Ceramic Knives - WOW!

[Strong Eagle]

I just bought two ceramic knives and all I can say is... WOW!

Amazing. Sliced a watermelon. Cut through the rind like butter.

Next tomatoes for a salad... perfect slices.

Potatoes cut like warm butter. Slicing the sirloin for beef stroganoff is just amazing.

Impulse purchase when I saw them demonstrated at Tang's... but I'll never go back to metal.

[curiousgeorge]

But don't ever drop them! They shatter pretty easily, and chip if you're not careful with them...I made expensive mistakes with ceramic knives in the past.

Also, can only use for cutting boneless/non-frozen foods. Don't use like a traditional knife for twisting, prying, scooping...anything other than straight cutting.

Not recommended to put in dishwasher either, as the water jets can jiggle them against other cutlery/the basket enough to chip them.

I am back to my trusty Gustav Emil Erns, I loved the ceramics at first but they work better in demonstrations than a family kitchen :p

[QRM]

Agree with curiousgeorge thats why you never see them in commercial kitchens.

Same with ceramic brake disks superb at stopping but boy do you get through them quickly.

[x9200]

I have always wanted to buy some of them but now you made me thinking...
Really that fragile? Remember seeing a document under "How is it made" on Discovery Channel and it looked like they were virtually indestructible. Twisting, bending whatever you may imagine.

[JR8]

Just got given a Wusthof 10" Chef's Knife today...


Mmmm... very tasty

[februus]

you should check out the wok demonstration on the next table: free cake!

[QRM]

Just got given a Wusthof 10" Chef's Knife today...

and very sharp two days ago sliced my fingers while cleaning it, and if you have helpers you really have to show them how razor sharp they are! Now you have to get a really good sharpener to keep the blade in top shape.

[beppi]

You CANNOT sharpen a ceramic knife - any attempt to do so will either do nothing at all or destroy the knife. They do blunt much slower than conventional steel knifes, but once they're blunt they're garbage.
They are also not any sharper than a good (and well taken care of) steel knife (I am not talking about made-in-China sub-$20 things here).
I prefer to stay with steel!

[sierra2469alpha]

Yeah I am with Beppi - had steel for 20+ years. The trick, IMHO, is to buy a sharpening STONE (note, not just the steel that you use before each prep jobs) and store your knives in a decent wooden block. I use the Mundial Inox series, both for a small catering company and also for personal use.

SE - out of interest, what kind of pricing you talking about? eg. size and price.

[Strong Eagle]

$49

[sierra2469alpha]

thanks for that

[JR8]

Just got given a Wusthof 10" Chef's Knife today...

and very sharp two days ago sliced my fingers while cleaning it, and if you have helpers you really have to show them how razor sharp they are! Now you have to get a really good sharpener to keep the blade in top shape.

The wife was cooking last night, so it hasn't had had a test drive yet.

I remember many years ago buying my Henkels 4* 8" chef's knife. Exerting zero downward pressure (supporting it on two fingers, one under the bottom/end of the handle, one on the end of the handle) I drew the knife across a chicken breast fillet... like a hot knife through butter!

What I find now though, is what ever I do I don't seem to be able to get back close to getting that edge. I have a diamond dust coater sharpener, and the usual honing steel to get a two stage finish. Plus I have been to a knife-skills course at prof. culinary school, so I'd like to think I have right approach. I'm starting to wonder if honing steels wear out (15 years old). Might have to look at that.

[Strong Eagle]

thanks for that

Glad to do so... nice to see you back and posting. Can I call you S####A?

[QRM]

What I find now though, is what ever I do I don't seem to be able to get back close to getting that edge. I have a diamond dust coater sharpener, and the usual honing steel to get a two stage finish. Plus I have been to a knife-skills course at prof. culinary school, so I'd like to think I have right approach. I'm starting to wonder if honing steels wear out (15 years old). Might have to look at that.

Been using one of these and works a treat better if you bolt it to your work top, you do have to change the honing steels as they do wear out. http://goodtobuy.ipcshop.co.uk/shop/hom ... ssional330

sierra2469alpha point about a good wood block is true though you have to watch out they can get mouldy down the slots. ha ha should get one of these for the misses http://www.inthekitchen.org/entry/stabb ... fe-holder/

[Splatted]

The ol' staysharp knives kept sharp through placing the blade of the knives back in their holder - the holder being the blade sharper through the action on inserting and pulling out the blade.

Why couldn't a ceramic blade be sharpened in same way? (just wondering...)