Electric Knives

If you want to stick with an electric knife, which can be stored in a drawer, as opposed to a much more bulky electric slicer (like in a deli), you might consider the Sonic Blade electric knife.

The reviews on Amazon are all over the place, but I've been quite satisfied with mine; your mileage may vary. The blades are detachable and dishwasher-safe, so cleanup is trivial. One unique feature is that it's powered with NiMH rechargeable batteries, so you can use it without being moored to an AC outlet. For anything that's soft, sticky or mushy, an electric knife works much better than a fixed blade. For example, it's great on fresh-baked bread or angel-food cake. I also like it for grilled panini sandwiches, because it cuts through oozing melted cheese without making the cheese squirt out of the sandwich. The website videos show it cutting frozen ribs apart, but I have not used it for such demanding applications. I feel it's safer because you need very little pressure to cut, but if you're accident-prone you will have to make that decision for yourself.

It lists for around $60 at Linens-n-Things or Bed, Bath and Beyond (look for the 20% off coupons, of course) or you can get one off the Internets or pay too much from a TV infomercial. I think Wal-Mart also has them now. It comes with a "food holder" which is a metal-tined comb that can be used as a guide to cut slices. I never use that. The online deal is two of 'em for $100 plus shipping, with a few junky accessories thrown in.

Because the batteries are NiMH, try to get an extra battery as I suspect there will be a memory effect. Given this battery technology, I do not leave mine constantly charging.