Cuisinart Deluxe Can Opener Review

We purchased the Cuisinart Deluxe Can Opener so our reviewer could put it to the test in her kitchen. Keep reading for our full product review.

Can openers can be a bit of an afterthought. Sometimes you don’t even realize you need to upgrade yours until you’re trying to open a can of salmon and the blade won’t pierce the metal, leaving you trying to poke and prod at the lid until you successfully get the canned food contents out. That’s why having a reliable can opener in the house, especially a no-touch electric option like the Cuisinart Deluxe Can Opener, can be a huge time saver.

But if you’ve been let down by many a can opener before (like I have), you may be skeptical about how well it works (like I was). That’s why I tested it for you. I used this can opener to open all types of cans, from 6 ounces to 28 ounces, and here’s what I found. 

Setup: Nothing to it

The Cuisinart Deluxe Can Opener is ready to go right out of the box. All of the pieces are already in place and all I had to do to get it going was plug it into the wall and set up a can that needed opening. Easy, peasy.

Design: Well thought-out...but bulky

This can opener has a well thought design that has everything you need and nothing you don’t. There’s a removable lever on the top that houses the blade and the magnetic grip that keeps the can in place. There’s a fixed gear on the base of the can opener, as well as two guiding posts that made it easy to position the can right where it needed to be.

At 9.35 inches in height, it’s fairly tall, but the extra space is meant for taller cans (jumbo chili, anyone?). I typically don’t use any cans that are taller than the average size, so I would have liked it if it was a little shorter, but I understand the need for it being tall enough to accommodate all can sizes—better too tall than too short.

It’s a bit bulky though, and takes up a decent amount of counter space for a can opener. But as a consolation, it is lightweight. Just looking at it, I thought it would have some significant weight to it, but it weighs just over 2.5 pounds so it’s easy to pick up and store away in a cabinet when you’re not using it if you don’t want to leave it on the counter.

Features: Hands-free opening

The Cuisinart Deluxe Can Opener doesn’t have a lot of bells and whistles, but there are a couple of standout features worth noting. The most convenient is the one-touch design. To get the can opener going, all you have to do is lift the lever, position the blade inside the rim of the can and press down once. The magnet and the lever help hold the can in place and the cycle will automatically stop when the can is opened, so you can completely let go and let it do its thing.

This made things really convenient, since you can get the can opener going and then do another cooking-related task while it opens. I found it especially helpful when I was opening tuna—while the can was opening, I quickly grabbed the mayo and the spices and while, when it comes down to it, it probably only saves seconds, every second is precious.

Performance: Cuts quickly and quietly

Where the Cuisinart Deluxe Can Opener really shines is performance. It was able to expertly slice through each can without any hiccups or “jumping” that can happen with other can openers. Even if the can was slightly dented, this can opener made easy work of getting the lid off, and the cuts were precise and even.

It works with any size can, too. Whether I was opening a standard size can, a larger 28-ounce can, or a small 6-ounce tomato paste can, the can opener performed well. Unlike other electric can openers, this one cuts into the top of the can rather than the side, so it did leave sharp edges. The lid stays attached to the magnet though, so I left it there while I was emptying my can and then carefully removed it and put it inside the can for easy, and safe, disposal.

Cleaning: The removable lever makes it easy

The can opener doesn’t require much cleaning after you've cleaned your plates and scooped up the leftovers into the food bins, but since the blade cuts into the top of the can it does have the potential to come into contact with the contents of the can you’re opening—something that happened a few times, especially when I was opening tomato sauce. When this happens, you might want to give the blade a quick wash.

Cuisinart anticipated this and made the blade lever removable. You just lift up the lever and pull it out of the base and then wash it with hot, soapy water. It’s also top shelf dishwasher-safe, so if you prefer you can run it through a cleaning cycle, but I found it more convenient to just give it a quick wipe down and then pat it dry.

One thing to note: When you remove the lever, the blade is completely exposed, and it’s sharp. I would have preferred if there was some kind of safety mechanism to cover the blade during cleaning, but you just have to pay attention and be careful.

Price: On the higher end 

The price of the Cuisinart Electric Can Opener is on the higher end of the electric can opener spectrum at $29.99, but the reliable performance makes it worth it, in my opinion. You could certainly find less expensive can openers, but you might have to sacrifice cutting power—an unwelcome trade-off.

Competition: There are some other options

Hamilton Beach Electric Automatic Can Opener: Not only is this Hamilton Beach Electric Can Opener half the price of the Cuisinart model, it also has additional features, like a built-in knife sharpening function and a compartment to store the cord out of sight when not in use. Like the Cuisinart, this Hamilton Beach opener has an auto shut-off feature and a hands-free design.

Kitchen Mama Electric Can Opener: If you’re not sure that you need a countertop can opener, the Kitchen Mama Electric Can Opener is a handheld option that you can easily store away in a drawer when you’re not using it. While there’s no automatic feature—you have to press the button to turn it on and then again to turn it off when the can is opened—it has a reliable performance.