Knives are great, but when you need to slice large quantities of meat, having a meat slicer can make things quicker and more efficient. The Internet has expanded the market for meat slicers significantly, however, and that has made it difficult for people to choose the best one for their needs. This guide will give you the chance to look at the best slicers on the market and read our detailed reviews to see what each one has to offer. At the end of the article, you’ll even find helpful information on how to choose the right model, no matter what you have in mind.
Best Pick
The Chef’s Choice 615A000 slicer is our best pick, offering an affordable price tag for a high-quality unit that has a variety of features, including a high-quality, stainless-steel blade.
Budget Pick
Our budget pick is the NESCO FS-250 Food Slicer, which offers plenty of features in a high-quality product for a price that most people won’t expect.
Quick Comparison: Top 10 Best Meat Slicers
Highlighted Features
The Chef’s Choice 615A000 slicer is a versatile machine that offers a high-powered motor that runs on a gear drive to give you the perfect performance for all kinds of slicing needs. The tilted carriage guarantees efficient slicing without slippage, and there is even a locking button that will secure the carriage in a safe position when you aren’t using the appliance.
This unit comes with a product guarantee when shipped from the manufacturer and is available in two different colors to add a touch of style to any kitchen. The slicer also includes a metal food pusher for safety and can slice in thicknesses ranging from shaved to as much as one-inch-thick. Plus, its relatively compact size makes it a great choice to fit into any kitchen space without taking up too much room.2. NESCO FS-250, Stainless Steel Food Slicer
Highlighted Features
The NESCO FS-250 Stainless Steel Food Slicer offers something a little more heavy-duty for those who are looking for more than the average household meat slicer. This slicer includes a larger blade than most models and is made from heavy-duty materials to ensure sturdy operation no matter what you’re slicing.
This meat slicer offers precision depth control and can cut everything from thin deli shavings to slices up to 9/16 of an inch. The serrated blade is also great at handling food of all shapes and the recessed power switch ensures that there are no accidental on/off incidents and that food and debris won’t damage the switch. Plus, the non-slip feet ensure that the slicer stays in place at all times. The unit features a slicing guard and disassembles easily for convenient cleaning.3. Maxi-Matic Elite Platinum EMT-503B Ultimate Precision Electric Deli Food Meat Slicer
Highlighted Features
The Elite Platinum meat slicer is one of the best on the market, offering a high-quality design along with a more stylish finish than many other options out there. The stainless-steel blade and food carriage ensure that you can keep things sanitary and the entire unit is made from durable food-grade materials that will stand the test of time, including premium die-cast aluminum housing.
This precision-cut meat slicer is rustproof and easy to clean, coming apart with ease so that you can get all the parts sanitized before the next use. At just 10 pounds, it’s not difficult to move around the kitchen, and the safety features ensure that the blade is guarded and the machine won’t accidentally operate when not in use.4. Ostba Meat Slicer Electric Deli Food Slicer with Child Lock Protection
Highlighted Features
The Meat Slicker Electric Deli Food Slicer with Child Lock Protection is great for use in family homes because it offers additional protection from accidental operation or accidents that could occur when the unit is not in use. There is also a removable ring-guard to keep debris from building up, and the entire machine can be easily disassembled for easy cleaning between uses.
This slicer features a 7.5-inch stainless-steel blade along with suction feet to ensure that it never moves during operation. The extra lock means that you must push the safety and power buttons simultaneously to turn the slicer on. This unit also comes with a satisfaction guarantee and a quiet motor that delivers all the performance you need. Plus, as well as meat, it can also be used for bread, cheeses, vegetables.5. Chefman Die-Cast Electric Deli/Food Slicer
Highlighted Features
The Chefman Die-Cast Electric Deli/Food Slicer delivers precision slicing with adjustable thickness for a variety of slicing, shaving, and other cutting needs. The removable blade features a serrated edge for easier cutting of meats and cheeses, as well as making for easy cleaning. This unit is preferred by many home cooks with smaller kitchens because of its compact size, offering a smaller footprint than most units on the market today.
This meat slicer from Chefman also comes with a one-year warranty and a total satisfaction guarantee. The die-cast aluminum housing offers extra durability and the machine is one of the most affordable on the market today. It may not be as capable of handling heavy-duty jobs, but it can get a lot done with its compact size.6. Kitchener 9-inch Professional Electric Meat Deli Cheese Food Slicer
Highlighted Features
The Kitchener meat slicer might not seem like the most powerful slicer on the market, but it packs in a lot more power than you might expect. This small slicer includes a food pusher that has teeth to ensure better control and grip on whatever you’re slicing. You can also remove the blade for easy cleaning or choose different blades for various slicing needs, including an available nine-inch blade for bread and tough meats.
