Ceramic Knives

Ceramic knives are an exciting new development in kitchenware. Made from space-age materials they offer unique advantages over common kitchen knives. Bewa Japan stocks a wide range of ceramic knives that have been made by Kyocera which is Japan’s leading manufacturer of ceramic knives.

How they are made

Ceramic knives start life as zircon which is mined in countries like Australia. Before being used for ceramic knife production zircon must be further refined to give zirconia powder. Once the powder has been produced it is molded into a knife-like shape using a high-pressure press. The output looks similar to a knife blade but isn’t very hard. To give the superior strength characteristic of ceramic knives these “blanks” are baked at high temperature to produce a ceramic which is almost as hard as diamond. The next step is sharpening and it is here that ceramic knives are given their razor-like edge. Before reaching the market they are laser-etched with the logo.

Ceramic Knife Benefits

Super sharp– Being such a hard material ceramic knives are incredibly sharp

Inert – Ceramic does not absorb food odors

Rust proof- You’ll never need to worry about problems with rust

Stylish – White ceramic blades have a completely different appearance to steel

General Care

• Ceramic knives are perfect for straight cuts in the preparation of vegetables, fruit or meats that do not contain bone.
• When cutting food make sure to use a wooden or plastic cutting board. .
• Wash by hand with water and dishwashing detergent. .
• Store separately in a knife block or tray rather than with your other metal cooking utensils. .

Things to Avoid

• Dropping your knife on hard surfaces or heating the blade.
• Using a twisting or prying motion when cutting and avoid foods such as frozen food, cheese and bones that may involve this type of movement.
• Using the side of the blade to crush food.
• Cutting food on hard surfaces such as marble, tile or plates.

Sharpening your Ceramic Knife

Due to the hardness of ceramic it is recommended that only a Kyocera Diamond Sharpener be used. This will ensure that the quality of the blade is maintained. To see our range of ceramic knife accessories click here.

A Word on Santoku Blades

In the range of ceramic knives at Bewa Japan you’ll notice the 14cm and 16cm Santoku style blades. The thing that stands-out most about these blades is that unlike utility or chefs knives they have quite a pronounced curve near the tip of the blade. The Santoku shape was developed in Japan and is very good for common chopping uses.