GE Invents the Electric Knife

[bwoods]

With Thanksgiving upon us, it is interesting to look at the history of the device that will be in use in millions of homes tomorrow, to carve the turkey...

http://www.gereports.com/carve-turk...-to-knife-blades-ge-leaves-nothing-to-chance/

 

[joeekaitis]

 

 

 

My in-laws still have a USA-made GE.

 

My HamBeach (a wedding gift): China.  ::sigh::

 

[firedome]

We have 2 of the US made GE elec knives, circa late 60s early 1970s, and I'd hate to think of Turkey day without them!!
Happy Gobble all!

 

[whirlcool]

They have sooo many uses, such as cutting foam for reupholsetering seats, etc.
We've had our Ham Beach unit since about 1980 or so.
Do the blades ever need sharpening? Ours still cuts just fine.

 

[maytagbear]

I have a Black and Decker

Ergo electric knife, and I really like it for homemade breads, especially those with heavier crusts.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[polkanut]

We have a white Sunbeam electric knife that we found at an estate sale about 4 years ago, practically MIB.  It is a model EK-100, made in Chicago.  It has a nice heft to it, and a great performer.  The box says it is suitable for poultry, roasts, cheeses, luncheon meats, vegetables, fruits, and breads.  It also features "the tip that trims". lol

 

[xraytech]

In our household I have a nice Hoover electric knife which I think is a GE rebadge, as well as a late 1970's JCPenney. My mother has a 1984 JCPenney electric knife, it is the one we use most.

 

Both of my grandmothers have late 1960's GE electric knives, one is avacado the other is white.

[this post was last edited: 11/23/2011-18:13]

 

[lordkenmore]

This takes me back to the past...

My family had a couple of electric knives. Only one was ever used--I think both were gifts, and the second was a backup for when the first died. I can't remember how much the knife was used--but it was hauled out for Thanksgiving.

I, myself, don't have an electric knife. They don't let me have anything sharp. (Actually, it's something I've never had--and never really felt much need for given my cutting needs.)

My favorite electric knife story was someone who wrote to Miss Manners years back. The family had an argument--wife wanted to use a fancy knife set that did not cut too well, husband wanted to use the electric knife which did the job. Miss Manners suggested that they could use both. Start with the fancy knife set at the table. Use a few moments. Then pause, and have (if I recall right) a silent conversation by husband and wife staring at each other. Then get the electric knife. This approach, Miss Manners said, allows people to see the fancy knife set. Plus it makes it look like the couple are good with handling problems. The big minus was that it does suggest that the meat is tough.

 

[appnut]

I have a late 1960s/early 1970s harvest gold GE electric knife that was my parents.  I tried to use it about 2 months ago to slice some bread, but couldn't get the blades to go in the proper way and lock into place.  It's not been used since the mid 1980s. 

 

[paulg]

GE here

Still use a '60s GE electric knife. It just won't quit.
Made in America ya know.
Best wishes to all.

 

[turquoisedude]

Oh, that's a great promotional film! Thanks for sharing it!!

Love the wall-length power strip in the demo kitchen and was that a 30-inch GE Empress dishwasher??

I still have the family's original 1964 GE electric knife - it still gets used down in Ogden, too! And of course, the 'small appliance warehouse' down there includes a GE knife just like the one in the film, a later avocado green version, a chrome Dormeyer and an unknown brand in pink.

 

[peteski50]

Electric Knife

My parents had the same electric knife given to them as a gift I guess in the late 50's and had it until 1994. Than it was replaced with a simular one but it doesnt have the same quality.
Peter

 

[bwoods]

You're welcome.

GE missed the boat, they should have shown the woman putting the knife blade into her GE dishwasher, instead of a sink of soaping water.

Notice how the narrator called it the "General Electric" knife. Those were the good old days before Neutron Jack sent out a directive that employees had to refer to the company as "GE", not "General Electric", and had the name officially changed.

