An Ounce of Prevention = A Pound of Cure With Ceramic Knives
“An ounce of prevention equals a pound of cure” is the old proverb they probably needed to remember, but didn't. As cliche'd as it sounds, this saying has more truth in it than you're likely to realize, especially when it comes to the food prep work you do in the kitchen.
Two chief issues we humans tend to have problems preventing are repetitive stress injury and foodborne illness. You might think these are issues that only concern people who work in either factories or restaurants, but believe it or not, such issues crop up in the home, too. And the number of instances of either problem, or the aggravation of such, can be prevented with one very simple addition to your ensemble of food prep tools: ceramic knives.
Just how do ceramic knives help? The answers might surprise you.
• They're lightweight. Many people think that steel knives are the be-all and end-all of kitchen prep because heavy steel implies strength, and that tends to impress people. But believe it or not, the heavier the knife, the more repetitive stress you might be putting on your joints, even if you do use proper cutting technique. The creation of ceramic knives reduces the risk of such injury (which happens over time) by focusing all the power of the knife in the sharpness of the blade itself, which is where the action should be in the first place. Which leads us to the second point.
• Ceramic knives take a long time to lose their sharpness. Not only is ceramic cutlery lightweight, but it's also especially sharp. Sharpened steel knives can be dangerous, sure, but they lose their sharpness quickly and you end up all the more frustrated with cutting through foods like tomatoes or onions. The tomatoes get squished and onion chopping takes forever, and your joints take a beating with all that pressure. Not so with a ceramic knife, which is not just lightweight but thin, and made of material that's almost as hard as a diamond. With a ceramic knife, your kitchen prep goes much faster because the knife retains its sharpness over time, you won't have to press down as much, and your joints are saved, to say nothing of
• They're Sanitary. Ceramic knives have earned a reputation for being the cleanest type of knife to work with in the kitchen as ceramic is very hard and dense, so microbes have little chance of staying on the knife. Yes, it's important to clean off your knives, but you'll have a much better chance of ceramic knives not retaining any bacteria that cause foodborne illness. Paired with a microbe-resistant cutting board, such as bamboo, ceramic knives will be your best friend in fighting off the effects of E.coli, salmonella and other such notorious illness-causing microbes.
You might be wondering where to get ceramic knives, especially high-quality knives that will truly last you a long time. Try Wilson Cutlery, a company whose knives are earning top-notch kudos from both pro chef and home cook alike. Whether you're looking for a knife that will reduce or prevent the risk of repetitive stress injuries, or fighting off the instances of foodborne illness in your home or the food service industry, ceramic knives are bound to be the ounce of prevention you invest in that is worth far, far more than the proverbial pound of cure.