The vibrating chef's knife has arrived, and it's nothing like the electric slicing knives you're used to. Seattle Ultrasonics unveiled the C-200, claiming it's the first ultrasonic chef's knife designed for home cooks. With the push of a button, $399 rechargeable knife vibrates more than 40,000 times per second. The company says this creates less friction during cutting, produces cleaner slices, and reduces the force needed by half.
A new high-tech knife from Seattle Ultrasonics promises to make dinner prep easier on the arms. Seattle Ultrasonics
The technology comes from industrial food processing, now miniaturized for residential kitchens. From stubborn tomato skins to tough root vegetables, the C-200 aims to turn kitchen prep from physical work into effortless precision.
Is it necessary? Debatable. Will chopping onions feel like wielding a piece of sci-fi equipment? Absolutely. We'll know more once the C-200 hits the market and gets put through real-world testing.
What is an ultrasonic knife?
The brainchild of culinary engineer Scott Heimendinger, the C-200 looks like a standard chef's knife until you press a power button on the side of the handle. From there, microscopic vibrations -- which you can't see, hear, or feel -- create what the company calls a "nonstick effect" that powers the blade smoothly through even the densest ingredients and prevents food from sticking.
"I've seen firsthand how industrial ultrasonic technology makes clean, effortless cuts," said Heimendinger, who spent nearly six years developing the knife. "I asked myself, 'Could I fit that technology into a chef's knife?' After years of research, development, and more than a few setbacks, the answer is yes."
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Built like a traditional knife, powered like a gadget
A button on the handle unleashes the power of 40,000 tiny vibrations per second. Seattle Ultrasonics
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