Electric knives

Electric knives have long been “disdained by serious cooks,” said Lauren Lipton in The Wall Street Journal. But lately they’ve been enjoying a comeback. Emeril Lagasse uses one on his Food Network TV show, and upscale kitchen retailers such as Williams-Sonoma have introduced a new generation of amped-up blades. We recently selected five electric knives, brought them to Eli’s Manhattan, a gourmet grocery store, and asked a trio of “outspoken pros from the meat, fish, and catering departments” to rate them. The “clear winner” in both the “best overall” and “best value” categories was the Cuisinart ($49.95). This knife was able to produce “ridge-free slices of turkey and ham.”