Recommendations for a meat slicer needed ...

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wtdedula

Assistant Cook
Joined
Feb 25, 2007
Messages
21
Hello All;
I am looking to buy a good quality meat slicer primarily to thin-slice beef Roast and turkey breast like the restaurants do. It would be for home use.

I am most interested in getting something that is durable, that works well, and (very important) is easy to clean and I wouild like to try not to exceed $700 if possible.

Anyone have any recommendations for a meat slicer that you have that you are happy with and that meets the above criteria ?

Thanks. Tim
 
I gave mine to my son because with only two of us at home, I wasn't using it much at all.

It was made out of plastic, the blade cut everything from the thinest meat to a 'steak' size. To clean it, all I had to do was take it apart and put it in the top of the dishwasher. Now from this site, I've learned NOT to put cutting blades through the dishwasher, though. :)

I know it cost less than $150 and will call my son for the brand. I have no idea how it would work with frequent or full time use.

Edited: I think this is the one I had or very close to it. Sounds like you plan on using it much more than I did so I can't tell you how it would hold up.

Buy a Rival 1050-C Electric Food Slicer at BizRate - Find Appliances online
 
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Half Baked said:
I gave mine to my son because with only two of us at home, I wasn't using it much at all.

It was made out of plastic, the blade cut everything from the thinest meat to a 'steak' size. To clean it, all I had to do was take it apart and put it in the top of the dishwasher. Now from this site, I've learned NOT to put cutting blades through the dishwasher, though. :)

I know it cost less than $150 and will call my son for the brand. I have no idea how it would work with frequent or full time use.

Edited: I think this is the one I had or very close to it. Sounds like you plan on using it much more than I did so I can't tell you how it would hold up.

Buy a Rival 1050-C Electric Food Slicer at BizRate - Find Appliances online



My Kenmore slicer looks almost similar to that one. It's an elcheapo unit that only costed me about $40.00 though. But it works great!

There's also a wid variety of commercial slicers at Kitchenware online at Cooking.com: Shop for small appliances, cookware, cutlery, bakeware, tableware, and more plus find recipes. as well. WT might find what he's looking for there. Akso CHEFS.

I think Cooking.com had the much wider selection though.
 
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Do a search on this site for slicer. There are several threads that discuss options and features for home slicers.
 
Okay, I clicked on that thread, and someone is going to have to explain how the Aubuchon Hardware price of $119.99 is the smart choice over the Wal-Mart price of $69.63.
 
Caine said:
Okay, I clicked on that thread, and someone is going to have to explain how the Aubuchon Hardware price of $119.99 is the smart choice over the Wal-Mart price of $69.63.
LOL! I don't shop at wally-world, but that decision looks easy enough to me!
 
Hello ya all;
Thanks for the helpful suggestions. I really want to get a much higher quality slicer than the ones you're talking about here. I've been looking at the high-end Chef's Choice brand but some of the reviews aren't too good even with the higher end units costing more than $400. I wonder if you can recommend an entry-level Berkel, Hobart, or Globe Slicer designed for light duty (1-2 hours per day) ? Thanks.

Tim
 
You can try their websites to see what they have to offer.

But they are problably very expensive - even the low-end ones.
 
Geez, I paid $69.95 for my slicer about 5 years ago and, now that everyone's gone but me and the cat, I hardly ever use it any more. The drudgery of dragging it out of the cupboard, setting it up, slicing up a few pounds of lunch meat, then taking it apart, cleaning it, washing and drying the parts that can be washed, reassembling it, and stuffing it back into the cupboard isn't worth the few cents a pound savings over the presliced lunch meats I buy in two pound packs at the food wharehouse/restaurant supply. I am sure glad I am not sittng here right now trying to justify (to myself) spending 600 bucks for a slicer, although it is very pretty, and if I still had a house full of people taking lunch to work every day, I'd consider it.
 
Thanks for all of your comments so far.

Guts - that's certaintly within my budget. I havn't heard of that brand yet, though. Thanks for the recommendation.

And Caine - Thanks for your suggestions too. Makes sense to me if you were only using it to make lunchmeat, that is. Couple of things that "may" be different between your and my situation.

1 - Cooking is my passion and I am constantly trying to outdo myself. I have always wanted a professional slicer - just didn't have that cash for it until now.

2 - I host quite a few parties every year.

3 - I like to make a large meal and then freeze it for use later in the year.

4 - I am considering a much more professional slicer than one under $100 as you have. I am guessing mine would be easier to take apart and clean.

I am also concerned about the storage issue and even weight issue so I will get one that has a fairly small footprint and hopefully weighs no more than about 45 pounds. I don't think I could afford anything larger anyway.

Tim
 
If you want commercial quality at an affordable "home cook's" price - think used commercial equipment. Check your phone book for restaurant supply or commercial restaurant appliances, etc. and don't forget to check the "for sale" ads in your newspaper (Fri-Sun are usually the best days since 3-day ads are the cheapest).

