Meat slicer advice

[Firemonkey]

Greetings Brethren-

I want to get a meat slicer, and I know some of you must have one. Does anyone have any recommendations for or against any particular brand/model? I want a good one; I tried a department store model a while back, and I knew was going back as soon as I turned it on. And that was before it made a mess of my roast beef!

Requirements:

Ability to slice cooked meats as thin as possible

Very occasional cheese

Easy cleanup- the easier the better, and I'll pay a premium for this feature if needed

Occasionally maybe slicing some raw meat- like rib eye for cheesesteaks

Size matters (despite what you have heard) I don't want to undersize, but I need to be able to move and store it

I was considering a small Berkel unit, duty rated at an hour a day, which is plenty since I will only be using it an hour a month if I really try. Something like this:

http://www.foodservicewarehouse.com/berkel/823e/p358501.aspx

Anyone have experience with the Berkel units? Are they worth the premium? $500-$600 is about the top of my market for as much as I will use it. One interesting thing I noticed with Berkel- I read on one merchants store that Berkel only warrants their products in a commercial environment. There is no warranty if shipped to or used in a residential setting. That didn't do much for my confidence in buying this thing online... If it arrives DOA and they say too bad, I would be on the warpath!

Thanks for any input you have-

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[ThreeDJ16]

Re: Meat slicer advice

I have probably mentioned this site before, but they have excellent equipment at sub commercial prices. Whatever you do, don't get anything with plastic pusher plates and make sure the blade cover has divots (like on a santoku knife). I have a decent slicer from Cabela's, but with flat blade cover and plastic pusher plate which basically make it a piece of crap. Not such a big deal for most cooked foods, but a freakn nightmare for raw. Even partially freezing the raw meat to slice only helps a little. Also make sure it is easy to take down the blade, cover and components. Don't fool yourself into thinking you can cut raw meat without completely disassembling for proper sanitation. Certain cooked foods will require the same. A built in or mountable sharpener is also helpful, as a scary sharp blade makes things easier.

http://www.sausagemaker.com/meatslicers.aspx

-=J

[jimswanzy]

Re: Meat slicer advice

I have had good luck with this company.

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/search/ ... icers.html

[Loquitur]

Re: Meat slicer advice

I bought a used one just recently - the 1/4 HP Cabella's model, likely similar to DJ's, and paid $250.00 for it. I've only used it two times so far and liked it a lot but I can see there is a learning curve as to how to use it to its best advantage. I did have some trouble holding the food on the carrier but I thought it was because I didn't have it shaped as good as I should but maybe it was because of the deficiencies raised by DJ of the plastic pusher. The big negative to this model for me is that cleaning it is a huge PITA. I need to use an allen wrench to remove the blade cover, a screwdriver to remove the screws holding on the blade and a wrench to remove the bolts holding on the food carrier. I would feel the need to take it apart and clean it every time I use it because there are lots of little pieces of food that get stuck in and around the blade that are hard to get to. I like that this model comes with a blade sharpener and the 1/4 HP is super powerful. I haven't tried to do any raw meat yet though I do plan to do rib eye for cheesesteaks. The Berkel model you are looking at stresses easy to clean without any tools so that would put it miles ahead of my model if I were in the market.

[ThreeDJ16]

Re: Meat slicer advice

Argh! Sounds like you have the same model I have. Is the blade cover smooth? If so, you will toss it against the wall if you try to slice thin raw meat. I make a lot of beef jerky (and I know Firemonkey does too), and it is horrible for that. That plastic pusher plate will not hold the meat in place, you have to put your hand on it to slice (which is very dangerous). Then it wants to stick to the flat blade cover too, instead of releasing for you to pull it back. And like you said, PITA to clean and I am OCD about cleaning it before and after each use. So it turns into a 3-4 hour job just preparing 15-20 pound of beef jerky.

Oh yeah, I forgot about the Web Restaurant Store. I have bought from them before too. Very good and they carry very reasonable price items.

When I finally decide to toss this slicer and buy a new one, it will be a Berkel or Hobart. At least going with a quality brand, it will be the last one you ever own. And don't forget about trying your local equipment sales. There is always some place locally selling used name brand equipment.

Anyone want to buy a used Cabela's meat slicer? Paid $299 new for it and a spare blade with sharpener. What no takers? haha

[Firemonkey]

Re: Meat slicer advice

That was my thinking, too. Berkel or Hobart, but I haven't seen anything but the full sized beasts from Hobart.

