What Slicer Should I Buy?

BethV

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Glendale, California
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  2. Bullseye
I am looking at buying a new slicer. I have a Chef's Choice slicer that I have used for years. The blade is small and it's a lot of work to slice meat. I have to cut my briskets in half to be able to actually slice it.

I think it's time to get a new slicer. I'm looking for one that does not require a lot of applied pressure on the user's end. My Chef's Choice requires me to apply pressure (to make it run) and slide the meat back and forth with the same hand. Drives me nuts.

Is a 12" blade necessary or will a 10" blade work?

I tried to find slicer posts on the forum but did not have much luck doing so.

I would appreciate any advice any of you might have as to the right slicer to buy.

Thanks so much and Happy 4th of July.
 
I have this 12" slicer; I cannot answer whether or not a 10" blade will suffice but I have never wished for more surface area while using this. It is heavy--somewhere between 60-70 lbs--so I keep it on a dedicated cart with wheels and move it from the dining room to the kitchen for use. Mine is probably cheaply made, especially compared with a brand such as Hobart but it works well for my interests. In order to be absolutely certain that all surface areas that can contact food are clean and sanitized, I need to remove the blade in order to reach the entire guard. It's possible that higher-end units do not require that depth of disassembly.

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Thank you for your response. That is so heavy. I'm hoping I can find one that is not so heavy since I will need to move it on and off the counter. I have to disassemble mine as well. Pain in the neck! But I would think that they all would be like that.
 
I bought the 12 inch slicer I have on Facebook Marketplace, It was from a local restaurant near where I work that went out of business, good thing they did, the the slicer was nasty dirty, so I took it apart and cleaned and disinfected everything. I've used 8 and 10 inch slicers in the past that were too small and under powered and don't have the patience to make a dozen slices and have to let it cool off for a hour. Yes It's heavy and has lots of power but is the easiest one I've ever cleaned and used. At some point I want to get or make a cart with a food grade stainless steel top to store and use it on. I thought about using my Bulls old legs as a table but it's too low for my liking.
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Thank you for your responses. I'm going to keep on looking and hopefully find something that is not as heavy. If I find something great, I'll report back!

Best,
Beth
 
Beth,
If you're set on a slicer, try stopping by Chef's Toys.

However, I have a slicer that I slowly moved away from because it is a lot of work, not to set up and run, but to clean. But I do understand if you want that super thin cut, a powered slicer is the only way to go.

For me, I moved to a long straight carving knife. I regularly cut 1/8" tritip and brisket. If you haven't used one, it's a very different type of knife. I have a couple modest Victorinox 12" carving knives.

https://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Fibrox-Slicing-Knife-Granton/dp/B0015ZW86I
 
@Roaniecowpony, I slice most things with my knives as well, but if I have a 15 pound pastrami for instance, that's a lot of slicing with a knife. I probably should keep the slicer I have and not fret about it being difficult to use. It's a pain but it does do the job. I just cut my meat and half so that I'm able to slice it reasonably easy.

Hope you're planning some fun things to cook this weekend. Today I trimmed a 21 pound brisket, I'm brining red sockeye that I ordered from Alaska, I have bacon brining in the refrigerator, and I have a pork belly on my smoker. We lost electricity for the past hour so I'm behind the eight-ball a little bit with my pork belly. I also plan to smoke a large swordfish steak sometime tonight. This is an addiction ?.

Have a great 4th and thanks!
 
@Roaniecowpony, I slice most things with my knives as well, but if I have a 15 pound pastrami for instance, that's a lot of slicing with a knife. I probably should keep the slicer I have and not fret about it being difficult to use. It's a pain but it does do the job. I just cut my meat and half so that I'm able to slice it reasonably easy.

Hope you're planning some fun things to cook this weekend. Today I trimmed a 21 pound brisket, I'm brining red sockeye that I ordered from Alaska, I have bacon brining in the refrigerator, and I have a pork belly on my smoker. We lost electricity for the past hour so I'm behind the eight-ball a little bit with my pork belly. I also plan to smoke a large swordfish steak sometime tonight. This is an addiction ?.

Have a great 4th and thanks!

Beth,
You sound incredibly busy. Are you cooking for events/catering? Those meats sound like they'll be great on the RecTec. I know anyone who is lucky enough to taste your cooking will be rewarded well.

Regarding the slicer, I bought my Global slicer off of Craigs list. It was used, but in good shape. I doubt it could span a full brisket on the cutting stroke. That would take a very large slicer.

This weekend, I plan to smoke the other half of those big beef ribs. I'm defrosting them now.

In my retirement, I hope to learn more about cooking from the best like you.
 
You're very kind! I don't cater anymore but I do cook for one client still. They are definitely benefiting from my new found education of smoking!
I have so many things cooking this weekend and I will probably freeze most of it and give the rest away to friends. We are still in social distancing mode.
Forgot about my beef ribs!!! Probably a good thing. Will you cook them as a plate or will you cut them up individually this time?
 

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