Slicer

[oguard]

I have a Braun slicer which works well for smaller cuts of meat.I am still shopping around for a larger more industial type slicer that is easier to clean.I seen a 8" slicer at the sportsman show for $500.Alittle pricey for what I wanted to spend at the time.But after rebuilding my sundeck this june whats $500(just a drop in the bucket) ;)

KEEP ON SMOKIN

Mike

[Oldman]

This is a used entry level 12" BERKEL slicer that went for $462.00.




If you got the room for slicer like this then IMO this is the way to go. There not hard to clean and as you can see the sharping stones are mounted on the unit.

New depending upon the motor size 1/4 or 1/3 HP the price is from $900.00 to $1200.00. Note: Any 1/4 HP will not cut cheese without it burning out.

[jaeger]

I would like to take a poll or solicit some feedback regarding slicers.

It's about time to add one to the arsenal and I am hoping to get some advice on brand, size, style, etc.  Owstrich seems to have a funky looking Bosch gizmo that peeks my curiosity.  Obviously, the $2k top end restaurant beast would be best, but I have to store it, move it, and at that price hide it from my wife.

Any and all suggestions would be appreciated!

You have to ask yourself what you will be happy with including money spent. If you have the room and need, I would highly suggest the type of slicer that Olds pictured. If you are not going to be really using it for heavy duty, there is a lot of convenience to the smaller home versions that a lot of us use. The choice is yours.
Here is the slicer that I bought at linens and things. I like the way the tray is attached, I don't like the way the blade reassembles after a thorough cleaning...(not a huge deal) just not a heavy duty system like I am used to . Here is a link to the slicer I bought.
http://www.lnt.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1359925&cp=1331607.1331947.2286971&parentPage=family
Even though they call this the professional model don't be fooled. Overall it works for the jerky that I make and for the porkloins that I sometimes like to slice. That is about all that I use it for.
If you go for the "home version", my biggest observation would be the way the tray is attached. A lot of the slicers out there have a poor set up here. The product you are attempting to slice and the tray that it is sitting on tend to move directly into the blade as pressure is applied to hold product in place as you slice. I don't think the tray hitting the blade will do much for keeping a sharp blade or keeping the correct number of fingers on your hand.
Let us know what you decide.

[Oldman]

jaeger you are a brave man. I don't see a cover for the blade unless it is clear plastic.

[Habanero Smoker]

Winemaker;

Did you ever decide on a slicer? I'm beginning to look for one, but like Manxman I want one that will slice bacon, but not take to big of a slice out of my wallet.

[manxman]

like Manxman I want one that will slice bacon, but not take to big of a slice out of my wallet.

Yep, HS sums it up perfectly. None of the cheaper ones seem up to slicing bacon satisfactorily from comments here and elsewhere.

Coupled with that I am in the market for a new outboard motor at the moment for one of my dingies plus a new digital camera. The slicer has slipped down the list a tad!!!!  ;)

[iceman]

I gave in and after three slicers went and bit the bullet on a Hobart 1712E. Used.
OUCH!!!!!!!! And they didn't even give Ann a fur coat.
Had to get a roller chefs prep table just to put the 220 lb. thing on!
Now if I could only teach it to do dishes. Hmmmm.....
Boss lady said I sure as heck better get after figuring this bacon making thing out.
Thanks a bunch for spoiling Ann Jimguy!! ;) :D That was GOOD BACON you made!!! :) Anyhow it slices fish real nice for the time being.

[jimguy]

Thanks a bunch for spoiling Ann Jimguy!!

I understand Iceman, Nance has been tolerant of my smoking ribs and such but is a true convert after the Canadian bacon.

Adding my 2 bits worth about the slicer. I have a folding model Krups slicer that Nance says we bought around 1986. It has woked well for us slicing ham, roast beef, pastrami, Canadian bacon. We are not volume users so this machine works well for us. I agree with the ease  of use comment, I have used mine while consuming liberal amounts of personal lubricant and even without a blade guard have not cut any fingers. I do have to admit that the times between using have forced me to read the instructions :( but it is easy to disasemble and clean. The unit has a serrated blade which has remained sharp needing no touch up

[asa]

I went through this several months ago, after trying to slice pastrami with my German plastic pseudo-mandoline V-slicer (it worked, but not great). Gave some of the pastrami to some friends who were helping with an addition to the house, and when I mentioned needing a slicer, one said something like, "We've got one out at the house that used to be in the store." It turned out to be an old white, industrial-strength Hobart that weighed a ton. We could barely move it out of the truck. Unfortunately, I don't have room for something like that (I need to store it downstairs and bring it up for slicing sessions) or I would have picked it up because our friends were not using it and wanted to get rid of it. Made me think that the next house modification needs to be a permanent kitchen for my follies.

Anyway, I shopped around and purchased the Deni from Costco, which seemed to be a good deal for ~100. (http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11096444&whse=&topnav=&browse=&s=1)  It is the 14302 and does not include the scale, even though said scale is prominently displayed in the photograph.

The Deni seems to be a pretty good slicer, and it comes with 3 different blades. I have been able to slice my cottage bacon and pastrami very thin with this slicer. Haven't tried cheese yet. I seem to recall a previous flurry of posts about slicers on the forum and at least one other member mentioned that they had a Deni - that was my reason for looking it up in the first place. I read a lot of reviews and, while certainly not perfect, it seemed as good as any at the time so I got it when I saw the Costco price. Others have posted reviews elsewhere on the net, so I suggest you look those up also.