The Berkels have a few different sized blades within each model class, and I am wavering between the 823 with a 9 inch blade, or the bigger 827 with a 12" blade. Not for the size difference (I'd prefer the smaller) but because the bigger one has a 45 degree carriage. I think the higher angle will help with a more consistent feed, but it doubles the price. I'm not sure it's worth a $600 premium, and an additional 25-30 pounds of machine to move around?

The store listed above also offers their knockoff brand, which looks like a chinese clone for half the price. I wonder if those are worth consideration?

[ThreeDJ16]

Re: Meat slicer advice

What about the 10" model? You need a lot of room and a strong back for the 12" model. The 9" maybe ok, but 10" should definitely cover all your slicing needs.

Yeah, knockoffs are the devil you have to bargain with. I look at things like this; is this a one time or occasional use? If so, I may go to harbor freight and buy the Chinese cheep brand tool. But if this is a tool I will use a lot and need for the long term, then I will buy the best I can (within budget). That being said, for some stupid reason I wanted large deep fryer a while back. I love doing hot wings, but hate frying in the house (so figured this was just occasional use). Anyway it didn't warrant spending $1200 for a commercial SS deep fryer, so I bought the Avantco $125 10 lb SS counter top model. Really surprised at how well crafted it was made. Beats the crap out of any sub $100 Walmart fryer. But at the same time, it is so huge, I hate pulling that sucker from it's storage spot just to cook a few wings.

BTW, the harder the cleaning procedure, the less use it will be. I order a lot of salami, peperoni and other lunch meats from Wisconsin and usually do not like to have it sliced from the store (lasts longer). But I look at what a PITA it is to pull out and clean the slicer, say screw it and use a knife.

So if you are simply using it an hour or so a month, go for the Avantco model. I had completely forgot about how impressed I was with their brand fryer.

[Firemonkey]

Re: Meat slicer advice

The 10 inch blade doesn't have the 45 degree angle, it's the lower angle like the 9 inch. From a plain size perspective, the 9" is probably sufficient.

It's definitely a 1-3 times a month tool, but like you said, if it's a pain to clean it would quickly become a 1-3 times a year item. I think I'll at least give the avantco a closer look.

I hear you on the wings deal. I just use a gallon sized countertop fryer, but there's no way I use it inside. I take it out on the patio.

[Syzygies]

Re: Meat slicer advice

With really good knives kept really sharp, one can't come close to sliced meat, but sometimes close enough.

One does better with a vertical surface to press against. I'm tempted to go into the shop and make an L-shaped cutting board, with a vertical wall at one end to push against. Would it work to provide 1/8" ridges front and back, so a knife leaning against these guides would slice uniform 1/8" slices? An experimental question.

Of course each slice would be slower than a machine (and thicker), but taking account of cleanup and storage costs this could still win for some of us.

I just served a small tray of eating chorizo from Spanish Table in Berkeley, bought presliced at a significant markup. The unsliced stick I bought last time just wasn't as good, but this time we ran out instantly and more would have been good. Some of use would never buy a full scale slicer because our needs are limited to moments like these, but still yearn for a way to take our knife work the distance.

[carriesanaxe]

Re: Meat slicer advice

http://volanobiz.com/restaurant-equipme ... icers.html

[Loquitur]

Re: Meat Slicer/Deep Fryer Advice

The model slicer I have is Cabela's Commercial Grade Slicer by Chef's Choice. It has

the ridged cover over the blade and is set at an angle so that gravity assists the sliced

meat falling onto the tray. The lower part of the pusher is metal and the upper part

is plastic and it has a 10" blade. I don't perceive slicing as being a problem.

I sliced leftovers from my recent KK ham and turkey breast cooks and was dealing with

irregularly sized chunks of meat removed from the bone which is a far cry from the

shape of the meat they pull out of a deli case. So my early slices were uneven.

But they were still thin and good. I don't think slicing is a reason to stay away from

my particular model. But cleaning it definitely is. It didn't take me hours to take apart

and clean - but probably a good 30 minutes. This one weighs 40 lbs which is about

the max you would want for a home unit.

I definitley have a recommendation for a home deep fryer - the T-Fal

model. The special feature of this fryer is that it strains, drains and stores the

oil in a built in container. When you want to use it again, you pull out the

container, pour in the oil and you're good to go. And it cleans up in minutes.

