Ceramic knives are considered to be one of the sharpest knives you can use in a kitchen, and they are particularly known for how long they last in comparison to steel knives.
Of course, over time and use, these ceramic knives get dull or can even chip, too.
What do you do then?
Obviously, you have to learn how to sharpen a ceramic knife.
Nobody wants to use dull or chipped knives, not only because these are not as effective but also because they become quite unsafe to use.
Thankfully, you don’t need to toss out that expensive ceramic knife when it goes dull or gets chipped; there are multiple ways you can sharpen them.
What Are Ceramic Knives?
Ceramic knives are quite different from traditional stainless-steel knives.
These are typically made from a very tough and hard ceramic zirconia or zirconium dioxide.
They are usually made by taking zirconia powder and dry-pressing them, and thereafter, firing them through solid-state sintering.
Because of this, the best ceramic knives tend to have an extremely hard edge, which significantly decreases the need for them to be sharpened.
Other than the hard edge, these knives also tend to have many other advantages.
For starters, these types of knives do not get easily affected by the acids that are found in our foods.
Furthermore, they do not absorb any odors, nor are they difficult to clean.
Best of all, most ceramic knives are extremely light.
While these knives do not lose their edge as easily, over time and use, it is natural for it to lose some amount of sharpness.
Sharpening Ceramic vs. Other Knives
Unfortunately, sharpening ceramic knives is a bit trickier than sharpening a traditional knife.
This is because a traditional knife makes use of sharpening materials typically used to sharpen stainless steel knives, like oilstones.
The problem is that these are not tough enough to properly sharpen a ceramic knife.
If you have bought your ceramic knife from a high-end brand, then you likely have an option to send it back to get them professionally sharpened.
However, this option can be very time-consuming, depending on where the office is situated, making the entire process quite inconvenient.
How to Sharpen a Ceramic Knife
Even though ceramic knives are a bit trickier to sharpen, there are ways you can sharpen these knives effectively.
1. Electric Knife Sharpeners
It is always a great idea to invest in electric knife sharpeners.
This device not only does a great job at sharpening your regular knives but can also help sharpen ceramic knives.
If you are to buy a new one, we recommend that you take to look at an electric sharpener that has a diamond abrasive.
This does a great job of removing nicks with ease.
Unfortunately, the market is not flooded with tons of options of electric sharpeners, especially ones that will do a good job at sharpening ceramic knives.
We found that brands such as Kyocera, Shenzhen Knives, Chef’s Choice, Kai, and some others offer options that do a good job of sharpening not just stainless steel knives but also ceramic knives.
Using an Electric Sharpener
When making use of an electric knife sharpener, we recommend that you wear protective gear such as cut-resistant gloves.
Hold down the sharpener with one hand and use your other hand, preferably your dominant hand, to hold the knife.
Now, pull both sides of your ceramic knife slowly against the grindstone.
To take a look at the sharpness of your knife, simply test it by cutting a piece of paper.
A sharp ceramic blade will swiftly and easily cut the paper.
In our experience, we found that four to five passes are sufficient to sharpen the blade.
2. Sharpening Rods
While sharpening rods may not be as easy to use as an electric knife sharpener, it can still be quite effective to sharpen a ceramic knife.
Again, we recommend looking for a sharpening rod that is made out of diamond steel.
Using a Sharpening Rod
Sharpening with a sharpening rod is surprisingly quite simple.
Just hold down the sharpening rod horizontally or vertically, and then strike the ceramic blade against the rod about two to three times on both sides.
Again, we also recommend making use of cut-resistant gloves when using a sharpening rod.
Once you are done sharpening, wipe the blade clean with a cloth to prevent any metal fillings from being left behind.
3. Knife and Tool Sharpener
Another way to sharpen a ceramic knife is by investing in a knife and tool sharpener.
This isn’t exactly cheap, but it is a great tool to own if you have many ceramic knives.
Additionally, this sharpener is also great if you want to sharpen traditional stainless steel knives.
This tool may look intimidating to use, but it is not as difficult as it appears.
Using a Knife and Tool Sharpener
To use this sharpening tool, start by laying a towel down on an even surface.
Take your clean tool sharpener and place it on the towel.
Now, insert the grit abrasive belt along with the outdoor knife guide into the knife and tool sharpener.
Hold the tool down with one hand and use your other hand to slide the ceramic blade about five to six times on each side.
After you do that, just change the abrasive belt with a higher grit.
Continue to slide the ceramic blade from one side to another until you feel that the blade is sharp enough.
Just like we mentioned previously, to check whether your blade is sufficiently sharp, cut a piece of paper with it.
If you are satisfied with the sharpness, clean the blade thoroughly with some warm water and soap to remove any metallic particles that might get left behind.
Conclusion
As you can see, learning how to sharpen a ceramic knife is not that difficult.
It takes a bit of practice, but once you get the hang of it, you can continue using your ceramic knife without the fear of it getting dull.
Make sure you follow all the steps we have mentioned to the T to have a perfectly sharpened knife.
