Following a few simple rules will result in your ceramic knife staying sharper and lasting longer. When you first buy your knife it is sharp and looks great – wouldn’t it be great to keep it that way? The following is list of Do’s and Don’ts for proper ceramic knife maintenance.
KNIFE CARE
- Cut on a wood or plastic cutting board to avoid chipping
- Hand wash with warm, soapy water
- Allow knife to air dry
- Store your knife in its safety cover or a knife block when not in use
- Drop ceramic knife on hard surfaces
- Cut on stone, marble, metal or glass
- Cut frozen food or bones
- Use the knife for work that requires twisting of flexing the blade
- Apply force to the side of the blade (eg. smashing garlic)
KNIFE MAINTENANCE + STORAGE
- Store in a knife block / sheath / tray or on a dish drain
- Use care when storing and removing the knife from a knife block to avoid tip damage
- Storing any knife upright (sharp edge up) or sideways in a knife block reduces wear to the knife edge
KNIFE WEAR
All knives will dull over time. Harder metals like high carbon steels, titanium and carbide tend to hold their edge longer than cheaper steel. Ceramic blades are harder than any metal – in fact harder than anything except diamond.
Ceramic will stay sharper longer than metal blades with proper knife maintenance. Over time and extended use micro abrasions or nicks will appear on the ceramic blade’s edge. This is part of the normal process by which all blades dull over time. The presence of microchips does not mean the knife is dull – it may continue to cut well for some time after that. If the knife becomes too dull to use it is time to use a diamond sharpener. Diamond is the only material harder than zirconium so be sure you or the professional sharpener has one. The role of the sharpener is to first smooth the microchips on the edge of the blade and then hone a new, sharper edge. Larger chips and broken tips can often be corrected by sharpening as well – for these it is best to seek out a professional.