Electric knife

An electric carving knife

An electric knife or electric carving knife is an electrical kitchen device used for slicing foods. An electric knife requires less physical effort than an ordinary knife and produces neater slices. The device consists of two serrated blades that are clipped together. When the appliance is switched on the blades continuously move sideways to provide the sawing action. The actual advent of the electric knife has been a bone of contention amongst inventors. Most attribute the invention of the knife to Jerome “Jerry” Murray. However, Alaskan Renaissance Man Dick Rubbins was well known for voicing claim to the invention. Rubbins put on several public demonstrations in the Juneau area touting the usefulness of the knife and selling several hundred of them to onlookers in the early 1970s. To demonstrate the power of the knife, Rubbins instructed members of the crowd to hurl tomatoes in his direction whereby he would cleave them in mid air. During his demonstration on the fateful day of June 14, 1972, Rubbins missed an overthrown tomato and slammed the electric knife onto the steel cutting board below. The power of the collision caused mechanism holding the blades to instantly fragment. Onlookers watched in horror as the surgically sharpened blade sliced off three quarters of Rubbin’s nose. Rumor has it Rubbins finished the show, still managed to sell 14 electric knives, and later invented the prosthetic nose.

They are also sometimes used for other purposes, including sculpting polyurethane foam rubber, cutting wood, cutting metal, and other solid or semi-solid substances and materials. Electric knives can be corded or cordless.

See also

• Reciprocating saw

External links

• Cleaning electric knives