104 NOVEMBER 2020
BACKSTORYWELCOME TO THE 1960S. In the air, the Jetsons are flying a car. On the
ground, life feels just as high-tech, particularly in the kitchen, where
nearly everything has become electric. Electric can openers! Elec-
tric skillets! These shiny new appliances are far more glamorous
than their manual counterparts, so when Thanksgiving rolls
around and families are tasked with the annual turkey
carving, a regular knife just won’t do. Enter Jerome L.
Murray, a serial inventor known for necessities like
the airplane boarding ramp and the peristaltic
pump, a medical device that made open-heart
surgery possible. In 1964, Murray patented an
early version of the electric knife, with two
serrated blades connected and powered
by an electric motor. When turned on,
one blade moved forward and the
other moved backward. The person
operating the knife would apply
a bit of pressure, and the knife
would do its thing. Compa-
nies like KitchenAid and
Black & Decker began
offering their own
motorized cutlery,The SliceIs Right“Makes any man a
Michelangelo at mealtime.”
—A 1965 RONSON AD FOR
THEIR NEW ELECTRIC KNIFEBY THE NUMBERS75
Total number of
domestic and
foreign patents
held by Jerome L.
Murray, inventor of
the electric knifeN E A R LY$1B
Annual sales of
electric knives by
GE by 19661 in 3
American families
owned an electric
knife by 197190
Average decibel
level of a lawn
mower89
Decibel level of
some electric
knivesMurray’s age when
he sold his first
invention, a wind-
mill that provided
power for a radio
manufacturer15Although Angie Mar, executive chef and owner of The Beatrice Inn in New York
City, usually opts for a Japanese blade in the kitchen, some of her most trea-
sured memories involve an electric knife. “Prime rib was a regular thing for our
Sunday suppers,” Mar says. “I have the fondest memories of my father standing
in the kitchen with his electric carving knife, slicing the rib. I would always stand
at his side, waiting for him to slice off a fat-laden piece for me.”THE NOSTALGIA FACTORand Murray’s inven-
tion soon became a
household staple. Many
appliances were marketed
toward women, often adver-
tised as “time-saving” devices,
but the electric carving knife
was made with men in mind. In
1964, General Electric introduced
their electric knife with an ad that read,
“Does a roast make him roar? Or is he deft
with a blade? Carving is child’s play with
General Electric’s new Electric Slicing Knife.”
The next year, a Ronson ad said, “Romps
through a roast. Zips through a Porterhouse. And
it looks terrific on the table, too. Makes any man a
Michelangelo at mealtime.” This targeted marketing
worked; GE reached almost $1 billion in annual electric
knife sales by 1966. Decades later, in 2020, the electric
carving knife has garnered its fair share of haters, but pro-
ponents of the tool, who bring it out for the annual turkey
carving, would likely say that it’s the greatest thing since electri-
cally sliced bread. —NINA FRIENDPHOTOGRAPHY:^
FOTODEZI
GN10/ALAMY