Knives are essential in your kitchen if you are a professional chef or a dedicated home cook. Once you’ve practiced with them enough, knives will seem like an extension of your hand. For this reason, you’ll be able to wow anyone, including yourself.
There are two schools of thought when selecting kitchen knives: those who like Japanese steel and those who prefer German steel. In a nutshell, Japanese steel is revered for its ability to make clean slices with an edge so sharp it can split a hair. On the other hand, German steel is as reliable as a workhorse in commercial and domestic kitchens. This is due to its strength, balance, and longevity.
How to choose a manual or electric knife
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Sharpness
Choose a knife that is easy to sharpen and doesn’t need to be sharpened too often to keep its edge.
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Type
Pick a blade that suits your cooking style. How often do you find yourself chopping? In place of a delicate paring knife, invest in a Chinese cleaver or chef’s knife. As the knife’s versatility increases, so does the number of tasks it can perform.
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Comfort
The knife should feel as comfortable in your hand as a familiar hand. The grasp should feel safe and secure.
Electric knives
An electric knife quickly cuts through crusty loaves of bread and tough cuts of meat like roasts and turkeys. Electric knives are handheld cutting tools powered by a motorized blade with serrated edges. When activated, the two blades rapidly reciprocate. This provides a sawing motion that makes quick work of whatever you’re cutting.
Cutting meat with an electric knife is easier and faster than a manual knife. It makes it easier to slice and reduces the time and, more crucially, the effort required to cut through tougher foods like bread and meat. Carving a ham, roast, or turkey into uniformly sized pieces with an electric carving knife is much easier. You can also use the carver to quickly and efficiently mince a big quantity of squash, tomatoes, and onions.
Why should you purchase an electric knife?
Here are some situations in which an electric knife will prove to be an invaluable tool compared to a manual knife:
- It’s possible that with manual knives, there will be some difficulty in slicing through certain foods. However, no matter how tough your meal is, it will be no match for the electric knives. The reason for this is that the electric knife requires electricity to function.
- You will likely not get perfectly level slices when you use a manual knife to slice your food. Uniform slicing of food will go well with electric knives.
- Cutting with an electric knife saves time and reduces discomfort compared to using a manual knife. Cutting and carving a turkey using an electric knife takes significantly less time than a manual knife.
If you’re in the market for a new electric knife, consider the following before you make your purchase:
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Dishwasher Safety
Dishwasher safety isn’t just about the blades, which you can clean effectively in most models. Perhaps you didn’t know that the handle is also dishwasher-safe. You’ll only find it in a few brands and those with a hefty price tag.
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Multiple Speed Settings
If you’re slicing soft foods, all that muscle might be in excess. As a result, you should look for a knife with variable speed control. Increase the blade speed when working with tough items. If you want to achieve the same level of cutting power while using less electricity, make it slower.
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Blades
When discussing an electric knife, it is important to consider three distinct aspects: length, material, and type. The best electric knives typically have blades that are serrated ergonomically. This will allow them to cut through various foods, from bread to meat. It goes without saying that stainless steel must be used. It’s not only long-lasting, but it won’t rust.
On the other hand, the length of the blade is highly relative to the sources you use. There are plenty of situations where the longest option is not the best. The 7.5-inch blade length typical of electric knives is more than adequate for most uses. Using a knife with a 10-inch blade wouldn’t be necessary to slice a little piece of beef. Nonetheless, a knife of this length is ideal for slicing a turkey.
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Power
What you can do with your knife is reflected in how much power you have. A motor with at least 100 watts of power is what you need for quick and easy meat cutting. You may use a heavy-duty power motor in some of them to cut through anything, from the hardest bread to the toughest steak, and even bones and frozen fish, with ease and speed.
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Extras
Accessories, such as a few extra blades, a plastic storage container, a wood storage tray, or an additional handle, can be a deciding factor. You can also benefit from having a carving fork on hand. Although you can use the knife for carving and cutting foods with relative ease, a carving fork is ideal for cutting through tougher meat cuts easily.
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Safety
The best electric knives should also be safe to use. You may rest assured that you and your loved ones will be safe whenever you choose a device with a double locking mechanism or locking button/trigger.
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Removable Blades
The best blades have a fast-access button that lets you switch out blades quickly. Blades can be removed from some models but not others. In that case, you should stay away from them.
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Handle
You must ensure the knife is securely and firmly gripped in your hand because you will be using a cutter. Otherwise, pressing buttons could be uncomfortable, or you might risk cutting one of your fingers. The size and shape of the handle must be ergonomic. In order to withstand the constant vibrations brought on by the knife’s motor, it must also properly fit in your hand.
Conclusion
Electric knives are available cheaply and fall within a relatively tight price range. Whether you need a basic model or one with cutting-edge technology, it’s all up to you. If you’re sick of using a dull manual chicken knife, an electric one is the way to go. It’s effective, quick, secure, precise, and easily replaceable.