6
Score
11team
479
Asked
How do you keep Ceramic Knives sharp
I bought some ceramic knives when I had my steel one sharpened. Loved them - for say 6 months. Then - well, steeel knives I sharpen with the steel, and then have them ground.
Ceramics - sharpening professionally is $$$$
13
Score
Jaybird200
181
Answered
Accepted Answer
Unless you are cutting other ceramics or diamonds, these knives should almost never get dull. Use a wood or bamboo cutting board (ceramic, glass or metal is a no-no) and push less. They cut so well because they are so much harder than anything you will encounter in cooking. Bone has a hardness of about 3.5, steel knives about 6.5 and ceramic knives about 9.5. Diamonds are 10.
If you really want to sharpen them you will need a fine or very fine diamond sharpener. The diamond size should be as small as you can get 1000 or more (6 microns or smaller). DMT makes good ones. You can find diamond sharpeners at better Hardware, Wood Working and Sporting Goods stores and they should cost $20 to $60. The trouble is ceramic is so hard it will take a lot of effort to restore the edge. Use water to lubricate and clean your sharpener. Be prepared to rub (use light pressure) about a dozen times, rinse the diamond and repeat many, many times. Inspect the edge with a magnifying glass. General knife sharpening rules apply.
If you look carefully at the very edge of the blade you will see that it is sharpened at an angle that is different from the rest of the blade, try to match that angle. A sharper angle will result in a sharper knife for a little while until the edge chips off in your food (generally not good). A more 'blunt' angle will last longer, but will not cut as well.
1
Score
Spikey2
1.2k
Answered
0
Score
Jose
1
Answered
Jaybird2005 was pretty accurate in that ceramic knives are pretty tough guys. Most are made out of zirconium oxide (8.2/10 on Mohs scale where Nanodiamond is the highest at >10/10). Hence, one of the few ways to sharpen them is by using a diamond stone/wheel. However, unless you are very proficient at sharpening, I would suggest having the knife professionally done simply because of how expensive it would be if you mess it up. One alternative might be to purchase a "cheap" ceramic knife (paring knives tend to be cheap enough) to use as a tester until you feel comfortable. I'm very surprised that the knives are dull after just 6 months. Do you have a warranty?
I don't even know how many times I sharpened my crappy knives before I was comfortable enough to purchase and sharpen my current set. 20+ years of sharpening knives on a daily basis and I still wouldn't mess around with sharpening a ceramic knife, just my $.019