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by mattmaroon 273 days ago
Damn, I was set to completely dismiss this as entirely useless overcomplication but making stuff not stick to the knife would be nice.
3 comments

That’s where a lot of mess comes from, so I’m very interested in this tech. The worst are cucumbers, they stick to the blade and new slices pop them up and they roll everywhere. I get some better results by slightly angling the blade but it’s not perfect.

The blade quality doesn’t look great but I think any decent cook that knows how to hone will do just fine with it.

I’m not sure I’d spend the money and replace my expensive knives for a relatively rare edge case but it’s a neat innovation that might catch on elsewhere, or maybe they’ll make premium lines.

> The worst are cucumbers, they stick to the blade

Is this issue possibly that amateur knives are too "polished"?

This doesn't seem to be a "professional chef" problem yet seems to be a significant "amateur chef" problem.

Is this simply the case that a knife with professional use takes enough dings and scratches that foods won't vacuum seal to the face of the knife?

Technique. Pros use a slicing motion that moves the knife through the food before it detaches, home cooks use 5% of the blade and all the cucumber rounds are stuck to same place on the side of the middle of the knife.
Maybe instead of building it into the knife, it needs to be something you could attach to any knife
Interesting idea, but I would say that it is orders of magnitude harder compared to having an integrated system. Vibration in such a compact space with a very sharp blade... I want this system be stable around me.

I would say, if this idea becomes popular, knife producers can create their own versions in the new models, or retrofit old knives at the shop.

Yeah, I'm already somewhat skeptical of the whole concept, having DIY'd a vibroblade out of an X-acto knife and a SonicCare toothbrush and finding it to be completely ineffective.[1]

I think trying to make an ultrasonic vibration add-on for regular knives would be even harder to make into a useful product than an integrated knife/transducer.

If the handle is rigidly fixed to the blade, there would be very little vibration. So it seems like the only way to make an add-on would be as a sleeve over the regular handle. That would make for a bulky handle, and it seems like it would need a counterbalancing weight at the back. So the result would be very unwieldy, like one of those electric turkey-carving knives that are basically kitchen hedge-trimmers.

I'm waiting to see what skilled chefs think of this knife. The idea of an ultrasonic vibroblade has always seemed like a neat one to me, and I'd be happy to hear that someone managed to make one that was genuinely useful.

[1] https://www.beneaththewaves.net/Projects/SonicCarereg_Lock_P...

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/ultrasonic-...

The premise is obviously sound, though it's possible this particular product doesn't work very well.

Ultrasonic cutting board. "Are you tired of spending $1800 on a whole set of ultrasonic knives only to have them break every time your Brother in law throws them in a bowl of soapy water after a dinner party? Well know you don't have to. Image buying 6 cheap knives at a garage sale and turning them into chefs quality knives instantly, without even touching a sharpener!"
That's a pretty good idea.

If this was a small 40$ attachment you could put on the dull edge of any knife, this would be great.

The thing you are looking for is convex edge geometry https://youtu.be/cZ2Y7lyzq24?t=885. Done right it can massively help with food release.
Cucumbers: put your cutting board in a sheet pan. Now they roll away but stop at the rim.

Also works for helping with fluid containment.

I had a similar problem with spring onions. So I give them a lengthways slice first. The half moons don't roll.
I mean, for both potatoes and cucumbers, I just use a v-slicer. $40.

The other weird thing about this is that neither a potato nor a cucumber demands an ultra-sharp knife.

if you have a nice knife and cut by dragging the knife towards you with tip in contact with the board instead of cutting directly down, food will not stick
The video comparison of this knife cutting through potato compared to a regular one is very enticing. My own experience is that there is more sticking even on my knives that have those scooped out edges that are supposed to prevent sticking.
Yeah, those do reduce sticking, but they certainly don’t prevent it entirely.