Slicing a morning danish pastry can be a sticky, gloopy affair, sugary icing glomming onto the knife and plate, and currants falling everywhere. This machine cuts it with water!
Water jets are a surprisingly efficient method of slicing, and they’re more hygienic than using a blade, which can harbor bacteria. This ultra high-pressure water jet forces a stream of drinking water between 15,000 psi to 90,000 psi, through an opening just 0.004 inches in diameter. Water streams through the opening at three times the speed of sound, according to Canadian company Paprima, which makes the water jets.
“It is an excellent choice when processing viscous, gelatinous and multi-ingredient food products such as baked goods and confectionery (fruit extrusions),” says Paprima. Such as danishes.
The tiny opening maintains a delicate slice, despite the water jet’s power — so it can also cut through soft items like fresh peaches.
It can also cut through your kitchen floor, although that is not as appetizing.
