The Best Home Meat Slicer

Purchase one of these to save time and money – and blow guests away with your unique charcuterie boards!

When it comes to cutting meats, breads, cheeses and veggies, electric slicers are chopping bulldozers – nothing can beat the speed, efficiency and neatness with which they chew through your cold cuts and veggie sticks! Here are some advantages to owning an electric meat slicer:

• It saves you money. It’s a lot cheaper to buy bulk blocks of cheese or large cuts of cold meats, and then you simply run them through your slicer and voila – you have sandwich ingredients for the week.
• It’s wonderful for entertaining. Your platters of sliced delicacies look so neat and uniform – and are super quick and easy to prepare.
• It’s helpful when you’re on a diet. Some food slicers can cut toppings paper thin, so you can enjoy your ham and cheese sandwich with a smaller sprinkling of guilt.
• It saves time. If you make your own jerky, ham, bacon or dried fruit, or if you’ve ever carved a roast, you know how much time it can take to painstakingly slice your delicious fare. No more waiting while your mouth waters and your food grows cold!

We’ve rounded up a collection of the very best electric meat slicers to help you find your perfect fit.

Beswood 10-Inch Premium Food Slicer

This sleek 240 watt powerhouse is among the very best when it comes to electric slicers designed for home use. It boasts a terrifyingly sharp, smooth blade that spans all of 10 inches and can slice through frozen meats and sticky cheeses. The fact that it isn’t serrated means that the cuts come out a lot cleaner than with this slicer’s serrated counterparts. The blade is chromium-plated carbon steel, so it stays sharp and, if treated right, won’t corrode. As if that’s not enough, the slicer has an in-built sharpener – two stones mounted at the top of the slicer.

On the down side, this razor-sharp blade is a little tricky to remove. Unfortunately, in order to clean the machine well, this must be done, as debris gathers behind the blade. It is fastened with three Allen wrench screws, so you’ll need an Allen wrench, and a lot of care, to remove it. Once removed, do not place the dirty blade in the dishwasher – the chrome finish will oxidize and that will ruin it. The body of the slicer can be wiped down with a soft damp cloth and some warm soapy water.

The quality that you’re paying for is quite obvious with the Beswood Premium. Its aluminum body feels sturdy and durable compared to the many plastic variations on the market. Electric slicers can be hellishly noisy, but this one has a quiet, expensive purr. You don’t have to worry when juices dribble, as the on-off switch is waterproof.

When it comes down to it, how does it actually slice? The slicing tray is 12 by 6 inches so it can effectively slice a chunk of produce that’s about 5.5 by 5.5 inches in size. It can churn out a hefty quarter-inch slice, or a delicate paper-thin sliver – provided what you’re slicing is firm enough. For a home slicer, the Beswood Premium 10 inch is probably as close to a commercial deli slicer as you’ll get.

Weston 7.5-Inch Stainless Steel Food Slicer

This is another smooth-bladed electric slicer – that comes with a wonderfully affordable price tag. It cuts through jerky, roasts, veggies, breads and hard cheeses, while being easy on the pocket.

The Weston 7.5 inch boasts some lovely features. Once again, the smooth blade provides beautiful clean slices. It has suction feet on its base, so if you suction it properly to the counter it tends to stay put, though it can start to slide if it’s chewing through particularly hefty fare. The body is sleek-looking and crafted from durable stainless steel. If your produce is neither too soft nor too firm, you can get paper-thin slices out of the Weston. It goes up to a chunky half-inch, too, so it’s wonderful for preparing dipping platters.

Once again, cleanup involves removing the blade by loosening the screws – this one can go in the dishwasher – and wiping down the body with warm soapy water and a damp cloth. The sliding tray that holds the food you’re slicing can’t be removed unless you unscrew it, and there are lots of little crannies for debris to fall into, so cleaning is a little frustrating and time consuming.

