There are few companies that make ceramic knives, and they‘re more expensive that most standard steel ones. Are they worth the money over a Wusthof of other high-end knife? I know sushi chefs swear by them.
They are wonderful knives, but I would not invest in one unless (only) you will use it and are careful. If it drops on the floor it's hard to clean up all the crystals. I've been contemplating on one myself -- they cut so smooth!
The main problem that I see is that you actually have to send your knives back to the company to be sharpened. Now what do you do until you get your knives back Good knives do not have to be expensive. A good set of high-carbon stainless steel knives well taken care of will not only serve you well, but your children. Faberware and Tramontina are both good knife companys. I own some of each.
The answer to that depends on what type of cooking you do and the quantity that you usually prepare. For minor slicing and dicing chores, I don't think the clean-up time afterwards justifies the use of the machine. I'll just haul out the old paring knife and be done with it. Also, I've never found a food processor yet that does an excellent job of slicing things uniformly and well. But if you routinely make things that involve a lot of grating (cheese or chocolate, for example) or prep work, that's when the food processor comes into its own. I hate scraping my knuckles on the old-fashioned metal graters. (Is that why they call them hand graters, I wonder?) The food processor can do that task a lot more efficiently than I can. If you don't do a lot of cooking or are cooking in small quantities, your best bet may be a mini food-processor. You can use them for everything from grating small amounts of cheese to pulverizing spices and coffee beans. Get a good one with a strong motor so it will stand up to a little heavier usage.
