l bake my own bread, have a good Rogers bread knife that l use with an Avanti bread guide, but its only a fair combo…the guide is the main let down. Been reading a few posts online recommending electric knives for bread and wonder if anyone has thoughts or specific model recommendations?
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We bake a lot of bread for our guests and provide electric knives as they slice freshly baked bread significantly better than a traditional bread knife.
We have a number of electric knives, models include those from Sunbeam and Kmart.
Something to look at when buying a bread knife is how easy it is to remove the blades for cleaning. We have had a number of brands in the past where the blades are hard to remove…resulting in premature damage from excessive force being used.
In relation to different brands, we don’t find one better than the other in relation to cutting. The difference mainly lies in the vibration in the handset and the noise they make. We find the Kmart ones are noiser and vibrate more than brands such as Sunbeam.
Edit: The other consideration is cord length. Think about where your power points are in the kitchen and what is the minimum cord length needed to readily use it safely. Cords too short or too long pose safety risks. Short cords because they tend to be pulled across the cutting area, long cords because they get in the way. There are some cordless models, but we don’t have any experience with these.
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Electric knives are good for slicing warm bread and you may find it easier to get even slices as you can concentrate on holding the blade in the right position while it does the cutting, controlling the sawing motion at the same time as the position of the blade is difficult for some. I can’t review examples as I have not had one for years.
A few observations that may or may not apply to you:
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If you try to cut bread straight out of the oven it will be difficult, allowing it to cool and firm on a rack for 15 minutes will be easier. If you want very even slices to make croutons use stale bread, it is easier to make little cubes than with fresh.
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Is your existing knife still sharp? My parents had one for decades, never sharpened, it was horrid. With serrated knives it is easy to imagine they are still sharp when they are not. Yes, most serrated blades can be sharpened.
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I find slicing guides useless, had one once and threw it in the bin. With a sharp knife and some practice many of us can do without. I live with somebody who lacks the 3D imagination and coordination and after many years of trying the job is now passed to me.
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Bread slicing machines take all the work out of it, they cost more than an electric knife but not as much as you might think. You can get them second-hand.
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We went through the electric knife / slicing guide thing. Mainly because we generally buy stoneground sourdough and want to slice it fairly thinly.
We found with much googling a Victorinox bread knife and it’s fabulous with fresh or stale bread. We have been using it for about 2 years and it’s still fabulous.
Highly recommended
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Feel free to identify the Victorinox model you have. There are more than one with differing designs.
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PhilT - it is a VICTORINOX Wood Handle Bread Knife 21cm
And this is the Victorinix direct link: Wood Bread Knife, 21cm - Victorinox Australia
cheers Hilary
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Have used bread-knives with attached guides. Electric knives.
Recently we got a Little Bread Winner bread saw. Unfortunately, our last loaf of bread from our bread maker was a little too soft, so while it cut it, it wasn’t that easy but that was more to do with the bread, not the knife.
Other breads it cuts wonderfully and has even given me crisp, clean slices from almost frozen bread. Just a warning though, it is incredibly sharp, but we do like it better than any knife we’ve used in the past.
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