How to Sharpen Ceramic Kitchen Knives

Ceramic kitchen knives are popular for a variety of reasons. They are affordable, lightweight, tough, and, above all, extremely sharp kitchen knives.

Sellers often promise that these knives never become blunt because of how hard they are. However, while these knives take a very long time to become blunt, they will eventually need to be sharpened.

I am going to show you which three ways that work best:

• Electric Sharpener
• Sharpening Stone
• Manual Sharpener

Stainless steel knives have a hardness of about 6.5, while ceramic knives are a solid 9.5. In comparison, the diamond is a 10, just 0.5 above ceramic.

However, the hardness of these knives can be an advantage and a disadvantage. Compared to the other types of knives, ceramic blades take a very long time to become dull, but, when they do, they are extremely difficult to sharpen.

We have made a list of the steps and tips that you will need to follow in order to restore the sharpness of your dull ceramic kitchen knife.

How to Sharpen Ceramic Kitchen Knives

Here are some of the best methods to get your knives back into tip-top shape.

Method One – Electric Knife Sharpener

Investing in an electric knife sharpener might be a good idea if you are someone who likes to cook often. This tool can be used to sharpen most kinds of knives, provided that the one that you have purchased is of good quality.

As previously mentioned, ceramic kitchen knives are incredibly hard. To sharpen them, you will need an electric knife sharpener that contains diamonds.

One very popular ceramic kitchen knife sharpener is the Kyocera Advanced Ceramic Electric Diamond Knife Sharpener. This particular tool is battery powered and has a diamond grinding stone that can remove 0.5mm nicks.

It is always a good idea to wear safety gloves when using a sharpener. Hold the tool down in one hand and hold the knife in the other, scraping both sides against the grindstone. You should only have to grind each side four or five times, but it all depends on how blunt your knife was.

A good way to test the sharpness of the knife is by cutting a piece of paper – if you can cut the page quickly and easily, the knife is sharp.

Method Two – Sharpening Rods

This method comes off second best when compared to an electric knife sharpener. However, they are also more affordable and can also do a good job of sharpening your ceramic kitchen knives.

When purchasing a sharpening rod, you should look for a diamond steel one, such as the Professional Carbon Steel Black Knife Sharpening Steel Rod, the DMT Diafold Diamond Sharpener, or the Multisharp Diamond Tool Sharpener.

These tools are pretty easy and straightforward to use. Hold the sharpening rod horizontally or vertically and grind the blade of your knife against the rod. You will need to do this three or four times each side, depending on how dull your ceramic knife is.

Use a piece of paper to test the knife’s sharpness – if the blade cuts through the page without any problem, your knife is sharp enough.

You should wear safety or cut-resistant gloves when using this tool as well. It is also recommended that you wipe or clean the blade of your knife before you use it as there may be metal shavings or filings left behind.

Method Three – Work Sharp Knife And Tool Sharpener

If you have a few ceramic knives at home, the Work Sharp Knife and Tool Sharpener might be a good investment for you.

One very good quality product is the Work Sharp Knife and Tool Sharpener. This specific tool can be used to sharpen many different types of knives. However, it is not very cheap.

To use the tool, lay a towel on a table or any even surface and place the sharpener on it. Be sure to clean the Work Sharp Knife and Tool Sharpener before using it. Insert the grit abrasive belt and the outdoor knife guide.

Before you start to sharpen your knife, find a pair of safety or cut-resistant gloves – although these tools are safe, accidents can always occur. Hold the tool down with one hand and hold the knife in the other. You will then need to grind the blade of your knife on the abrasive belt – do this five or six times on each side of the knife.

When you have completed that step, change the abrasive belt to one with a higher grit. Grind the blade against the belt until it is of a satisfactory sharpness.

Once again, a good way to check the sharpness of your knife is by using a piece of paper – if the blade slices the page easily, it is sharp enough. You should clean the knife before using it as it may have metal shavings stuck to it.

Alternative Method – Take It To A Professional

Sharpening a ceramic knife can be a long and painstaking process. If you are someone who simply does not have the time (or energy) to sharpen your knives yourself, you can always take them to someone who does.

For example, Williams Sonoma offers a knife sharpening service. Additionally, they will sharpen your first knife for free. If you want more than one sharpened, they charge you $5 per knife after the first.

While it is not very convenient to drive somewhere every time you want your knives sharpened, this is a good option if you don’t want to invest in an expensive kitchen tool.

Conclusion

Ceramic kitchen knives are extremely sharp and will take some time before they grow blunt and need sharpening. However, as with all knives, they will eventually need to be sharpened, and it can be quite a process to do this.

The best option would be to purchase an electric knife sharpener. Although it is more expensive than a sharpening rod, they are more convenient to use. You could also invest in a Work Sharp Knife and Tool Sharpener. This tool is the most expensive, but it is best suited for people with multiple ceramic kitchen knives.

As we said above, you could also take your knives to a company that will sharpen them for you.