Cuisinart CEK-40 Electric Knife

Overview

At the carving board, or beside the bread on a weekend morning, the knife runs a pair of serrated blades from a corded motor so the cut needs little downward force. Swapping the carving blade for the bread blade changes the job, and both park in a locking wood tray between uses.

Clean, even slices from a roast or a crusty loaf with almost no sawing is why a cook reaches for it, and the handle works the same in either hand. The limitation is the cord, which ties the knife to an outlet, and both blades must be washed by hand.

Who it's for

Suited to a kitchen that bakes or buys crusty bread and carves whole roasts a few times a month, with a counter or drawer for the locking tray. Left-handed cooks are covered by the symmetrical handle. Someone who carves at a table far from an outlet, or who wants dishwasher cleanup, will be better served by a different tool.

Pros and cons

Performance notes

Two serrated blades move against each other, so the teeth do the cutting and the hand only guides; that is why crusty loaves slice without crushing the crumb. Cut quality follows the blade chosen: the bread blade is made for crust, the carving blade for meat, and using the wrong one tears instead of slicing. Motor power is modest, so bones and frozen food are outside its job.

Specifications