This meat and cheese slicer includes a guide plate and finger protection, along with an end piece holder to give you those deli-quality cuts every time. Plus, this product comes with a satisfaction guarantee to ensure that you’re happy with your choice. The suction-cup feet provide extra stability and can stick to just about any kitchen counter surface. Plus, it slices up to five-eighths of an inch thick.7. Best Choice Products New 10" Blade Commercial Deli Meat Cheese Food Slicer
Highlighted Features
The Best Choice Products New 10” Blade Commercial Deli Meat Cheese Food Slicer is a commercial-grade product for those wanting something a little more high-end than the typical home-use product. This unit features a premium commercial design that capitalizes on safety and efficiency, with a large blade and precision thickness adjustment dial.
The integrated on-off switch is out of the way so you don’t have to worry about it accidentally getting bumped, and it even includes a waterproof cover for added protection. The adjustable plate and carriage are just as easily removed as the blade to ensure easy cleaning and sanitization. Plus, the motor offers impressively quiet operation despite its high-level power.8. Valley Sportsman Stainless Steel Electric Food and Meat Slicer
Highlighted Features
This meat slicer is a fairly basic model designed for home use, but it does have plenty of features to appreciate. The food carriage and the blade remove easily for simple cleaning and sanitization, and the plastic food pusher is also easy to clean. It is made from food-grade, stainless-steel and die-cast aluminum materials and has a heavy-duty design.
The motor is surprisingly quiet despite its impressive 180 watts of power and ensures you get the perfect slice every time. It also features a built-in slide adjustment for thickness and comes with a satisfaction guarantee. The blade is serrated, making it ideal for bread, jerkies and other hard meats and foods. Although the design seems basic, the performance delivers everything that you need at a reasonable price, making it one of the top slicers available.9. F2C Professional Stainless Steel Semi-Auto Meat Slicer
Highlighted Features
The F2C Professional Stainless-Steel Semi-Auto Meat Slicer offers a little more power than the average home-use slicer without overdoing it. When you don’t quite need a commercial solution but you want a larger blade, this model is the perfect solution. The skid-proof feet and blade guard offer additional safety and the inset on/off switch ensures that the button is never pressed accidentally.
The switch is also waterproof to ensure that it never shorts out, and the food pusher includes teeth to hold foods in place and ensure consistent, accurate slicing every single time. It also comes with a built-in automatic blade sharpener so that you can always cut with perfect precision. The large tray ensures that you can collect a lot of meat before you have to empty and start again.
Highlighted Features
The Cuisinart FS-75 Kitchen Pro Food Slicer is a versatile kitchen tool that’s easy to operate, giving you everything that you want from a brand that is known for their quality kitchen electrics. This slicer is designed for home use but provides a professional performance that even the best of chefs would be happy with. The removable parts are easy to disassemble and clean, so you don’t have to worry about hygiene issues either.
This slicer includes a powerful 130-watt motor and can slice from 1/32 of an inch to ½-inch thick slices, making it great for bread, meats, and cheeses. The stainless steel and die-cast aluminum housing will ensure that you get many years of use out of this durable unit, which also includes a five-year warranty on the motor.How to Choose the Best Meat Slicer for Commercial or Home Slicing Needs
Buying a meat slicer has many advantages, but not everyone knows quite how to go about getting their hands on one of these appliances. Fortunately, it isn’t that difficult as long as you take a few minutes to learn what you should be looking for. Having a meat slicer will make it easier to entertain and even just make everyday life simpler when you use a lot of meats, cheeses and other sliced products. You simply have to understand the different types of slicers on the market, the features that they offer, and what you ultimately should be looking for.
Commercial vs. Home-Use Meat Slicers
The primary consideration in your purchase will be whether you choose a commercial slicer or a slicer that is designed for home use. Where you are using the slicer may not be as relevant as you think, though. While you might not want a home slicer for a business that has a deli, you could very well find a reasonably priced commercial slicer that fits your home use needs better than any of the other options.
The biggest difference between commercial and home-use slicers is their capacity to slice and work continuously without incident. Commercial slicers are designed for more regular, heavy-duty use, in most cases, while home slicers will typically have a more light-duty function in mind. When you look at the reviews and read the product specifications, check out how much power and performance these machines offer, regardless of what they’re advertised as, because that is what matters.
Most of the time, you’ll find that for everyday use, a meat slicer that is sold for the home is going to be more than sufficient, especially thanks to all of the available technology today.
Electric vs. Manual Slicers
The next thing on your list is going to be whether you choose to buy an electric slicer or a manual model. Manual slicers are typically more affordable, of course, because they don’t have a motor. However, they can be more cumbersome. For those who don’t have a lot of arm strength, they can be nearly impossible to use on harder cheeses and other foods. However, they do have a place in some kitchens, so they’re worth taking into consideration.
Electric slicers are generally the best option when you are looking into buying a meat slicer for the home. These machines work either automatically, by feeding and slicing the meat on their own, or with partial manual assistance, using power to spin the blade but requiring you to guide the meat across the blade for cutting. The automatic option can slice up to 60 pieces per minute, making it the obvious choice for efficiency. However, it is also going to be a more expensive option.
The Blade Is Everything
When purchasing a meat slicer, there are a lot of factors to take into account. However, one of your primary concerns should be the blade that comes with the slicer that you choose. You should always buy a machine that has a stainless-steel blade. A hardened one is even better but not required. It's also a good idea to check for a built-in sharpener so that you can guarantee that your blade will always be sharp and ready for cutting.
