There’s a scene in the 2005 The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy movie where a lightsaber-like bread knife is not only able to slice a loaf, it toasts it at the same time. That was done with special effects, but mad Brit inventor Colin Furze has gone and built a similar contraption in real-life, and his creation works.
Using a modified microwave transformer (translation: do NOT try this at home), some copper pipes, and some heavy-duty wiring, the FurzoToasto simply runs a current through a saw blade until it turns red hot—visible when Furze turns all the lights off in his garage workshop.
As he carefully cuts through a loaf of bread, the intensely hot knife automatically toasts the surface of each slice on either side. The edges end up a little dark, but that’s easy to overlook given how quickly this invention gets the job done. You don’t have to wait for a toaster to do its thing, only to have barely heated bread pop-up after a few minutes. We’d love to see a company put this creation into production, if only it weren’t the most dangerous kitchen tool we’ve ever seen. [YouTube via Laughing Squid]