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What You Should Know About Buying an Electric Knife
Since carving a Thanksgiving turkey is the main reason most people buy an electric knife, we awarded extra points to knives that created perfectly carved chicken breasts.
You might be wondering why someone should choose an electric knife over a carving knife. Really, its up to personal preference. These types of knives have two serrated stainless steel blades that move in opposite directions when you pull the trigger. That means they can slice much more quickly than any human hand could. On the plus side, this means it requires minimal pressure to cut delicate items, like bread or skin-on poultry.
On the other hand, many people dont love the look of bringing a corded appliance to their fancy Thanksgiving table. A few cordless electric knives exist but can be extremely expensive. Some models are extremely loud, effectively ruining the mood, and others wildly fling poultry bits around the table as those blades vibrate together. So, its important to be happy with your model if youre willing to show it off in front of the family.
In addition to carving your Thanksgiving turkey or Christmas ham, an electric knife also comes in handy for other regular kitchen tasks. A good one cuts perfect slices of soft bread for sandwiches, and the best ones are sharp enough to take down crusty bread like a baguette. You could also use it on delicate angel food cake or any boneless roast, cutting meat like pork loin, roast beef, or a standing rib roast. If youre an angler, youll also love how easy it is for cutting and filleting fish.
Other Electric Knives We Tested
The Cuisinart CEK-40 Electric Knife came in a close second to our top pick, acing all the same tests as the Black and Decker. But, the latter rose to the top by performing more quietly than the Cuisinart. That being said, we liked the Cuisinart overall. It certainly wasnt the loudest knife in the group and it made quick work of carving the chicken. The handle was comfortable and slip-free, and it had no problems taking down both types of bread. It was also one of two knives to actually slice the cheddar cheese, earning it bonus points. And, while we didnt notice that much of a difference between the blades, it does come with a meat blade, a bread blade, and a nice wooden butcher-block holding tray.
- Comfortable, slip-free handle
- Can swap blades for different jobs
- Includes butcher-block holding tray
- Not whisper quiet
While our top two knives were in a close race for first, the Rapala Heavy Duty Electric Fillet Knife came in a far third. Like our top performing knives, the Rapala had a comfortable handle and felt safe to use. When it came to performance, it neither excelled nor failed the majority of our tests. Instead of slicing the cheese, it created a coarsely grated product. While it was able to slice the chicken and bread, it created jagged edges that didnt look as nice as they could. It wouldnt be our top pick, but we wouldnt avoid using it, either.
- Comfortable handle
- Doesnt cut neatly
We absolutely love that the Hamilton Beach 74275 Electric Carving Knife is the only knife in the group to come with a storage case. That makes it easy to bring over to a friends house or safely pack away in your gadget drawer. The set also came with a carving fork, which is great for anyone stocking up a starter kitchen. Unfortunately, its performance struggled, especially on the crusty baguette. It sort of hovered over the crust instead of piercing through the tough exterior. The large handle was also particularly difficult to hold, especially when our hands were covered in chicken grease.
- Includes carrying case and carving fork
- Mediocre cutting ability
- Difficult to grip
Youll immediately notice that the NutriChef Electric Knife doesnt share a design with the other electric knives. Instead of being a long handle, this product almost looks like an iron. That odd-shaped handle was actually surprisingly easy to hold, and we enjoyed the two-button safety feature that ensured the knife wouldnt accidentally go off when we werent ready. Sadly, it struggled to do anything except carve the chicken and it sounded like we turned on a table saw every time we clicked it on. Since it had a short cord and an odd smell when in use, it dropped to the bottom of the pack.
- Unique and easy-to-grip handle
- Two-button safety feature
- Loud and emits an odor
- Not very sharp
We simply cant recommend the Proctor Silex 74311 Easy Slice Electric Knife. It didnt have any kind of safety lock and the blades werent the sharpest in the group, requiring more force than wed like to cut through the bread, cheese, and chicken. When our hands were greasy with chicken fat, this knife became really slippery and almost dangerous. The icing on the cake: It was really loud and it got uncomfortably warm after a few minutes of use. We wish we could say something good about this budget-priced knife, but we cant.
- None that we could find
- No safety lock and poorly designed handle
- Not very sharp
- Loud
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