Chef Forum banner

Would you ever buy an Electric knife?

10K views 33 replies 17 participants last post by  foodpump 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi all, 

I'm doing a little study on electric knives for a design school project and am really interested in learning what the opinion is out there on them. Especially since reviews seem to be pretty divided on their usefullness.

 I thought I'd ask the experts, so here are my questions:

So, Do any of you own electric knives?

What do you use them for?

What about them do you like/ dislike?

I'd really appreciate any opinions at all: rants, interesting experiences,  simple dismissals. What do you think?
 
#5 ·
I have cooked on BBQ teams that use electric knives to slice brisket.  I think you can slice a little bit hotter meat without shredding.  The temp of what you serve the judges can be the difference between winning and losing.

In most cases I would rather rest the meat a little bit longer then slice using a normal slicing knife.
 
#6 ·
I have cooked on BBQ teams that use electric knives to slice brisket. I think you can slice a little bit hotter meat without shredding. The temp of what you serve the judges can be the difference between winning and losing.

In most cases I would rather rest the meat a little bit longer then slice using a normal slicing knife.
I'm not quite following you there, why would an electric knife shred less? I would think the opposite would be true.
 
#7 ·
Yes have 4 of them and use on the buffett
 
#9 ·
@cheflayne I couldn't tell you why. Logic says that the sawing motion (even if small) would be bad. It's only anecdotal evidence. I'm curious where this thread goes too.

The options were a granton edge victorinox slicer or an electric knife and we had better slices with the electric. A perfect brisket slice when you stretch it has a little bit of pull, but it is still moist. If it stretches like a rubber band (undercooked), crumbles dry (cooked too hot), or breaks into a wet mess (over cooked), those are all getting marked down. I think this one was on the moister side and that is when electric gave better results.

This was before I got into j-knives. I'm going to try with a well maintained sujihiki next time I get a chance. With the amount of money put into competing, it's not bad to have a backup plan.
 
#12 ·
As I said, I am unfamiliar with electric knives but I am still having trouble wrapping my head around it, just an old school dinosaur.

You have definitely got my curiosity aroused though and I would love to do a side by side comparison, as I have found this to be the best way for me to reach a conclusion for myself. Especially in case like this because I sharpen my knives to my specs (everyone has their own) and my knife techniques might be slightly different than someone else (because everyone has their own).

I don't want to buy an electric just for a test though. So I guess it is time to check with the relatives because somebody is bound to have one.
 
#15 ·
From what I understand, sped and volume are some of the few places an electric knife might have the edge over traditional knives. They also do seem to make a very clean cut. Whould that be enough to justify owning one though? I guess that depends on your needs...
 
#20 ·
The electric knife seems to glide along the bones and not cut through them for fish.
Wow learning more new things! That's one of the reasons that I love this industry, the learning never stops as long as we are open to it. I definitely want to play around with an electric knife now to see what I have been missing.
 
#22 ·
I've seen lots of videos on fish filleting and turkey carving with an EK, and yet can't see the point of it. Not to talk about that uncorfortable power cord, the cleaning, etc.
 
#24 ·
At the moment, it is just the market, or potential markets, that I'm looking into. The full blown design project will come much later.
Thanks... that clarification helps. Even though there are several models of electric knife currently available, some very affordable, and a strong endorsement by Alton Brown... I still don't have one and really don't think I'd seriously consider one. Even if one were given to me for free I might graciously decline. But maybe if you ask again after I fail to get really pretty turkey breast slices on Thanskgiving I'd reconsider. :)

One of the features I've hated about electric knife (my parent's had one when I was a child) is the sound of them. They sound something like a hedge trimmer or hair clipper. Both evoke memories of negative experiences for me. That is no joke... really they do. If an electric knife would be quieter I might be tempted to reconsider. But the price would have to be right, meaning very inexpensive.

Now if that electric knife would do a bit more then slice skin and flesh I'd also be reconsidering. If it could slice bone also it would be a "multi-tasker" that would aid in butchering and breadkown of meat... well, brother, that would cause me to seriously consider my negativity toward electric knives. And if the design looked and felt like a Milwaukee Sawzall... that would push me right over the edge.
 
#25 ·
I have used them and buy them (they are cheap, and break down fast)--but only for certain things.

Because two blades are moving in opposite directions, the knife does not "grab", and because of this, you can cut some really delicate things with it, likes cakes, St Honere cakes, napolean slices and even crumbly biscotti logs into slices.  I haven't tried hot brisket or meats with it, but I think it would slice pretty good--albeit you can never slice thin with the machine.

Here's a test you can try at home, and it won't cost you much:

Put a dollop of whipped cream on a slice of cake, pop a strawberry on the rosette.  With an electric knife, you can slice the strawberry in half and it will still be seated in the whipped cream.

That being said, the stuff that is available has been so reverse engineered, that the knives don't last long.

As Brian said, they are very loud.

They are also very bulky and heavy.

The blades could be thinner
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top