MEAT SLICER

[kc5tpy]

Hello Guys.  This thread is two fold.  First off as you may remember I bought a used 10" meat slicer.  Well I haven't done a thing with it yet.  I have since found out why I bought it cheap.  It is REALLY greasy and needs a clean BUT I found out it is the European version.  It is hard to get repaired and hard to get spares for.  SO!  My dilemma is do I spend the time cleaning and oiling only to find it works for a month and then breaks down?  My decision is no.  So I will be putting this slicer on E-Bay as is for what I paid for it.  £35 + shipping.  It does run.  My advice to you guys is if you see a slicer for £35 in Newark, I would leave it unless you want to gamble.  IF one of you want to gamble, I will ship it to you for that price.  I MEAN gamble!!  I will NOT stand by this item.  I will say if you plug it in it will run.  THAT IS IT!  If you buy it ; it is all yours!  I will not put it on E-Bay for a week or so.

Now the second part.  I want to buy a new meat slicer.  I am thinking a 12" blade as I HOPE it would be better for bacon.  I don't want the Andrew James plastic home version but I also don't need a butcher shop quality pro meat slicer.  I have more plans for it than just bacon.  I THINK I want the self sharpening blade.  All stainless steel.

SO!  Have I gotten something wrong?  Am I missing a trick?  Something I should be looking for?  Something I should avoid?  Brands?  Model numbers?  Where to buy?

Thanks for the advice guys.

Danny

 

[wade]

Hi Danny. Unless you are very lucky you will struggle to get a second hand slicer that size that is in good condition online at a reasonable price. You are more likely to find one at a liquidation auction. I managed to get my 12" Berkel from a local butcher who found it too big for the front of his shop when it was refurbished. It still cost around £300. If you are happy with a 10" blade then new they can be bought for about £260 from places like NextDayCatering.co.uk http://www.nextdaycatering.co.uk/p-38218-buffalo-meat-slicer-250mm.aspx. The 12" new ones are in the region of £360.

When selecting your slicer be sure to check how easy it is to take apart and clean after you have used it. The blade needs to be easily removable and also safe to remove - most professional grade slicers come with a removal tool so if you are buying one second hand make sure that it is still with the machine. Because of the difficulty to completely clean these machines between use, for commercial food preparation (here in the UK at least) it is not permitted to slice raw meats (like bacon) and ready to eat foods (like cooked ham or cheese) on the same slicer.

 

[kc5tpy]

Hello my friend.  I have only ever seen the 10".  My thought was I would be able to slice a larger ( wider ) belly on a 12"??  Am I wrong here?  Or is that only just not a problem and slice the belly in half?  I would also say that I don't think I want a "MONSTER" slicer to have to deal with.  I have seen pictures of the 12" Berkel ( a well known brand ) and they are pretty large.  Ya reckon I'd be fine with the 10"?  What I am looking at doing is bacon, cheese, cooked ( smoked ) gammon, and also some deli meats which I would buy as they are too much of a pain to make myself.  Many of those things are doable but I have a full time job and do I want to invest in a grinder, stuffer, na na na na and spend all that time and energy?  NO!  That is for when I retire.  Keep Smokin!

Danny

 

[wade]

My 10" (250mm) slicer is fine for most things however for larger pieces of bacon it struggles - however if i bend/fold/roll the bacon it will then usually be fine. I do find the 12" (300mm) blade more universal though. I have managed to easily slice anything I have produced so far.

I see that since I posted yesterday Nextdaycatering have put some of their slicers on sale.

http://www.nextdaycatering.co.uk/c-20900-slicers-graters.aspx