As far as blade size goes, most of the best models come with a blade that ranges from seven to eight inches in diameter. The exact size depends on how much you’ll be slicing, as this can impact the volume that you get. A larger blade will deliver more performance than a smaller one.
Other Important Buying Factors to Consider
When you are in the market for a good meat slicer, there are a lot of elements that you will have to consider. In addition to choosing the intended use of your slicer and whether you want an electric or manual model, the features below should be on your list.
Safety Features
There are many different safety elements to consider with something like a meat slicer, which often has a razor-sharp blade and may operate at very high speeds. Fortunately, most devices have a blade guard to protect it when not in use and they will also often include a locking mechanism for the food carriage so that no one accidentally starts the machine. Some have a safety button that may need to be pressed simultaneously with the power button to use the unit.
Some models that operate on electricity will include a power switch that is inset or out of the way, again so that there isn’t a risk of accidentally turning the slicer off or on. Some models have waterproof power switches for even more protection. These are all things to think about when choosing your slicer.
Ease of Use
The goal of a meat slicer is to make your life easier. It's no secret that you’d want it to be easy to use. Choose a machine that isn’t difficult to set up, operate, or clean so that you can guarantee that you’re making the best investment. Although they may not look simple, most slicers are very easy to use, so this one shouldn’t be too difficult to accomplish.
Ease of Cleaning
Again, you want to choose a machine that isn’t going to make things complicated or give you more work to do. The point is to be efficient, after all. Most of these machines disassemble easily and can be cleaned with soap and water, making it easy to check this off of your list. Sanitation is critical with something like a food slicer, which has a lot of nooks and crannies that can hide food debris if you don’t clean the machine properly after each use.
Performance and Durability
You’ll have to consider the machine itself. How well is it made and how powerful is the motor? Are you getting a machine that is going to be able to stand up to the kind of slicing that you need to do? These are all personal preferences, depending on your intended use, but they’re important things to think about. The power of the machine, or its wattage, will determine whether it is designed for light, medium, or heavy-duty use.
Uses
Some meat slicers will only slice certain meats and soft cheeses. Others can be used for hard cheeses, bread, vegetables and many other foods. Think about what you intend to use your slicer for and whether the extra food-slicing capabilities will be something that you take advantage of.
Size
Along with choosing the right type of machine (home vs. commercial use), you will also want to consider its size and capacity. Based on how much meat you intend to slice and how much space you have to use and store this machine, it will be important to look at the sizes of the different slicers to see how they might fit into what you need. Some compact models are even easy enough to move into and out of a cupboard or other storage area so that you don’t have to store them on the counter.
A Note on Cost
While a lot of buying guides will include the cost in their list of considerations, it has a really limited place if you truly want to get the best meat slicer that money can buy. Limit yourself only based on your budget or what you feel comfortable spending, which will vary significantly depending on whether you are buying a home slicer or a commercial-grade machine. Beyond that, the factors listed above will be far more important to think about. Ultimately, you’ll want to make sure that you get the best investment for your kitchen, regardless of how much you spend.
Benefits of Owning a Meat Slicer
Investing in a meat slicer has plenty of perks to consider. This is something that people might not think that they can afford, or they might just assume that it’s more than what they need. The reality is that there’s a lot to gain through purchasing a meat and food slicer, including the benefits listed below.
- Efficient: Food slicers are faster and easier than cutting food by hand with a knife. Even electric knives aren’t as efficient as a food slicer for meats, cheeses, bread, and other foods that need to be sliced regularly.
- Thinner Slicing: You can’t easily create shaved and thin slices with a knife unless you’re an expert with your knife skills. A meat slicer offers various thicknesses, including shaved thin slicing.
- Money-Saving: Although the initial investment in the machine is going to be bigger, the cost will pay for itself over time. Think about how much you spend on lunch meat, cheese, and other sliced foods that are charged at a premium, even just in a month. Most of these units will pay for themselves in less than six months.
- Consistency: There is something to be said for consistency when it comes to slicing meats and cheeses. Having uniform slices looks better and gives you the perfect ratio for your sandwiches, no matter what you prefer. Rather than trying to get “good enough” slices by hand, you can guarantee consistent, uniform slices when you use one of these machines.
- Ease of Use: Despite their slightly-intimidating look, these slicers are uniquely easy to use. You simply turn them on, slide the feeder or carriage, and let the blade do the work. You will need to read the manual, but getting started will be quick and easy once you do. It's just a smarter, more effective way to do things, and it’s easier than any knife.
- Creativity: You can create custom slices of various foods. There are so many foods that you can cut on a meat slicer besides meat and cheese. With many of the models on this list, you will be able to slice vegetables, bread, and other items, as well.
These are just a few of the perks of investing in a meat slicer, no matter what your intended use might be. With so many different products on the market, you are sure to find at least a few of these perks for yourself, if not all of them, when you choose your ideal slicer.
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