold under pressure. The edge is beveled, but not razor sharp. This isn’t really a cutting tool, though you can certainly use it for dividing dough and similar chores. The blade is six inches across and 3.5 inches high. One corner is a hard 90-degree point for detail work, and the other is rounded for scraping inside bowls.
The handle is the same Big Leaf Maple Burl as the knives. It’s wide and contoured for comfort. The last thing you want is something flimsy or that feels like it’s cutting into your palm.
The Bench Scraper works great for moving piles of chopped vegetables from the cutting board to the soup or stew bubbling on the stove.
SteelCore™ Cutting Board
The cutting tool is one part of the equation, and the cutting surface is the other. An important rule when using high-quality cutlery is to avoid cutting on ceramic or metal surfaces. They’ll dull the knife quickly. Plastic cutting boards can break down and end up contributing more to the meal than you’d like. Bamboo is popular because it’s relatively low-cost, but it’s incredibly abrasive to a knife edge.
The best cutting boards utilize end-grain wood. It conceals knife marks, is somewhat self-healing, and is quite durable. And that’s exactly what you’ll find with the SteelCore™ Cutting Board [https://www.steelportknife.com/product/steelcore-cutting-board/]. That’s not all, though. Let’s run down the features.
The SteelCore™ is dual-sided. One side features presentation-grade end-grain American Walnut. It’s great for vegetables, fruit, and other foods. It’s so handsome that you can even use it as your serving platter.
Opposite the wood is a composite material made from recycled paper. It’s perfect for when you’re cutting garlic or other pungent foods, as it won’t retain the smell. There’s a juice groove for when you’re dealing with meats.
Even with two working sides, the board is only 0.75-inch thick. Internal steel rods keep the board strong and prevent the material from shifting. Beveled edges make the board easy to grab and move.
All of the materials are US-sourced, too, which is always a plus. I don’t have one of these SteelCore™ Cutting Boards just yet, but it’s definitely on my list.
Take Care of Your Tools
Remember that these are high-quality tools and they need to be treated as such. With just a little care, common sense, and regular maintenance, these knives will remain in excellent condition for your grandchildren to use one day.
Don’t be a lazy ass and toss them into the dishwasher. That’s a sure-fire way to ruin them. Hand wash only and dry thoroughly with a towel. Applying a food-safe steel protectant like Wicked Wax [https://www.dlttrading.com/wicked-wax-knife-care-kit] isn’t a bad idea at all.
The steel will develop a patina over time, with continued use. That’s normal and to be expected. However, if it starts to develop rust spots, address them promptly to prevent damage to the steel.
Stay on top of honing it with a strop or steel regularly so the blade doesn’t get too dull. Remember, a dull knife is far more dangerous to the user than a sharp one. If you have to force the knife through a cut, you increase the chance of losing control of it. If you maintain the edge regularly, you’ll rarely need actually to sharpen it, which involves removing steel. If it does get to that point, never use pull-through sharpeners. Learn how to use waterstones. Remember, you’re a grown-up now; it’s time to use grown-up tools.
Craftsmanship and Care
This isn’t a pry bar, don’t use it like one. Doing so will likely lead to damaging the blade and possibly injuring yourself at the same time.
At the end of the day, a high-quality tool isn’t going to grant you unbelievable skill overnight magically. If that were the case, far more guys would be buying expensive swords, right? But learning and honing a skill is a whole lot easier if you don’t have to deal with janky equipment.
Box up the discount garbage knives for Goodwill and invest in cutlery that will last a lifetime. A Steelport knife isn’t the first kitchen knife someone typically buys, but it for damn sure will be the last one they need.
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