A metal butter knife, with a plastic handle. Insert batteries into the handle, flick on the heating element, and butter till you can butter no more. To include a thermostat, so the temperature can be adjusted to cope with every imaginable butter scenario. Also slightly more effective against intruders and abusive husbands!-- MikeOliver, May 29 2004 (???) Quite baked. Here's one of several... http://164.195.100....758&RS=PN/5,438,758therefore [marked–for–deletion] [ldischler, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004] Can cut cakes of chocolate, too A_20Cake_20of_20Chocolate [Vernon, Mar 18 2012] Hot Butter Knife http://imgbox.com/aajd7cjrNot actually what it says on the box. [Alterother, Apr 02 2012] Don't turn it on until you start buttering or the butter will slip off.
Is it dishwasher safe?
(+)-- DesertFox, May 29 2004 Probably not [desert], but it would be easy enough to clean. I suppose a waterproof version could be made...-- MikeOliver, May 29 2004 Does that have a thermostat [ldischler]? Also I'd advise you not to [MFD] on the grounds of baked, as there are a few about who will make your life a misery (i'm not one of them... just trying to save you the aggro and a few fishbones). Widely known to exist? Well if so i've never seen one, but i don't doubt they exist... One for the moderators i suppose!
Touche [l3], touche.-- MikeOliver, May 29 2004 Oh please. A hot butter knife is so baked it’s a cliché. Putting a battery and a thermostat in it is...well, I’m just amazed that the PTO issued a patent on it.-- ldischler, May 29 2004 Yea, wait 'till the kids get their hands on that one. Parents are already scared enough when their children hold a regular knife, now there is one that can burn them too? Sorry but you are asking for lawsuits.-- Ebassick15, May 29 2004 I disagree with the "marked-for-deletion" tag. I don't think self-heating butter knives are widely known to exist.-- jutta, Jun 06 2004 There are hot knives, mostly propane-powered or corded, but they're for cutting styrofoam.-- FlyingToaster, Mar 18 2012 Beekeepers also use heated knives, for decapping honeycomb. They tend to use electricity or steam, or are just dipped in hot water.-- spidermother, Mar 18 2012 Or jam. Mmm-mm.-- Alterother, Mar 18 2012 Banjo strings can be heated by sufficient current, and should suffice to slice butter.-- csea, Mar 19 2012 //also slightly more effective against intruders and abusive husbands// huh ? [ ]
[link] dead.-- FlyingToaster, Mar 19 2012 Takes some leg work to set the banjo up correctly.-- spidermother, Mar 19 2012 There is no such thing as`a`banjo set up correctly. Jam-filled, bee-releasing or otherwise.
The knife in this idea isn't just for slicing butter--for which any of many hot-wire cutters could substitute--it is a heated butter spreader. The spatula-oid shape is part of the plan and is not baked as far as I know.
(It's applying the heat to the wrong side of the slice of butter, but it will work.)-- baconbrain, Mar 19 2012 It is a widely-known fact that butter is nearly unrivalled as a conductor of thermal energy. If heated on the knife side, a patty will quickly soften and melt on the bread side.-- Alterother, Mar 19 2012 Perhaps what is needed is a wide blade with a Peltier-effect heatpump integrated into it.
The leading edge of the blade is warm, to cut into the cold butter; conversely, the trailing edge is cool, to resolidify the butter passing over it.-- 8th of 7, Apr 02 2012 I thought this was going to be some kind of plasma knife, using superheated butter to provide the plasma.
Quite what it might be used for is another question altogether, possibly some kind of armoured cash van breaker?
I can see it now on tv. The armed robbery squad sting operation goes wrong..."Dispatch, he says he has a packet of Anchor and he's not afraid to use it, send reinforcements!"-- not_morrison_rm, Apr 02 2012 random, halfbakery