Knives

[sad old git]

Not sure if this is the right link but what are the proes and cons for ceramic knives and steel knives,which is best?

[RATTER15]

I think ceramic knives can break if dropped.

[Old_Geezer]

I have a few ceramic ones, they seem to stay sharp well, the hype says it stays sharp for longer. I understand you can chip them though. I suspect both have pros and cons, so just choose the knives that suit you.

[AlwaysConfused]

Grow your toenails and clip them when you need to chop up your meat, veg, etc. They will invariably go in the direction that is not intended for them. As hard as nails defo relates to the those on the end of ones feet. My clippings could have broken the infamous iceberg in two. Not only will you be able to save money by squeezing into shoes a few sizes smaller.

[heathfield]

Living up to your moniker, AC? ;-)

[Old_Geezer]

Your nails (hand or foot) should not play a part when chopping the meat & veg. If you see the experts do it they curl the ends of their fingers in so the blade runs up and down nearest the finger joint (obviously the sharp edge never going above them).

[Clanad]

Couple of problems associated wh the ceramic knives. Firstly; while they seem to retain a good edge longer than a steel blade, they will require sharpening. Most better (read more expensive) ceramic knives will want you to return the blade to the manufacturer for sharpening... often at their cost. Just too inconvenient, seems to me.

Secondly, if you do choose to sharpen your own, you'll need a diamond sharpening stone. A plain, flat stone at least 6 inches by 2 inches here in the U.S. can be purchased for around $12, while better and bigger ones run up to $200. The flat stone requires you have a skill at holding the blade at the proper angle.

A diamond sharpener built with angle guides can run in excess of $200.

Lastly, you'll need to know that Asian made blades (and there are some good ones) have a blade angle of 15 degrees, while the Western ones (at least here in the U.S.) have an angle of 20 degrees. One needs to know this in order to produce the best sharpened blade in the neighborhood...

[mickthemuppe]

Best thing to do is to go to your local butchers and ask him to get either a steak or boning knife. It will be better and cheaper than any shop bought knife. . Then you need a steel which will help you to keep a knife sharp

[sad old git]

Thank you all for your replies....Always confused has now got ME confused! nail clippings? toenails? Have I missed something?

[sad old git]

Alwaysconfused you have now got me confused. What has your answer about finger and toenail clippings got to do with ceramic knives ? Please enlighten me.

[Dayana]

Ceramics knifes are hard and expensive to sharpen

[heathfield]

Ceramic knives are great for slicing things really, really thinly. Much favoured by Blackpool B&B landladies - they've found they can get around 1000 slices from half a cucumber!

[nudeyorker]

Ceramic knives are great for cutting anything except anything frozen or with a bone. They are super sharp but it's a good idea to have an assortment of both steel and ceramic.

[venator]

I have a good Kyocera ceramic knife. It's sharp, as advertised, but feels wrong. I don't trust it.

I use the Japanese Global range, sharpened at 20 degrees on a Global whetstone. Nearly a sharp, but they do a proper job.

Most top chefs use Global or Wusthof, never ceramic - does that tell you something?

[venator]

as