ChefTalk.com › ChefTalk Cooking Forums › Professional Food Service › Professional Chefs › Ceramic knives in the kitchen?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Ceramic knives in the kitchen?

post #1 of 13
3/4/12 at 10:20pm
Thread Starter 

Hey , Pantry cook Nick here (it's my first day). I've been butchering the seared ahi sashimi with both bread and 'pressed' chef's knife and decided to get a ceramic utility knife for the job. I went cheap cause it'll be borrowed and or broken soon for sure $18.

 

I've never used one of these except for the quick trial at some kitchen store in the mall...

Do thee things chip – break very easily? Will it be ok in my bag getting tossed around with the other wooden and steel tools?

 

I already bought it, but was wondering how these things hold up in the kitchen.

California Cook

Reply

Featured Stories on ChefTalk.com

When Cooks Cook for Themselves
Follow ChefTalk on Pinterest!
Great product that allows you to manually adjust the sharpening angle for each knife
post #2 of 13
3/5/12 at 4:12pm

My experience with ceramic knives is that the cheap ones are not as sharp as I can make even a cheap steel knife, but they retain the level of sharpness they have for along time.  If I was carrying in a bag with otherr tools I lould wrap it in cardboard or stiff plastic, they do break easily. I believe and hope that  all of your knives have something protecting the edges in that bag.

Reply
post #3 of 13
3/5/12 at 4:21pm

From my experience ceramic knives can be very shard, and great for just about anything BUT they are very fragile.  You drop it, it's done.  I recommend to buy cheap ones if you want to buy ceramic at all, they're just not reliable. 

Reply
post #4 of 13
3/5/12 at 7:40pm

I don't use ceramic knives since I have a bad tendency to drop them and looking at the people who've used them I have to say that you need to be very careful with them since they do chip and break relatively.  Same goes with ceramic steels, my chef lost two of them in quick secession because of droppage.

"If it's chicken, chicken a la king. If it's fish, fish a la king. If it's turkey, fish a la king." -Bender
Reply
post #5 of 13
3/5/12 at 8:01pm

Agree with all above but would add: don't lend it.

 

Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Reply
post #6 of 13
3/6/12 at 12:33am
Thread Starter 

I wouldn't lend, but the sous' like; Hey Nick! lemme see your knife. I want to tell him off, but he's  my boss... also knife guards in a bag are overrated, they're just a 10 second delay from each use. knife guard for the ceramic seems alright though. I'm excited about slicing to perfection.


Edited by Mustaroad - 3/8/12 at 12:49am

California Cook

Reply
post #7 of 13
3/6/12 at 2:35am

Tried one at a restaurant show. Extremely sharp and expensive for an 8 inch french knife. I asked guy how do you sharpen he said I dont have to but if I do mail to them? I asked him about using a steel he told me it would cut a steel ? Very fragile and bad balance, but pretty. Needless to say I opted out, stick with my tried and true Forschners.and Wustophs

Chef EdB
Over 50 years in food service business 35 as Ex Chef. Specializing in Volume upscale Catering both on and off premise .(former Exec. Chef in the largest on premise caterer in US  with 17 Million Dollars per year annual volume). 
      Well versed in all facets of Continental Cuisine...
Reply
post #8 of 13
3/7/12 at 7:09pm

I have one ceramic that I love, especially when it comes to paper thin slicing, but I would have never taken it into a professional kitchen.  It would have been history very quickly and "good" ceramic knives are not cheap.  I use mine for home cooking and would take it with me if I was doing demos, but never into the restauant kitchens.

From Man's sweat and God's love, beer came into the World-Saint Arnoldus
http://www.onceachef.com/
Reply
post #9 of 13
3/8/12 at 12:45am
Thread Starter 

What would you suggest for slicing a 5oz strip of seared  Ahi sashemi?

 

I vote for $18 ceramic. How many can I put you down for?

California Cook

Reply
post #10 of 13
3/8/12 at 4:43pm

I would like to know what brand/model this knife if you believe it is sharp enough to do what you want.  Personally I would use my 10" chefs to cut that tuna.  It is shaveable sharp and I can move through a lot of product quickly with control.  I am not a real fan of "utility knives" in the kitchen

Reply
post #11 of 13
3/8/12 at 8:31pm

Put me down for zero. I'll stick to my chefs knife. Cuts just as well as any ceramic. There is a reason many do not use ceramic. Also a reason quality knife companies have been around since the 1800s. To each his own though. 

Reply
post #12 of 13
3/9/12 at 12:19am
Thread Starter 

 

Oh, are the $28 ones as sharp as the $200 ones? I figured the expensive ones just looked cooler.

The tech for fine sharpened ceramic is rather new and ceramic kitchen knives are even newer. The Kyocera blades are like $28 base, i don't remember the one I tried to order for $18. But all it is is a step past the santoku which some (many?) people use despite its fragility. I heard that the ceramic knives are sharper than any steel, so having one ready for specialty prep (like thin slicing seared ahi) could be my way to step up the cleanliness of my cuts on the line. I've seen Ahi tuna salads go out with well mashed chunks sawed with a dull bread knife so hey, why not step it up and show off some pristine slices? Could my 10" bottom shelf pressed steel do this job? Not if I sharpened it all night long. Perhaps a professionally sharpened tempered blade, definitely a santoku. But I'd like to be the talk of the town, kitchen rather, with the only ceramic knife. Impress your girlfriend, impress you're wife, you know the shebang. Buy that knife everybody's talking about.

California Cook

Reply
post #13 of 13
9/26/12 at 2:35pm

I bought one ceramic knife and have been using for a while. I am just loving it a lot. I bought from cerablades.com. I think the quality is really nice for the price. 

Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Professional Chefs

Featured Stories on ChefTalk.com

When Cooks Cook for Themselves
Follow ChefTalk on Pinterest!
Great product that allows you to manually adjust the sharpening angle for each knife
ChefTalk.com › ChefTalk Cooking Forums › Professional Food Service › Professional Chefs › Ceramic knives in the kitchen?