Meat Slicers?

September 16, 2006 2:47 PM

The DH and I are looking for a meat slicer so we can take advantage of cheaper "bulk" deli meats. It will also be used to slice roasts for jerky. We anticipate using it 2-4 times monthly. We want a good quality slicer that doesn't break the bank. A Hobart would be nice......but the budget is saying $200-$400 max. Any suggestions?
posted by MonkeyToes to Food & Drink (11 answers total)

I worked in a meat market for a year in college. LOTS of people just buy bulk meats and take them to the meat market or the deli to get them sliced. We didn't charge for this or anything, we'd just cut it, wrap it, and stick the original label on the outside. For a twice-monthly thing, that seems a lot more economical (I think you'd have to buy a lot of cheap deli meat to really make it worth it to spend $200-$400.
posted by RustyBrooks at 3:11 PM on September 16, 2006

are you in Boston? I may be able to connect you with one for that budget. I've no idea what they cost new.
posted by whatzit at 3:12 PM on September 16, 2006

What's a DH?
posted by aubilenon at 3:13 PM on September 16, 2006

Response by poster: DH = Dear husband. Darned husband. Damned hell-raiser. Your nomenclature may vary.
posted by MonkeyToes at 3:22 PM on September 16, 2006

Maybe something like this? Pickup in Carver, MA...
posted by ifranzen at 3:44 PM on September 16, 2006

Try This site!. They've got a good range and some decent prices.
posted by tomble at 4:51 PM on September 16, 2006

Where y'at? I might have a screaming deal on a restuarant quality slicer.
posted by fixedgear at 5:04 PM on September 16, 2006

find out where your local school districts get rid of stuff. Ours uses http://www.lemonsauctioneers.com/online.html.
They often have things like meat slicers. Right now they have a Hobart cooler for $100. Not a bad deal.
posted by nimsey lou at 5:24 PM on September 16, 2006

A decent knife or mandolin is probably the most cost-effective way to take advantage of bulk savings. First, they're way cheaper to start with, so you're already ahead of the game. Second, you'll only be slicing about a week's worth at one time, because slicing meat makes it go bad much faster. If it's just the two of you, and occasionally other family, you can probably mandoline a week's worth with little trouble and much savings on counter space. Another thing worth mentioning is that the commercial slicers are built to be dismantled and run through a commercial high-temp washer at the end of the night. They won't fit easily into a residential dishwasher, and they're really a pain to clean by hand because you have to disconnect all the pieces, handle the heavy,sharp blades carefully, and clean all the crevices. It's a 10-15 minute job to do it right, so it's not something you'd be cranking up "on demand". A mandoline can be washed and reused much more quickly, plus it'll fit in your dishwasher at home.

You may have considered all this, but I just wanted to point out some things you may not have considered. By all means, definitely take a look at one in person before spending much money.
posted by Mr. Gunn at 10:37 PM on September 16, 2006

Response by poster: Mr. Gunn, I like this idea. Suggestions for good-quality mandolines are welcome.
posted by MonkeyToes at 4:15 AM on September 17, 2006

Listen to your friend RustyBrooks. I do this all the time -- go to the meat cooler, pick out a nice boneless ham or whatever, and bring it over to the deli. Unless they're super busy, my Huge Chain Supermarket will happily slice it up for me. Of course, you're limited to boneless meats. But the savings are substantial.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 11:32 AM on September 17, 2006