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The top-tested electric knives for carving meat and slicing bread.

We updated this story in July 2022 to include more information on how we test electric knives and to share more advice on what to consider when shopping. The product picks from the most recent test in the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Culinary Innovation Lab remain the same.

A trusty chef’s knife will get you far in the kitchen. But sometimes you need a little extra power. If you've taken care to follow all of the important turkey cooking tips, you don't want to undermine your efforts with a bad carving job. When used properly, electric knives require little effort and simplify carving and slicing of turkeys, holiday roasts, briskets, roasted spatchcock chicken and even tomatoes, some vegetables and cheese. An electric knife is also a great option if you have a beautiful crusty loaf and want an incredibly good grilled cheese — you can make consistent slices more quickly than with a large serrated knife. And an electric knife, which is often designed with a reciprocating blade (meaning two parallel, serrated blades that saw back and forth very quickly in opposition to each other), can also be an important tool for those with limited dexterity. In many cases, it will reduce the amount of force you'll need when slicing.

The pros in the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab test hundreds of kitchen products and gadgets, including Japanese knives and butcher knives. From our testing, we know a good electric knife should be able to create clean, razor-thin slices whether cutting delicate foods, large meats or firm crusts. It should fit comfortably in the hand and minimize the sense of vibration. The blades should be easy to insert and remove, and they should remain secure while cutting.

For this test, we carved a roasted chicken and medium-rare beef tenderloin, and we sliced crusty sourdough, tender brioche babka and juicy heirloom tomatoes. Read on for more detail on how we tested as well as for advice on what to consider before shopping for an electric knife. We also answer how to care for an electric knife and whether you can sharpen it.

This Cuisinart electric knife is Amazon's Choice, and it did well across the board in our Lab tests. It excelled at cutting through the skin of roasted chicken and tomatoes without tearing. It also sliced cleanly through a loaf of sourdough with a dense crust, though our tester did feel a lot of vibration during this specific task.

This pick is designed with built-in safety features. You must toggle a sliding lock before you can start cutting, and the two blade-release buttons are squeezed from the sides of the handle, which eliminates any confusion since the cutting trigger is located on the bottom of the handle (meaning no accidental blade releasing during cutting).

• Set includes: Knife with one reciprocating blade, carving fork, bamboo cutting board and storage tray that holds all pieces • How to use: Must simultaneously hold in unlocked position on top while pulling the trigger on the bottom • Dishwasher safe: Yes, blades only

This pick impressed us because it delivers the assistance you need for carving meat — for about $20. While it did not produce the thinnest slices in our tests, it cut through poultry skin fairly cleanly and produced even slices. It sliced delicate brioche and ripe tomatoes with ease, though there is a bit of a learning curve to making sure it cuts through the skin at the bottom of the slice.

One caveat: It was not a good option for crusty bread. It struggled to cut through the top crust of sourdough, and it would not slice through the bottom crust without turning the loaf on its side. But for the price, it's a handy tool for meat or produce.

• Set includes: Knife with one reciprocating blade • How to use: Pull trigger on bottom • Dishwasher safe: No

This powerful electric knife is the only cordless knife in our roundup: It runs on a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which means it's a great choice for tableside carving — no need to be near an outlet. The Waring WEK200 comes with a bread blade and a meat blade, and each performed well in our tests, including slicing cleanly through poultry skin and tomatoes. It's designed with a safety lock above the on/off button, and there's the option to use the built-in LED light to illuminate your food if you're slicing in low-light situations.

Both blades can be paired with the included slicing-guide attachment, which is designed to let you set your thickness so you can make even slices, but we found it cumbersome in our tests.

• Set includes: Knife with two reciprocating blade options (carving and bread), charging cord, adjustable slicing guide attachment and a storage case that holds all pieces • How to use: Toggle to unlocked position, then push button on top of handle • Dishwasher safe: Yes, blades and slicing guide only

This Black+Decker electric knife features an offset blade design, which helped it excel in our crusty bread test — a struggle for many other models. It proved its versatility by acing our poultry and tomato tests and earning above-average scores for slicing beef both thinly and thickly. Our pros liked the rubberized non-slip grip for your thumb, which felt made the handle feel more comfortable. The finger grips on the blade made it easy to insert the blades into — and remove them from — the motor housing.

Our one caveat is that while the blade was secure during use, the blade release button did not lock: We were able to release the blades no matter the position the release pin was in.

