The Cutlery Corner

Archive for the ‘Ceramic Cutlery’ Category

Ceramic cutlery also has some disadvantages as well. Far from the traditional steel blades used by our grandparents, the newer more modern cutlery is truly made of a ceramic material. The material is white in appearance but believe it or not it is actually much harder than the traditional steel blade. The popularity of ceramic cutlery has made its way into the most popular 5 star Bistro’s and many homes.

So should you run right out or go online and order a complete set of new cutlery? Well not so fast! First let’s do a little comparison of the disadvantages against the advantages.

First a ceramic knife being harder than steel will hold an edge far longer than steel on one of many types of metals used to make them. The effortless way it cuts through many different types of foods is truly better than any kind of steel knives made. The knives of ceramic variety will not stain or rust or be damaged by the acids in some foods we need to cut like steel.

It will take some getting used to in the kitchen; sure they are perfectly balanced and very comfortable in your hand. But very light and much sharper than the traditional knives using them is indeed different. For those that spend a lot of time in the kitchen that take the time to learn to use ceramic cutlery find that there is much less stress on their hands arms and shoulders. Still a lot of cooks just prefer the traditional steel cutlery and are unwilling to make the change.

For sure ceramic knives are one of the better introductions in innovations to the market; there are some disadvantages you should be aware of. In relation to steel cutlery ceramic does cost more than the traditional. The material used to make them just costs more to start with. The material used is zirconium oxide. We are starting to see some of the prices drop with some of the inexpensive offerings. You will find a high quality ceramic kitchen can run upwards of four or five hundred dollars. For many that are not the professional gourmet chef prices are just out of reach.

Sure knives being made of ceramic means they are much harder than steel but it also means that they will break of chip if dropped on a hard surface. In this sense they are brittle so more care is needed because they are more fragile. Storage is important so no just tossing them into a draw with all the other cutleries like many people do. You cannot cut through bone or frozen foods like we do with steel knives. And still a lot of people will use their knives as tools for prying and other things. The ceramic blade will brake easily doing things like this.

Of course the ceramic blade will hold and edge far longer than steel but after a lot of use they will get dulled. Sharpening the ceramic blade most likely can’t be done and will need to be replaced. Some of the manufactures may offer solutions with a return of the dull knife.

So you can clearly see there are both advantages and disadvantage of owning ceramic cutlery. There are by far better than steel in some ways but not so good in other ways. You will need to consider these facts before purchasing and deciding which type is best for you.