Commercial Meat Slicers & Deli Slicers
Because commercial meat slicers are much faster and more precise than handheld knives, they make it much easier to slice meat to the customer's exact specifications. From shaved turkey to thick-sliced steaks, employees can adjust the blade to produce a variety of thicknesses. More
These slicers are able to slice a variety of deli meats, but cannot make it through dense cheeses.
These more powerful slicers are capable of slicing cheese in addition to meat with knives that range from 10 to 14 inches.
Commercial meat slicers are available in three varieties: automatic, semi-automatic, and manual. Some models have adjustable settings that let users flip the machine between manual and automatic modes for the best of both worlds. Automatic machines are good for high-volume slicing in large portions. Operators can load an automatic commercial slicer, turn it on, then take care of other tasks while the machine slices up product. These machines cost a bit more than manual models, but they require less employee labor to run and are perfect for repetitive slicing needs.
When working with a manual industrial meat slicer, staff must continuously slide meats and cheeses across the blade. Manual models are more affordable than automatic options and are good for operation in high-volume locations such as grocery store delis, where employees slice smaller portions of several different products out throughout the day.
Some commercial deli slicers are designed to cut both meat and cheese, and others are built to slice only meat. Cheese is much denser than meat and tends to cling to the slicer blade, producing increased friction and resistance. Because of this, machines rated for cheese slicing typically have larger blades and stronger motors than models built exclusively for meat.
It's important to consider what type and how much of each product you slice per day when shopping for a meat slicer. Commercial venues serving a high volume of sliced cheese in addition to meat will benefit from choosing a powerful slicer with a large blade. Locations primarily slicing meat can save money by opting for a trimmed down model. Some operators choose to buy separate professional meat slicers for meat and cheese to prevent excessive wear on a single unit.