I'm thinking about getting into smoking sandwich meat for myself this year. I would want a slicer that can cut pretty thin without a ton of effort. Easy Clean up. I hate to say electric preferred, only for ease of use, I have no idea of the fatigue of spinning the handle.
I have a small chef's choice unit which is great for smaller things like pork loin etc. It's a bit short for things like bacon and I don't know how it would do on other larger cuts since the blade is, IIRC, about 6". So I'd think about the largest thing you might routinely want to slice and buy for that.
I have a KWS 10" slicer
It was given to me by my family. It's pretty pricey though, and it's almost $100.00 more than it was 8 months ago. It's heavy, but it's performance for a high end home unit is excellent. I set up weekends where I cook stuff just to slice- top round roasts for sliced roast beef, turkey breast for sliced turkey, and of course, bacon. Cook it all on a Saturday, refrigerate overnight, and slice it and bag it all up on Sunday. You really do need to take it apart to clean it, but it's pretty easy when you get the hang of it (10 min). Wear cut resistant gloves.
I was researching the $100.00 +/- models prior to that, and none of them really stood out. One thing I suggest you look out for is reviews that mention deflection of the guide plate, the plate that is parallel to the blade. If it isn't heavy duty, it will deflect as you are slicing, and cause uneven cuts. Motor power (watts) is also a consideration as more = better.
I bought one of the cheap ones from Academy and it broke within 15 minutes. After that I bought an antique commercial slicer with 8" blade.* It took a little restoration but I have never looked back. I would follow the old adage of "Buy Once, Cry Once" - get the best quality you can afford so it will last. Others can chime in on quality modern brands - all of my stuff is 70-80 years old (nothing wrong with them but they usually need a little work and/or a deep cleaning that most people don't want to bother with - and they are heavy).
You might see if there is a dealer in second hand commercial equipment near you, and search craigslist as well.
*Probably shouldn't get on ebay when you're mad and drinking beer but in this case I'm glad I did - love my old slicer, especially when I make bacon
Last edited by 58limited; January 18, 2022, 06:52 PM.
Even the under-sized slicers like my Chef's Choice are $100. So, just figure that $100 is the price of entry. The question then is how much are you're going to spend. IF it's only another $200 (so $300 total), that's not bad for something that can handle all your slicing needs.
You might take a look at the Walton’s 10‗it’s pricy at $479 but heavy duty commercial grade. We’ve used ours for bread, bacon, and cheese mostly. Need to have room for it though. You won’t want to move it around a lot at 35 lbs. wicked sharp and works great.
IF you have the space to store one and the guns to heft it around as necessary, decent commercial units can usually be found with a little patience. I think I have $300 for a Hobart 1612. It goes goes into enough pieces that I can get into the nooks and cranny with hot water and soap and then a food safe disinfectant spray before I put it back into the cabinet.
I'm with 58limited, buy the best and biggest one you can afford. When I started making bacon about ten years ago I borrowed a couple smaller ones. Very frustrating experience. I bought a used (mint condition) 13" Bizerba commercial unit for $600. Look at it as an investment, when the day comes I done with it, I'll get more than I paid. Buy a $100 one, before you know it you'll be using it as a boat anchor and spending good money on a better one. JMHO
Cheers Bill
There’s a couple things to remove to clean up, but once you understand and know what to remove it’s pretty easy. My husband had to slice some sausage and cheese to test it out when we got it and he was able to clean it in about 10 minutes. Down at the base underneath and bottom of blade was a little cumbersome to clean but not a big deal at all. Construction seems pretty stout and the slicer is heavy.
I agree with tamidw There is a hand bolt to take off the siding tray. There is a hand bolt on the back to remove the blade cover. Then you need a Phillips screwdriver to remove 3 screws holding the blade on. All of the parts into the sink, washed, rinsed, dried. Wash the body with a anti bacterial soap, hit it with a no rinse sanitizer (One Step, Star San), then re assemble. 10 min after you've done it a couple of times. Construction seems very good, it is a pretty heavy beast.
scottranda We set the slicer at 1/2†and run it across the spinning blade just like with bacon. Bread works better if well chilled first. Works okay, but hand slicing is just as easy unless you have a lot of it.
OK, I sliced two beef roasts today for sandwiches (whole eye of round) and have about had it with my slicer, a Chef's Choice 7". There is one spot I have to use use a toothpick to clean. When slicing it leaves a growing thin piece of meat on the bottom that I have to cut off periodically for it to feed right, it gets stuck underneath. I wonder if a bigger blade would solve that, that maybe the meat would feed higher up on the blade? I don't use it often, and when I do I make a lot of meat and freeze since I find it a pain to use and cleanup. I do not want to do without one, would like to find one that is just easier to use and clean, like everyone else. I would use it more often if it was less hassle. Is a bigger blade the answer? I value it enough to go up to 500 or so. Not fond of most deli meats.
I've got the same model. Cleaning ANY slicer is a royal PITA. At least the smaller units have lighter, less bulky parts. Admittedly picking out the mush from the plastic part that seems to generate and collect the mush is worth a grumble or two. But I have found a solution for the tail. Slice 6-10 slices, stop and rotate the meat 180°. Slice and repeat. On mine, the 6-10 slices seems to be the sweet spot of catching the tail growth before it gets unmanageable. But I do have to resort to a manual trim as the hunk of meat gets thinner. Oh and go s-l-o-w, speed will create a longer and fatter tail.
I don't think blade size is a major consideration - although it would be nice. I think the issue lies more with the design and size of the sliding platform/carriage. Its been years since I've been able to use a full(er) sized model, but I don't remember having to pay such close attention to the placement of the product to be sliced and the blade.
Then there is also the overall size and bulk of the slicer. I don't have room for anything much bigger, but if you find something that is more user friendly that's not built like tank and doesn't weigh in as a heavyweight, I'd love to hear about it.
LEM makes some nice stuff too. Recommend getting bigger than you think. I'm with Jerod Broussard that clean up is never easy and the blades are sharp and require your full attention when cleaning.
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