Ceramic knives were invented in order to facilitate the cooking process, speed it up and make it less time-consuming. These knives are light and sharp, therefore, there is no need to exert a lot of effort to cut the salad or divide the meat into portions. Unlike metal knives, ceramics do not need to be sharpened regularly. Good ceramic knives do not blunt from hot water, and the blade will look for a long time as if you just purchased this knife.
What to look for when buying
Blade length. Before buying, decide which foods in the kitchen you cut most often. For meat, you need a knife with a long and wide blade, for vegetables and fruits - a small knife. Usually kitchen ceramic knives have blades from 7.5 to 23 centimeters. A universal blade is considered to be 12.5 centimeters long.
The form. The most popular are knives with a D-shaped blade, however, for some needs, knives in the form of an hatchet or with a raised (or lowered) point sometimes are required. When choosing a ceramic knife, it is very important to pay attention to the shape of the handle. Usually it is made of high quality plastic or rubber coated plastic. In rare cases, ceramic knives have a wooden handle. A good ceramic knife lies comfortably in the hand, it can be cut for a long time without feeling the tension in the brush.
Blade color. Most often, black, or rather dark gray, and white knives are found. The snow-white blade says that it was made in Japan from the best materials. A yellowish blade and a milk-colored blade indicate that the knife was made in China. Chinese knives are more fragile and less durable. Zirconia ceramics of dark gray color is longer than its white “brothers” in the furnace during sintering (agglomeration process), which improves its characteristics. Because of this, ceramic knives with a dark blade are often more expensive. Many housewives do not buy white knives because of fears that the blade will stain from beets or carrots. This could very well happen, but only with Chinese-made knives. High-quality Japanese ceramic knives are not subject to staining.
Manufacturer and price. Japanese knives are in fashion now. Universal ceramic knives with a blade of 12-14 centimeters cost from 1, 500 rubles apiece. There are models whose price exceeds 5000 rubles. Ceramic knives of Russian-Chinese production are 2-3 times cheaper than Japanese counterparts, but the quality is no worse.
Storage. Ceramic knives are quite fragile, and therefore when buying a knife, you should not save on a stand for it. Store ceramics next to metal knives, leave on the countertop or put in a closed drawer is not recommended. In addition, a special stand will prevent the knives from accidentally being on the floor and cracking.