Or - as much as I hate them ... try eBay and play the game to see if you can win the bid. They have several Hobart slicers on there right now ... there is one that I would like ... list price is about $2,500 and the high bid is only about $305 right now.

You can also find meat slicers on QVC and HSN (I would give you a link to the meat slicers on HSN but I can't connect to their site right now).

Weight and size is going to depend on construction (plastic or metal), motor size, and blade size (6, 8, 10, 12 inch).

Personally - I would put up a good fight on eBay and go for a Hobart slicer.
 
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Having worked in the grocery/food world for many years I would echo Michael's recomendations especially the Hobart line. New or used in excellent condition I would consider it a lifetime investment/
 
Thanks for the latest suggestions, Michael and Uncle Bob. I have heard that Hobart was top of the line in Slicers and I'd love to have one of those. Yes I did check Ebay and it would be nice to pick up a $2500 slicer for under $500. Only thing that scares me about Ebay is that those Hobart slicers seem to be huge and large otherwise I'd bid on one in a heartbeat. Unlike a restaurant, I wouldn't have a permanent place in my kitchen for one :-( !

Does anyone have any experience with Berkel slicers ? I have read at one web page that they are sister company of Hobart but not sure if it's true.

I have been looking at their model 825A.

The cheapest I could find it is here - Advanced Series Slicer - 10 inch - Restaurant Equipment at KaTom Restaurant Supply but they charge shipping so I could actually get it a little bit cheaper here - Berkel 825A Slicer, 825A, Berkel, Slicer, manual, 45° angled gravity feed, 10" dia. C.S. knife, cast aluminum base, belt-driven blade assembly, built in sharpener, 1/4 hp with their free freight.

It seems more my size and weight. Anyone have good (or bad) experiences with Berkel slicers ?

Tim
 
But a new one if money is not a problem. the one I have has a sharpner on it also.

what is the black dile thing? the on and off switch?

[Quote/

Positive, moisture protected, on/off rocker switch and power indicator light. /Quote]

One more thing if you buy out of state and they have no stores in your state= no tax!

 
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Guts said:
But a new one if money is not a problem. the one I have has a sharpner on it also.

what is the black dile thing? the on and off switch?

[Quote/

Positive, moisture protected, on/off rocker switch and power indicator light. /Quote]

Hi Guts;
I think it's a misprint. description says Rocker Switch but the official specs. for the 825A from Berkel say rotary on/off switch as shown in the illustration. Thanks for your continued advice.

One more thing if you buy out of state and they have no stores in your state= no tax!


Yep I know. I don't think they have a store in Ohio so there's no tax.

Tim
 
wtdedula said:
I am looking to buy a good quality meat slicer primarily to thin-slice beef Roast and turkey breast like the restaurants do.

Tim ... putting together your slicer questions here, and your quest for "restaurant perfect" cooking methods for roast beef questions in another forum here and here ... it's really starting to sound like you're probably looking for how to cook "Deli" style meats, and a suggestion for a slicer to cut them, at home. All of the restaurants that I know of use knives to carve their meats ... only deli's use mechanical meat cutters. And, I've been to some delis that only used knives - not mechanical cutters.

Good, heavy duty, made of metal commercial slicers are heavy ... and how big they are depends on how big of a blade they have.

You could, with a little practice, learn how to shave a slice of meat using a knife like this - or a $20 electric carving knife. Both are light and require little storage space. The choice is yours.

I'm not suggesting that a motorized meat cutter is bad ... just that the bigger and better (heavier duty the casing consturction and motor are) the more they will weigh.
 
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Hello Michael in FtW;
I purposely delayed in responding to your message because I was curious if the two restaurants that serve Roast Beef the way I like it, used a knife to slice it, or a slicing machine. I actually wanted to ask both, but the one that prepared my Roast Beef yesterday somehow messed it up (It didn't taste right - I told them to let the chef know and to hope I didn't get sick). So I didn't get around to asking them yesterday. However, I went to another restaurant for lunch today, ordered Roast Beef and ask them how they cut their beef so thinly and the waitress responded immediately that they use a slicing machine.

When I order Roast Beef or even sliced turkey breast at other restaurants in the future, I'll ask as well. Doesn't mean you're wrong, just means that the places you're familiar with don't use machines.

I have very carefully considered the size and weight issue of a slicer. This is why I generally refuse to buy anything off Ebay. Most of the machine on there are huge and heavy. I have found a good size for me in a Berkel machine with a 10" blade and it only weighs 37 pounds which seems managable for the home cook.

Just thought you'd like to know.

Tim
 
I can't say for certain that all restaurants have meat slicers, but I'm pretty certain that ALL delicatesins have them. They even use one or more for slicing cheese only.

I used my slicer to slice through that rough and tough Godzilla-like roast that I mistakingly dry roasted and had to doctor up in some gravy.

The saw-toothed blade cut right through it as though the meat were butter!

Incidentally, I also once considered getting a slicer from E-bay. That is until I heard about the woman who paid them for a wedding gown and got ripped off.
 
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