• Set includes: Knife with one reciprocating blade • How to use: Toggle to unlocked position on the trigger, then pull the trigger on the bottom • Dishwasher safe: Yes, blades only

The Hamilton Beach electric knife comes with a carving fork and a slim case that makes storage simple. In our tests, it sliced through chicken skin with no tearing and handled thick and thin slices, though it did leave blade marks on the meat. It struggled with sourdough bread, as it was unable to slice through the top crust at all. It handled tomatoes with a high score, but the blades trapped the juices, which made for drippy slicing.

• Set includes: Knife with one reciprocating blade, carving fork and storage case for all pieces • How to use: Pull trigger on bottom • Dishwasher safe: No

This knife features a curved handle with a non-slip grooved surface on the underside for fingers and a top-mounted on-off button, which beginners may find more comfortable to hold during use than the bottom-mounted trigger style of some other knives. It also performed particularly well in our tomato tests, leaving no blade marks and creating both thick and thin slices without tearing or crushing. The blades feature large, contoured finger grips that make them easy to remove and reattach.

Our pros found that this model is not ideal for crusty bread. The blade struggled to get through the top crust, took several passes to slice the bottom crust and smashed the bread along the way. It was also just barely long enough to navigate the sourdough boule at its widest part.

• Set includes: Knife with one reciprocating blade • How to use: Push button on top • Dishwasher safe: Yes, blades only

When testing electric knives, we want to see how they work on a variety of ingredients: hard, soft, sticky, juicy. For this test, we tested each knife side-by-side in the Lab and focused on meat, tomatoes and loaves of bread.

We carved a roasted chicken to see how each knife navigated around bones and sliced through poultry skin. We sliced medium-rare beef tenderloin to evaluate how cleanly, evenly and thinly we could cut meat. We sliced crusty sourdough to evaluate the performance on a firm crust and to assess whether the knives could cut without smashing. And we sliced both tender brioche babka and ripe heirloom tomatoes to check the knife's ability to move through delicate foods without tearing or crushing.

Our favorite knives left minimal blade markings on foods, cut cleanly all the way through foods and weren't too loud.

While the answer is technically yes, it's something that is best left to a professional. For those determined to sharpen at home, be aware that you cannot use a standard whetstone or electric knife sharpener. You will need to sharpen each indentation on the serrated edge individually. And keep in mind that because electric knives use a pair of reciprocating blades, that means twice the work. To do so, you'll need a sharpening rod, which is different from a honing rod. Most critical: If you decide you have the tools and patience, completely remove the blades from the power handle before sharpening.

✔️ Corded vs cordless: Consider whether you want the knife to be used for kitchen prep or tableside carving. If you want to work tableside, will you have access to an outlet or will you need a cordless model? Cordless knives will need to be charged while those that plug in will always be ready to go. If you opt for a corded model, be sure the cord is long enough for your workspace and outlet location.

✔️ Blades: Electric knives with 8- to 10-inch blades will prove most versatile for small tasks like slicing cheese and large tasks like carving roasts or bread. Many electric knives fall into this range. Some electric knives come with two types of blades (often one for meat and one for bread). It's a nice option if you can keep track of both. But in our tests, good knives could handle most tasks with just one type of blade.

✔️ Ease of use: Most electric knives function only when you are pulling a trigger or pressing a button. If you can hold the knife in person before buying, you might find that you prefer one style over the other. We also found that large finger guards on the blades help when inserting and removing the blades for cleanup.

✔️ Accessories: While you likely don't need a carving fork that lives solely with your electric knife, a storage case can be nice. The handles and cords (whether attached or for charging) are bulky, so electric knives can be hard to store with your regular knives. And if you don't use the knife frequently, it can be easier to find and less likely to become damaged when stored in a case.

Sarah Wharton led the most recent test of electric knives. She has been applying her food knowledge to stories for more than 20 years. She has been cooking professionally and testing kitchen gear since 2016. She has also worked on the content team for a cooking tools brand, where she learned the behind-the-scenes reasoning for what makes a gadget great. She holds a certificate in professional culinary arts from the International Culinary Center (now Institute of Culinary Education).

Nicole Papantoniou is the director of the Good Housekeeping Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, where she oversees all content and testing related to cooking products. She started testing and developing cooking tools, gadgets, gear and appliances in 2014. She is trained in classic culinary arts and is a professional recipe developer. She particularly loves testing knives and cutting boards.