Ceramic knives

Ceramic knives are a recent addition to the knife world. Instead of steel, they are made out of a manufactured material that looks like, but isn’t, plastic. Here’s a comparison: a Japanese knife is light, while a ceramic knife is ultralight. The first time you use one, it’ll feel like a toy. An extremely sharp toy. They come in many styles: paring, utility, Santoku, chef’s, and more. And they’re made all over the world, even though they have a Japanese look and feel to them.

Ceramic knives are useful for many tasks, such as cutting vegetables, fruit, and meat with no bones. They cut with more precision than the traditional Japanese knives. But they are also very flawed.

Ceramic knives tend to be brittle. They cannot take the heavy use of chopping and striking into the cutting board. It’s not that they lose their sharpness this way. It’s that their blades tend to break under what would be normal use with a nonceramic knife. Common tasks such as mashing garlic with the side of the blade, chopping at a slightly wrong angle, or even accidentally dropping the knife onto the floor can easily lead to breaking ceramic blades. You also don’t want to cut into anything that might twist and then break the blade. Removing the core from a cabbage or trying to cut frozen, or semifrozen foods, can easily snap a ceramic blade. Even cutting a dense cheese can break a ceramic knife. I found this out the hard way, while cutting through a small wedge of Parmesan cheese.

You won’t find any ceramic knives that have a warranty against breaking. But there are two things to look for if you do buy one. The first is that it comes with a sleeve to use when storing the knife. This will protect the blade from becoming damaged while being stored in a drawer. In rare instances, you can accidentally twist and break the blade when putting it into a knife block.

The other thing is to make sure you’re allowed to return it to the manufacturer to be sharpened. They usually charge only for shipping and handling. But not every manufacturer offers this, so make sure it’s stated on the package, or from the store where you’re buying it. Very few retailers and businesses that do sharpening offer ceramic knife sharpening. While the blade will stay sharp for a very long time, when it does need sharpening, you definitely cannot do it yourself. Even better, some manufacturers will replace your knife, free of charge, if it’s too dull or pitted to sharpen.