Looking to get a nice, home-use meat slicer. Any recommendations? Same request for grinder reviews (we do have a Kitchenaid mixer if that attachment is worth it).
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Last edited by CaptainMike; December 18, 2017, 06:01 PM. -
I love my kitchen aid grinder attachment!! I'm sure there are better ones but it has NOT Failed me yet. It also doesn't heat up like metal ones either.
Berkel slicers are great. -
I have a old cheap one (its 25 years old) that is still working but the company doesn't seem to be in business any more so a quick look on Amazon revels that the "Chef's Choice 609 Premium Electric Food Slicer" has 4.5 stars on 820 comments (seems legit to me) and its only 99 bucks. (there are higher priced one with fewer stars if you want) Maybe Spinaker or Huskee can put up a link that goes through AmazingRibs portal and everybody wins. ok after further review the all the 1 star reviews say motor died quick?? dont know what your budget is but seems (as always lol) the more you send the better the slicer seems like the 250 Dollar ones at Cabela's are well loved I seem to have lucked out with my little cheapy one.Last edited by GadjetGriller; December 18, 2017, 06:26 PM.Comment
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I love my Kitchen Aid grinder attachment, I use it to grind up chuck roast and it does a good job. I am sure there are better stand alone grinders out there but for my use this one works great and does not take up much space.Comment
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Two things. we have a kitchen aid with the grinder and the Y uses it regularly. Use the higher speeds or you have mush. I have a meat slicer but breaking it out, setting it up, using it, then cleaning it up is a PITA for most things. besides, I love playing with good knives! so, other than slicing my bacon, I rarely use a slicer. having said that, look for one that is easily broken down for cleaning. the fewer pieces the better. Do take a look at some resale sites. many are the folks who buy specialty items only to realize they don't need or want them after all.Comment
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The Kitchenaid grinder does a decent job, but I like my Grinder fron LEM products much more.Comment
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I have a meat slicer on my want list as well. I like Webrestaurantstore.com and have been happy with everything I've purchased there so far. Anyway, they have a couple of slicers under $300 made for light duty commercial use.Comment
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I have a LEM 1/3 HP and it's a beast. If you do small batches then I think the Kitchen Aid attachment is the way to go, but if you have visions of frolicking away a Sunday morning with a hank of pork intestine and 50 lbs. of ground meat to fill your freezer with kielbasa then get a dedicated grinder.Comment
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I have a Nesco slicer and it does an descent job, however the issue I have is the plate that is behind the blade that sets the thickness flexes slightly. This results in inconsistent thickness if you are not very vigilant. I have to constantly turn the meat and pay attention to how hard I am pressing. If you use it occasionally, like me, it is not a deal breaker. If you use it monthly then maybe a higher end product would be worth the price.Comment
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Regarding the slicer, I bought one primarily for my bacon. As Karon correctly noted it's a pain to clean one so for small jobs a knife is still preferred. To slice the bacon I wanted one pretty large and got one with a 10" blade. The size of the blade isn't so much the problem but the travel distance of the sliding platform on which the meat rides. To make a clean stroke through a pork belly that's 12" wide, the platform has to slide 12" laterally. My relatively large slicer still isn't big enough to cleanly cut a full size pork belly, so I end up folding the belly over on itself in order to cut full length slices. The other alternative would be to cut the belly into smaller hunks before slicing, but then I get slices of bacon that aren't long enough to wrap my meatloaf.
For the grinder, I've been making do with the Kitchenaid attachment. If money and storage space aren't limitations for you, then you really should consider a dedicated grinder (I've been admiring LEM's big bite grinders myself). The KA grinder seems to struggle with pork shoulder, which I primarily grind for making sausage, and often gets jammed with gristle. An aftermarket blade and plates have helped with pork, and as always you need to keep the meat very cold or nearly frozen. Still, I spend at least 30 to 60 minutes trimming gristle and silver skin out of each shoulder I grind in order for it to grind cleanly. About halfway through trimming each shoulder I find myself wishing I had a grinder that didn't require me to be so meticulous with the meat. On the plus side for the KA, it grinds through beef with no problem. If you just want to grind a few pounds of chuck at a time for burgers, the KA is a great choice that won't cost you much money or storage space.Comment
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I have no experience with home slicers, sorry I can't help there.
But, I use my KA meat grinder at least monthly. I normally grind 5-10 pounds at a time, like everyone has said, any more than that in one setting, I would get a dedicated grinder. The KA works great, with almost frozen meat. Having worked on a Custom Exempt cutting floor, I will tell you that the dedicated grinders are a BEAR to clean and sanitize. You spend more time cleaning it than you do grinding, if you are only doing small batches. And really, you should clean and sanitize between species (if that's an issue).Comment
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If you are still looking about, I just saw a Cabella's commercial. in their after Christmas Sale, they are including 'select meat processing equipment'. you might be able to find a good deal on a slicer there.Comment
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