If you are a kitchen connoisseur, then you’ve probably been wondering whether or not it’s time to invest in a ceramic knife.
They are a great choice for people who spend a significant amount of time chopping things up in their kitchen, and don’t have the time to spend sharpening their tools.
Many chefs are known to use ceramic knives, and purchasing one of these will likely cost you the same as a high quality stainless steel knife.
So, if you’ve been wondering whether or not to take the plunge and purchase a ceramic knife, we’ve got the answers for you. Simply keep reading to find out some of the advantages and disadvantages below.
The Pros Of Purchasing A Ceramic Knife
Here, we take a look at some of the many benefits that a ceramic knife provides. Keep reading to find out whether they might be suitable for your needs.
1. The Weight
One of the benefits of investing in a ceramic knife is that they weigh far less than their stainless steel counterparts.
We all know how difficult it can be holding a heavy steel knife for an extended period of time, and this can impede your chopping.
Ceramic knives effectively solve this problem, and are far better for your wrists.
This also makes them great to use during the winter season, where we’re spending long periods of time in the kitchen chopping dense items such as meat and root vegetables.
In addition, they’re also a great knife option for beginners who are just getting started out with handling a knife.
2. Sustained Sharpness
Did you know that a ceramic knife can sustain its sharpness over ten times longer than a stainless steel blade?
We all know that sharpening stainless steel can be a chore, especially when we’re busy and have other things to occupy us.
You can guarantee that if you choose to invest in a ceramic knife, that the blade will keep its sharp edge, and you won’t have to worry about sharpening it regularly.
The ceramic is made from a material similar to diamonds in terms of hardness, so is much more likely to last for longer as opposed to steel.
3. They Will Stand The Test Of Time
Another benefit of ceramic knives is that they’re guaranteed to stand the test of time, and if you invest in one of these blades, you’ll have it for many years to come.
The reason why they’re so long lasting is simply because they’re not made from metal.
The ceramic material will not stain, as it is immune to the acids found in the foods that you’re chopping up.
This is why they’re a great option for using when you’re chopping up fruits too, because the acidity won’t affect them at all.
4. They Don’t Collect Odor
Another great thing about the material that these knives are made from, is that they don’t gather any odor on the blade. The ceramic materials are completely stainless, and are therefore completely non porous.
This means that if you’re cutting one item, and you’re worried about the smell transferring to another item, you won’t actually need to wash the blade.
The smell gathered on the knife will be completely superficial, so all you need to do is rinse it off in the sink.
The Cons Of Purchasing A Ceramic Knife
Now that we’ve taken a look at some of the pros of using a ceramic knife, let’s take a look at some of the drawbacks.
1. Can Be Difficult To Cut With
For the most part, ceramic knives do a great job of cutting most food items because of the sharpness of the blade, but in some cases, it can be more difficult to cut dense items with a ceramic knife.
One of their benefits, as we mentioned above, is that they are far more lightweight than stainless steel knives, but this can sometimes make it more difficult to chop meat based items.
This is especially true for meats which have the bones attached to them, which could make using a ceramic knife a bit awkward.
2. Slightly Weaker Than Steel
Another one of the cons in using a ceramic blade is that they tend to be a bit weaker than steel blades.
Steel is guaranteed not to break off when you’re conducting your chopping, but if you’re using a ceramic knife, it could chip when you’re cutting denser food items like we mentioned above.
This is why it’s important, if you choose to buy a ceramic knife, that you don’t use any kind of excessive force with it, as it could potentially chip off because of its brittle nature.
3. Difficult To Sharpen
Although ceramic knives stay sharper for longer, which is one of their greatest features, when they do require sharpening, it can be somewhat of an arduous task.
Sharpening ceramic can be incredibly tricky, and it takes a great deal of effort.
You will probably need to watch a few videos online to get the hang of it.
4. Not Completely Dishwasher Safe
Most households these days use a dishwasher to clean their cutlery. The problem is that if you have a ceramic knife, you might incur some problems.
Most ceramic knives claim that they are dishwasher safe, but you should be very careful, as the brittleness of the material may cause them to chip
Final Thoughts
There are many pros to using a ceramic knife. They’re lightweight, easy to handle, stay sharper for longer, and are great for beginners.
The material can chip off however, if not handled carefully, so make sure that you’re not using your ceramic knife to chop meat items that still have the bones contained.
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