Grill Maestro

Did you know they make knives with ceramic blades? I had no idea until the other day but ceramic blades are very hard, wear resistant, and chemically inert. The downside is they must be professional sharpened or you risk significant damage (can’t just put it in a blade sharpener designed for metal!!).

Besides ceramic blades, most blades come in steel and you have three main types:

• Carbon steel: Carbon steel has the benefit of being very easy to sharpen because of its high carbon content but it can’t hold its edge as long for the same reason. It also has less chromium, which makes it highly reactive and prone to rust and tarnish if not properly maintained. Knives of this material are less common these days for all those reasons.
• Stainless steel: By far the most common type of knife material, stainless steel has a lot of chromium and nickel which make it durable and rust resistant. The downside is that hardness makes it difficult to maintain a sharp edge.
• High-carbon, no-stain steel: The best of both worlds between carbon steel and stainless steel. The higher carbon makes it easier to sharpen, the hardness resists stains, rust, and breakage. The net effect is one of the most popular knife materials.

If you have a choice, go with high-carbon, no-stain steel for a knife that will last a long time and keep its sharpness with ease.

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