Any of you old enough to remember the General Electric ad when they made the first cordless electric knife? (I think it was approximately 1967 or thereabout), and they had a guy standing out in the desert, standing at a table on the sand, slicing a tomato. The line was "you can use your new cordless General Electric Knife anywhere."

I remember TV guide had a little blurb about making the ad, in their magazine that year. Saying GE had an awful time filming it as the great heat and the direct sunlight would wilt the tomatoes right before their eyes.

Whatever came of the cordless electric knife, you don't seem to see them anymore??

 

[cfz2882]

moulinex

i've got an old(probably late-'60s)french "moulinex"electric knife.

 

[petek]

I have a couple of them, it's great for slicing homemade bread without squishing. And the good news is is that they are probably, no most definitely the most common thing you can always find in just about any thrift store.

 

[thomasortega]

My late 60 american GE knife died last year

 

[tolivac]

I have-a new Black&Decker plug in electric knife-and a few HB electric kinves I bought at yard sales.for a little while--if you needed an electric knife-go to the yard sales here.The HB ones I have are almost unused.Used the B&D one to cut bread when I was making it in a bread machine-the BD knife could cut the bread right out of the machine without crushing,tearing,or crumbs.One fellow who retired from work out here used to use his rechargeable knife for----cleaning fish!He would take it in his boat when he went fishing.Saw him use it-it worked really well.forget what brand it was.

 

[bwoods]

Remember these? General Electric produced these electric/conventional knife centers shortly before Jack "Neutron" Welsh sold the Housewares Division to B&D.

 

[bwoods]

and side view of the electric knife...

 

[bwoods]

other side with cord storage...

by the way, The pictures I post always fill up the entire screen and require that one scroll down to see the whole picture.

Is there anything I can do to make them appear normal sized?

 

[dirtybuck]

I think my sister still has the GE my Dad bought back in the late 60's or early 70's.

I wish I could find it, but does anyone remember the scene from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" where Frankenfurter is using one to slice the "butt roast" (Meatloaf again?)?

 

[joeekaitis]

The final nail in the coffin

 

 

 

Walmart ended up with the rights to put the GE badge on small appliances but they don't sell a GE-branded electric knife.

 

 

http://www.walmart.com/search/searc...tric+knife&search_constraint=0&depts=F_S&ref=

 

[mixguy]

Model EK 1 and later electric knives

Did you notice how large the motor was in that electric knife in the demo? The next model made bragged about being smaller, lighter and just as powerful. I like the knife center, great way to keep the electric knife with the other knives. Yes I remember the cordless electric model GE came out with shortly there after too, after a few years of use the batteries would not hold a charge and and GE did not offer replacement batteries once a model was no longer manufactured. When a small appliance was discontinued by GE, parts were no longer available unless a service center you brought the appliance to or contacted, had the part in stock. Did you all notice the long cord? Most small appliances today have a 3 ft. or 1 m. cord. For me an electric knife is so great for carving! There were deluxe models that came with wall racks, some with two sets of blades. I think GE was first but others appliance makers soon followed each boasting a feature. Sunbeam having the tip that trims, HB having the hole in the handle, and switchable model. HB even had a mix and carve center, a wall rack paring an electric knife and mixette, storing the parts together neatly.

 

[112561]

Lovely Goodwill Find

This gem, probably a first generation model, the feeb posted the price on the woodgrain in Magic Marker. Got another one one day, the woman at the register said it had a fork with that one, but the moron who put the thing on the shelf took the fork out and stuck it in a big box of knives and forks in the display case at the register. Don't you hate thrift shop workers? I can't say this enough, I love General Electric products.

(11-25-61 ~ 11-25-11, first set foot in this house 50 years ago today)

 

[bwoods]

Very nice find Alan!!

Magic marker on a thrift store item is a particular pet peeve of mine, too.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

Knice Nives!

Hmmmmmmm...I'm fairly used to doing things the hard way! I still have my family heirloom harvest gold Grants Bradford electric knife still in the package & my arms have been sooooooo sore from carving that turkey!

--Just kidding, of course...

-- Dave