Cheap Way to Try a Ceramic Knife

I have always been curious about ceramic knives but not curious enough to pay a steep price for what reviews say is a deft, but fragile, instrument. Ceramic is very hard, so they never need sharpening. Indeed, they can't be sharpened so the edge had better last forever. Unlike metal, ceramic is easily chipped. And once damaged, they're trash because unlike a metal knife, chips and nicks can't be ground away. So I am reluctant to spend hundreds of dollars to augment the knives I already love.

Then I stumbled on a ceramic paring knife — for about $9. Dealextreme is an Internet seller of very inexpensive gear. They sell computer and camera accessories, toys, gadgets, and household items that are manufactured on the cheap by Asian manufacturers. Most of what they sell is pretty good quality and the prices are amazing. Shipping is free but it usually takes a couple of weeks. I ordered one and I have to say, I was impressed. The quality is pretty good and it is quite sharp. It will presumably remain sharp for years, and so far hasn't been damaged.

I also bought a ceramic vegetable peeler and was less impressed. A peeler has to be very sharp and this wasn't quite sharp enough. Still, it was mere $3.

All that said, I still am not a ceramic knife fan. They don't need to be sharpened but I don't find sharpening my knives much bother. I use a steel on them every time and only need to sharpen them a couple of times a year. Except for the eversharp edge, a ceramic knife is no better than a well-sharpened metal knife. So I'll probably buy another cheap ceramic knife but they won't be displacing my favorites.

More:

• If you're in the market for a knife, be sure to check out my article on knives, with recommendations.
• Learn more about sharpening knives.

Comments

[Carolyn Jung]

Do you sharpen your knives yourself? Or take them to a professional? If so, which one? ;)

[Moe Rubenzahl]

I sharpen them myself. See:

http://feedme.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/11/sharp-knife-tip.html

I use a steel each time I use a knife. Then, every couple-three months, I use the Chef's Choice sharpener.

I think a pro could get them a little sharper than I do but not much. I am pretty darned pleased with the Chef's Choice.

[Glenn Fuller]

Being in cooking school I have accumulated a collection of knives. I too was also intrigued about the ceramic knife. I was able to purchase a Kyocera Ceramic Nakiri knife on eBay for about $45 (http://www.chefsresource.com/kyocera-ceramic-nakiri-knife.html). I am concerned on the fragility of it but, it sure is sharp. I've had it for about 2 months now. I always handle it with caution to avoid lateral forces on it. I think the sharpness comes partly because they are so thin to start with. When it needs to be sharpened, it needs to be sent back to Kyocera.

My recommendation for the average person is to buy a good German forged steel knife over a ceramic knife. My favorite is a Wusthof Classic IKON. The steel is thin and can be made really sharp.

I sharpen my steel knives also. Moe's advice on using a sharpening steel is really good. For the bulk of tasks, that is great advice. A steel doesn't actually sharpen your knife but rather takes the burrs off the edge to allow it to be sharp again. But I've taken my friend's dull kitchen knives and made them usable again. Enough where I was able to use them efficiently.

The route I took was to purchase 2 combination water stones from Norton. The grits I have are 220, 1000, 4000, and 8000. I use them on my sushi knife and my other knives.

You need to learn how to use them. And ... I'm still learning. But I get better with each session. The way I go about it is to take the cheapest dullest forged knife in the house and learn to make it sharp. Or better yet, get a cheap one from a yard sale for practice.

Before this point in time, I used to take them to a professional knife person. But at $3-5 per knife, needing to be sharpened several times a year I decided to learn how to do it myself.

[Raul Trecarichi]

I was very sceptic about these knives, but last christmas I got and now even I supporter of these knives, they are not good for everythimg, but most of work in kitchen you can do with them.

[Kurikong]

Thanks for this very informative post. Before, I tried to sharpen my knives at home by myself then I figured out that it didn't work out so I asked some professionals to accomplish it for me. =D