Hardened wood slices through steak like a hot (steel) knife through butter.

You've never used a wooden knife like this.

20, material scientists describe their latest creation: A "hardened wood knife" around three times sharper than a stainless steel dinner knife.

Using wood for cutlery isn't a new idea -- the foodie festivals will tell you that much -- but Li's team developed a two-step method for hardening the wood in their knives that increased the blade's hardness 23-fold.

Using a high-resolution microscope, Li's team examined the wooden knife to determine why it was retaining so much strength.