$100 Free Shipping http://www.amazon.com/T-fal-FR7008002-3 ... ryer+t+fal

[ThreeDJ16]

Re: Meat slicer advice

Sounds like you got a newer (nicer) model than mine. Just looked at their website and they don't carry the one I have anymore. Can't remember the manufacturer, but it was some Italian company rebranded for Cabela's. It was many years ago when I purchased it too.

[Conodo12]

Re: Meat slicer advice

Hi FM -

I wanted a decent slicer too and was advised that if I was going to cut cheese to get at least a 10" blade and lean towards a 12" blade. You'll find that units with 12" blades are big and heavy. 10" units aren't small but they are manageable for us manly types! We are fortunate in that we have several used restaurant supply places around here. Check to see if you have anything like that in your area. I find myself stopping in from time to time just to see if there are any bargains. As a barkeep in a past life, I took a liking to restaurant quality equipment. The older stuff is built to last! Oh, and my vote is for Hobart. It will be a bit heavier but it will last and the blades are of a very good quality that hold an edge.

[Firemonkey]

Re: Meat slicer advice

Thanks for all the advice. I found a decent deal on a used Berkel 827A. It's a 12 inch blade, and weighs in at something like 67 pounds. A bit bigger than I originally anticipated. But the price was lower than the smaller units I was considering and I ended up with more machine.

I brought it home and completely disassembled everything, except removing the motor assembly and the cam assembly that moves the cut thickness. I gave everything a good cleaning and scrubbing and relubricated all the parts that needed it with mineral oil. The person I got it from was clueless, and had been lubricating with 3 in 1 oil. It is now just like new, runs nice and quiet, and slides perfectly.

I went out and got a small (6.5 pound) COV rib eye roast yesterday, and proceeded to slice the whole thing, about the thickness of business card stock. No half freezing or other nonsense. Just removed from plastic, rinsed, and sliced. I've had the best cheesesteaks ever the last two nights

It all comes apart easily, though the size of the product tray assembly is a little big for my sink. This was raw meat, and it was being shaved thin, so it took about 15-20 minutes to clean it up. The only thing that was a pain was all the little bits around the blade guard, which isn't intended to come off for cleaning. You have to use a wrench under the machine to remove it.

I was impressed that I was able to slice something as soft and wet as a raw ribeye roast, and make it prosciutto thin so easily.

[ThreeDJ16]

Re: Meat slicer advice

Very cool! One thing to consider is finding a nice dust cover for it. Never fails, beside just sterilizing, most of the pre-clean is simply removing all the dust that has accumulated on the slicer.

[linuxwrangler]

Re: Meat slicer advice

Not purchase advice but use advice...don't do what my former neighbor did. He washed the blade and put it in the drying rack but either due to weight or placement it rolled out and landed on his bare foot.

I got out my first aid gear, bandaged him up and took him to the hospital to have the major tendons on the top of his foot reattached. (Twice, actually. First time they told him to wiggle his toes the fix popped loose and they had to go back in and try again.)

[ThreeDJ16]

Re: Meat slicer advice

OMG, that hurts just thinking about it.

[Conodo12]

Re: Meat slicer advice

That Berkel is sweeet FM! If you decide to cut cheese with it, let me know how it works out. I can only imagine how nice that slicer would be for slicing up meat for jerky!

[Firemonkey]

Re: Meat slicer advice

You know, if I was going to make jerky tomorrow, I might just grab a knife. I never really considered it for that task, only for thin slicing, like under a quarter inch or so. Of course, now I have to try it just because!

Why does cheese have such a different duty cycle rating on a slicer? It it because it's denser/firmer than meat? Grabs the spinning blade more? I noticed while researching slicers the cheese rating was usually downgraded by almost 1/4 horsepower equivalent compared to meats.

[Conodo12]

Re: Meat slicer advice

On the cheese thing, I honestly don't have an answer for you FM. I'm going to guess that it does grab the spinning blade more. Having said that, I worked in a Pizza shop in high school and cut my fair share of deli meats and cheeses for subs. Cold cheese (mostly provolone in my case) was easier to slice than when it sat out for any amount of time.

On to the jerky thing - You'll be tempted to make a ton because cutting will be sooooo easy and fast. Feel free to send me as much as you want!!!