Ceramic knives: opinions
I was in a trendy little kitchen store over the weekend and was (willingly) seduced into buying a ceramic paring knife. I watched as the thing glided through an orange, shaving it into paper-thin slices, and thought this little item would make my life bliss. So I bought it.
So far I'm happy with it, and understand it needs special care, etc, but am wondering if they really compare favorably to steel knives, and what your opinions are on them if you use them.
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5 Comments:
I've never had one, but a caterer friend of mine has used one, and he did note that it's no joke about being careful with them. He chipped the hell out of it almost immediately, and he swore he wasn't that hard on it. Other than that, he really liked it.
BangieB at 4:38PM on 09/30/08
I have never desired one for a couple of reasons. They're way too fragile and I don't ever buy a knife I have to send out to sharpen. I know some people swear by them.
therealchiffonade at 7:10PM on 09/30/08
They are nice and cut well and stay sharp for a long time but just too fragile. I've never seen one over a year old that's not chipped. I'm really careful with my steel chef's but i've still dropped it a million times. If it were ceramic, it'd be shot. But I can totally see getting a ceramic paring knife. I would never use it at work (too easy to lose) but maybe for home...
sailordave at 9:06PM on 09/30/08
I have a few and I really like them, although nothing compares to the heft of a good old chef's knife. I don't use my ceramic knives for, say, cutting through bones and sometimes even pressing a clove of garlic that's fat is sometimes sketchy.
I've been lucky that I haven't chipped mine (yet?) and I've had my oldest one 3+ years. You can send them to Kyocera for sharpening for $5 or so.
If you want a cheaper foray into ceramics, you could get one of the ceramic hand slicer/mandolines available at Williams-Sonoma. I think they're under $30.
missus_p at 1:19AM on 10/01/08
I have converted to Kyocera ceramics for most of my knives. Yes, they are more fragile, but they are sharp and stay sharp.
I would try one for thin-slicing vegetables, fruits, or meats. It's a good way to demonstrate the differences between ceramic and steel, You will notice the effortless control with ceramic, and are unlikely to do any damage to the kinfe.
Tazzo at 11:56AM on 10/01/08