Ceramic knives are a popular choice in a lot of people’s lives, they are sharper and more durable than a steel knife. They also don’t need that much sharpening. Depending on how you use it, you can use a ceramic knife for months or even years without sharpening it. On the other side, steel knives require much more care and more sharpening to maintain. Ceramic knives are also cheaper than normal steel knives which means that even if it gets completely dull or breaks you can always get a new one for cheap money. Knowing how to sharpen a ceramic knife the right way is important, as they tend to develop small chips on the edge which makes it dull. For that to be fixed you will need a very powerful diamond sharpened or you can send your knife to a professional who has those tools, both are good options.
How To Sharpen Your Ceramic Knife
Okay, so how can you sharpen your ceramic knife? There are a couple of things that you will need to have in mind while sharpening ceramic knives. First, you need to know that a ceramic knife is very brittle and thus it’s easier to break than any other normal steel knife. With that said you should never put too much pressure sharpening a ceramic knife because there is the risk of the knife actually breaking.
Using a diamond stone
Let’s talk about using the diamond stone. First of all, your hand positioning should be as safe as possible, don’t put your hand in the way of the blade sharpening motion, because again, you are sharpening a cutting tool. As we said, never apply too much pressure on the blade while sharpening it because it does not take too much for the blade to just snap and break in half. This being said we suggest you use both of your hands to sharpen your ceramic knife ( any kind of knives apply here too ) because you get a more confident and stronger grip of the knife.
Next, apply light force with all of your fingers on the blade and start doing an up and down motion. Direction of the motion does not really matter and it comes down to personal preference. You can go up and down, only up, only down, it doesn’t matter, the final result is that the knife will get sharp.
One thing to remember is that you should always wash your blade and your sharpening surface from any leftover debris.
All there is to it with sharpening stones is that you will need to do smooth movements and apply very slight pressure. That is all you need to have a good technique while using diamond sharpening stones.
Another thing that you need to remember while using a sharpening stone is that the edge of a ceramic knife is a little different from normal steel knives. You should always try to match that angle when sharpening it. Of course, sharper angle will result in a sharper edge but it will chip off more easily while a blunter angle will keep your knife to last for longer but might not cut as well.
Using a kitchen knife sharpener
A good choice for sharpening your ceramic knives is also a kitchen knife sharpener, they are easy to use, durable and cheap.
With the simple and clean design of this tool, there is not a possibility that you will get this wrong. All you have to do is slide your knife through the sharpening slot. One thing that you have to do is always sharpen your ceramic knives on the slot which either says ‘ceramic’, ’coarse’ or ‘fine’. The angle of the sharpening is pre-made on this tool so you don’t have to worry about that. Just slide the knife through the slot a couple of times and you got yourself a sharp knife. Another thing, remember to always clean your tool after sharpening it in order to prevent damaging your knife in later sharpening.
Electric knife sharpener
Another tool that you can use to sharpen ceramic knives is an Electric knife sharpener.
This is one of the easiest tools you can use to sharpen your knife because it does not require any human work. All you have to do in this tool is just slowly insert your knife into a slot in the sharpener, turn it on and in just seconds your knife will be razor sharp. You can repeat this action if you feel like your knife isn’t sharp enough but most of the time one sharpening session should do the job just fine. The amazing thing about using an electric knife sharpener to sharpen a ceramic knife is that it can get rid of the small chips that develop on the knife edge from time to time ( not bigger than 1 mm though ).
Conclusion
We can see that contrary to others’ beliefs, ceramic knives can be sharpened just like any other knife. There are some pros about using a ceramic knife in your work. It does not get dull nearly as often as a normal knife and it is also lighter. Many people will argue that if a ceramic knife gets dull you should just throw it away and buy a new one, though this may not be a very bad or expensive way to do it, you do have the ability to sharpen your ceramic knife quite easily using sharpening tools such as whetstones or electric knife sharpeners that don’t require knife sharpening experience.
With all of this being said, sharpening your ceramic knife at home can be done and it is effective but we would always recommend sending your knife to a professional for a better edge and more durability.
Gary Portman is the founder and main author of Knivesadvice.com. With his extensive knowledge and experience, he is committed to assisting people in choosing the perfect knife for their needs. Through his articles, Gary shares valuable insights on various aspects of knives. With his expertise, readers can make informed decisions and find a knife that is tailored to their preferences and requirements. You can find more info about Gary here.