At last! Battery-powered electric butter knife will spread cold butter straight on to bread



Heated knife powered by two AA batteries in the handle

Blade with heating element hits 41.8 degrees centigrade - perfect

Hot buttered toast is right up there with a nice cup of tea for comfort and sustenance.

Sadly, making it often ends in frustration when your perfect slice falls apart as you try to spread on a cold lump of butter that just won’t melt.

Now designers believe they’ve conquered the problem by inventing a heated knife.



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The knife, invented by British baker Warburtons, heats to 41.8 degrees Celsius after research found that is the optimum temperature to spread butter

The knife's heating element ensures a constant temperature of 41.8 degrees centigrade, and is powered by two AA batteries in the handle Designers have created the world's first knife with a heated blade to solve the age old problem of cold butter not spreading properly on bread

The knife, designed by Warburtons, heats up to 41.8 degrees Celsius, powered by AA batteries in the handle - and melts the butter just enough to spread smoothly, without gouging holes in the bread.

A button on the handle activates the battery-operated heating element and a flashing LED indicates it is on.

The prototype can spread a slice of bread in 30 seconds - although it's not clear when or if it will be released, or how much it will cost.

Researchers created the knife with bread baker Warburtons after a survey found it is the most desired breakfast innovation.



Butter not spreading properly is one of our top five breakfast bugbears along with burnt toast and cold tea.



Stuart Jones, from Warburtons, said: ‘We’ve fine-tuned the knife’s specifications to ensure the speediest heat-up and perfect temperature for spreading and we’re thrilled with how well it works.

The knife heats to 41.8 degrees Celsius after research found that is the optimum temperature to spread butter

The knife has two AA batteries in the handle and a heating element in the blade

A poll of 3,000 people revealed 1 per cent of Brits - all of them men - have even resorted to heating the spread with a hair dryer to combat the problem.



A quarter - 28 per cent - put the butter in the microwave, 8 per cent put it on a plate on top of the toaster and 7 per cent heat the knife on the hob. The new knife will perfectly cover a slice in butter in less than 30 seconds.

‘It made complete sense to develop a tool to help busy Brits achieve the perfect even-spread on their toast, even when using butter straight from the fridge,' says Jones.



‘Baking is a blend of expert craft and science and to make the perfect piece of toast it is essential to use a good-quality loaf that offers butterability.’ The baker has yet to set a date for production.





