Why do fewer people own an electric knife today than in the 70s?
You can check the answer of the people under the question at Quora “how much is an electric knife“
About Peyton
Written by: Peyton
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Why do fewer people own an electric knife today than in the 70s?
You can check the answer of the people under the question at Quora “how much is an electric knife“
About Peyton
Electric knives are difficult to use successfully and they are very difficult to clean after they have been used. Most people find this AFTER they purchased them and they either return them to the store or they put them in a bottom kitchen drawer and forgot them until they decided to give unused or lightly used items to charity.
Additionally, American diets have changed since the 1970s and 1980s when electric knives were being marketed. Most Americans no longer eat as much of the types of red meats that might require the use of an electric knives and so their main selling point then became the primary reason that they became unwanted and obsolete.
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Electric carving knives work by taking two serrated blades and moving them back and forth fast enough for it to act on cooked meat like a chainsaw does on to a tree. The problems are manifold:
1. The blades themselves need to be light enough to be driven by a relatively small motor. That means they are thin and easy to bend. If they bend, the carving knife stops working
2. The two blades are difficult to clean without bending (see #1) and cleaning involves a lot of dissembling and reassembling of bits, especially compared to a knife
3. It’s a difficult thing to store when not in use, which means at least six days a week it needs to be somewhere away from inquisitive little hands and things that could bend or break it
4. It’s a noisy thing to use at the dinner table, thereby removing the enjoyment of ca…
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Pop down to your local hardware store and buy a combination oilstone. Something like this:
It was the sharpening ‘tech,’ of the day back in the 70’s. It moved metal very slowly, smelled nasty, was oily, messy, and it wouldn’t result in an especially sharp knife unless you really knew what you were doing. You certainly couldn’t use it before or in the midst of preparing food, and you sure as heck couldn’t find tutorials on you tube.
If you really wanted a hair-splitting edge naturally occurring stones were generally the way to go. The price and quality of these varies by region but is generally high. In the US you have a few options like Pike and Arkansas stones but all are pricey, plus they’re even harder to use and they move metal even more slowly.
I believe this is why serrated, scalloped, ‘self-steeling,’ and ‘self-sharpening,’ knives, along with various gimmicky ‘never go dull,’ knives were so much more in vogue back then. Dull knives were more of a fact of life, and if you’re used to having to saw through a roast as opposed to slicing it cleanly a reciprocating knife blade starts making a lot more sense.
At least until you have to clean it.
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I believe the same number of electric knives exist as in 1970 or 1980. They are, however, mostly in garages and attics, where they reside in cardboard boxes labelled “Grandma’s Stuff.” Personally, I’ve always found that a medium-rare roast on a white tablecloth pairs poorly with a reciprocating saw.
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Because they were a useless fad. A decent carving knife, or even a chefs knife is far more versatile. They’re also very hard to keep hygienic, and noisy as hell. I suspect the problem is people not keeping their regular knives sharp.
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It seemed like a good tool to have around the kitchen, when I had one. But, it proved to be a bit more trouble than it was worth. The cord was always getting in the way. It turned out that a good kitchen knife when sharpened properly worked with a lot less trouble.
I do not recall there being a cordless model at the time, but even if there was a cordless model, I doubt that I would have liked it.
Now that batteries and motors are a lot more powerful then years ago, I might try one if it were based upon the design of a reciprocating saw—commonly called a sawzall.
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The only place I still see them being used is in commercial food operations and cleaning fish. They are a lot quicker, but as someone hinted, they end up being a lot of work when it comes time to clean them.
The only other thing I can think of is that stainless steel knives came of age after the electric knife was introduced to the general public. By the time you get that electric knife out, put it together, and plug it in, you could have had your turkey sliced up with stainless steel carving knife, which you can easily wash in dish detergent.
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I think they were only ever popular with people who didn’t know how or couldn’t be bothered to keep their knives sharp. The quality of steel knives are made from and the quality and convenience of means of sharpening proper knives has just made electric knives pointless. They never were any good, but my mother swore by hers.
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