Are cemamic knives really sharp?

[micky]

Interesting.

When I was in high school my brother was in med school. He was cutting a tomato and the topic came up, so he showed my mother and me how he was taught to cut a kidney. What you said plus after going part way down, to flip it over and cut from the other side, so that the knife didn't hit the surface and damage the knife.

He used to hide disgusting things under his bed. One was a greasy paper bag that I think he said had part of an arm in it. I'm not going to look. We shared a bedroom but he was good enough not to open the bag when I was nearby.

[gfretwell]

Most people don't know what a sharp knife is until they use one that a chef or meat cutter uses every day.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Few people have a steel to keep them in shape too. Even fewer know how to properly use one.

[hubops]

I own a steel but almost never use it - I prefer the little diamond stick < like a mini steel >

Just a few swipes on each edge, a few times per year.

I also use it to touch-up the long serrated bread knives - it's a bit tedious - one curve at a time - but it's once-per year. and I don't know how else to do it ..

A full-sized diamond steel is available but a bit pricey :

John T.

[Shadow]

They usually are.

Why on earth do you buy new knives ? Mine are all > 40 years old. Scissors too. I bought too many thinking they would wear out. They didn't.

Re sharpening:

A steel just straightens the blade. You need a stone to actually hone it (not too often). I have an old leather belt from the hippy 70's (4" wide, an ex-girlfriend I can barely remember threw it out and I salvaged it) to "strop it". []'s

[rbowman]

I have a genuine imported Russian leather strop with the linen belt on the back. It says Petrograd so it's been around for a while. I like Russians; they make things that last.

[Unquestionably Confused]

Agree. Very, VERY sharp (the Harbor Freight ones) and they hold an edge for lot longer than steel (provided you don't drop them, in which case you'll still have a very sharp edge, but a LOT of them and very short lengths)

Even sharper, look up "obsidian scalpel." They are fashioned from volcanic glass and are so sharp that some surgeons still use them for delicate surgery. They are said to have an edge so fine and sharp that they actually cut the tissue cells in half rendering an incredibly smooth cut and promoting faster healing.