Thinking of getting a professional food slicer?

Had also been looking through some of them and my thoughts gravitated towards the Chef’s Choice International Professional Food Slicer.

It can be used upright to slice meats and cheeses. For the quick slicing of bread, vegetables and fruits, you can use the “gravity feed” which uses the food pusher or the self-feed mode.

It is solid and stable and comes fully assembled and is ready for you to use. It also has built-in safety features. This food slicer is of professional quality and has incorporated in it many features that are found in commercial units.

It is made of heavy-duty rugged parts,aluminium and stainless steel construction. It comes with a powerful 130 watt condenser motor that results in smooth, efficient and quiet operation.

The slicer blade is a fully hardened 7-inch solid surgical stainless-steel blade. This is good for working with meats,bread, cheese, vegetables and others.

Because of the cantilevered design, large trays and platters can be used. There is easy access for cleaning.

The food carriage fully retracting permits slicing of extra-large hams, roasts and other foods. A convenient serving tray is included.

For extra safety, there is a instant response on/off switch that is built into the food carriage.

This food slicer comes with one-year limited warranty

Customer Feedback on Chef’s Choice International Professional Food Slicer

One of the customers had actually tested slicing different items. She tested it with bulk cheese, pepperoni, regular “store” bread and an artisan loaf. She said that the pepperoni was perfect with the same thickness slices. So was the bulk cheese and the artisan bread. And one slice of the regular bread gave her 3 even slices without tearing the bread. Potatoes for potato chips came out all with the same “thinness” and were perfect for frying.

She also said that the thickness adjustment knob stays as set and the settings can be repeated. She also found it easy to clean.

Another happy user said that it allows for deli-thin slicing. While cleaning up is easy, it is not for casual use. In this case, the customer slices up the entire roast or chub of salami all at one go. Unlike friends who settled for cheaper products and have since stopped using their food slicers, this customer continues to use it at least twice a month and says that “it never disappoints”.

That was the good stuff. There was one customer who was very disappointed. Had expectations that the Chef’s Choice International Professional Food Slicer clearly did not meet for the price paid.

The food slicer was unreasonably difficult to clean and sanitize. You can take off the plastic trolley and plastic pusher for washing with mild soap but not in dishwasher. The trolley rail then needs to be re-oiled with a brush so that it can reach the proper surfaces.

BUT, the slicing guide is attached to the unit permanently. While slicing, you push the food against this. This customer was very concerned with bacteria and food poisoning. More so, as there was nothing mentioned in the manual about cleaning this part.

There were also issues with the cleaning of the blade.

The customer had been for using the food slicer once or twice a week. But with the cleaning routine, they found it too much work.

Furthermore, the product is described as ‘rugged aluminum and stainless steel’, but there were many plastic parts. The “beautiful serving tray that comes with it also turned out to be a translucent plastic tray and was a disappointment.

So, customer is now looking for a decent food slicer, that is rugged stainless steel and aluminum without plastic, which can be disassembled so that all surfaces which come in contact with food can be cleaned, preferably in a dishwasher.

Food Slicer in Action

Choosing A Food Slicer

Here are a few criteria that you can use in choosing a professional food slicer.

1. A stainless steel food slicer is better than getting a plastic one. While the plastic models may not be all that costly, the stainless steel ones are more sanitary and easier to clean. They will also last longer.

2. Pick a size that suits your requirements.

3. Buy a food slicer that is easy to clean.Edit Page ‹ Professional Food Slicer — WordPress

4. A food slicer can be quite a dangerous piece of equipment. Find one that has safety features.

5. Read reviews of products to make sure that you are getting a food slicer that meets your needs.
Chef’s Choice, Waring and Rival are some of the brands that carry professional food slicers.

Using The Food Slicer

First adjust the settings of the slicer. If you are unsure to start with, it is OK, as you can adjust it again later.

Use the food pusher that should be attached to the slicer to hold the food item in place. Do not ever use your hand for this as you can get hurt.

Then, push the start button to get the slicer blade activated. Keep pushing the food carrier towards the blade using the food pusher. As you cut, the slices will drop off into the tray underneath the blade and food carrier.

Once you are done, clean each part of the food slicer thoroughly. Consult the manual provided with the professional food slicer for instructions on cleaning it.

Chef’s Choice, Waring and Rival are some of the brands that carry professional food slicers.