Unfortunately, there are ways you can tell that this slicer is a cheaper option. At 200 watts, it’s not too bad, but it doesn’t have the impressive power of the Beswood Premium, and struggles a bit with softer meats and cheeses or very hard foods like frozen meats or turnips. It’s much noisier than the expensive Beswood and KWS Premium slicers. There’s no built-in sharpener, so if you don’t own one that will work for the blade you may have to purchase one. It has no finger guard, so you do have to be extremely careful when running the machine. It comes with a plastic pusher for pressing food through the blade, but we’d suggest purchasing a pair of safety gloves – like these ones ( Dowellife Cut Resistant Gloves [ Amazon Link ] ) – as well. At 7.5 inches, the blade is smaller than most of the others on this list. However, this machine really perform well considering its price point. If you love a bargain, you’ll love the Weston 7.5 inch.

Chefman Die-Cast Electric Slicer

This sleek little number will delight anyone who owns a modestly-sized kitchen. If your kitchen is basically a walk-in cupboard where every inch of wall space holds a shelf and every shelf is crammed to capacity, you know that the struggle is real. At 9 by 12 inches, you’ll be able to find a corner somewhere for the Chefman Die-cast.

It boasts some wonderful safety features. The suction cups on the base work well once suctioned properly, though the machine may still slide a little when slicing heftier pieces. It’s edged with a finger guard, and comes with a plastic food pusher. Nonetheless, it needs to be treated with respect – the blade is alarmingly sharp.

When it comes to cleanup, this slicer takes the cake: compared to most other slicers, washing is a breeze. The deck that holds the food you’re slicing tips forward, and you don’t need to fiddle with screwdrivers or Allen keys to remove the blade – there’s a knob that you simply twist and pull.

There are a few trade-offs for its neat size. You can’t expect motor power like you would from the bulkier options out there; at 180 watts, it’s the second least powerful slicer on this list. However, the serrated blade functions like a saw and helps to compensate for the slower turning speed. The serrated edge doesn’t slice as cleanly as a smooth one, though, so expect ragged slices for all softer produce. It does excel at cutting bread. The slicer has the potential for an excellent range of thicknesses – from near-commercial grade thinness to half an inch thick – once you’ve figured out its performance based on the firmness of your produce. Together with the Weston, the 7.5 inch blade is the smallest on this list, so don’t anticipate being able to carve up enormous roasts with this machine; you’ll have to divide large produce into smaller chunks by hand first. It also doesn’t come with a landing tray for slices, so you have to place it over a board or tray. Surprisingly, it’s also rather noisy. But overall, the Chefman Die-cast is a really good buy – it gets the job done while being easy on the pocket and on your cupboard or counter top space.

Kitchener 9-Inch Professional Electric Slicer

The Kitchener 9 inch is an exciting option when it comes to budget-friendly electric slicers – with this one, you can change the blades! It comes with a smooth blade, but you can also order a bread blade and a universal serrated blade from the manufacturers. This provides a lot of versatility and ensures that with a little practice you can get the perfect cut every time. There’s no inbuilt sharpener, though, so you have to sharpen the blades yourself.

The slicer performs well in general, but does have a few drawbacks. Once again, it features suction cups to secure it to the work surface. It does tend to slide, though, when slicing hard foods. It has a sturdy coated steel and die-cast aluminum body, so despite the affordable price tag it’s built to last. It has a plastic food pusher, and a finger guard, but no tray to catch the slices. If the slices pile up behind the machine, they tend to get sucked back into the blade, so you need to remove them relatively often, which makes the whole process a little more time consuming. The thickness of slices ranges from very thin to just over half an inch, making it the chunkiest cutter on this list, and at 9 inches it’s large for its price point. It’s the least powerful, though, at 150 watts.

The machine dissembles – you need no special tools for the job, a coin will do – and blades are stainless steel, so once again cleanup is easy, as electric slicers go. Blades should last very well, provided you keep them clean and dry. It’s a wonderful, middle-of-the road machine – one that can give you many hours of service without asking too much from your bank account.

KWS Premium Commercial Meat Slicer

This meat slicer packs a punch – it may take a bite from your wallet, but you get what you pay for! For a start, the 10 inches of Teflon-coated stainless steel blade does a magnificent job of slicing through stickier products like cheeses, saving time as fewer pauses are needed during food processing for wiping down a gunked-up blade. It’s also more durable than your average blade, and is kept unbelievably sharp by inbuilt whetstones.

The KWS Premium is big – it can chew through a chunk of produce that measures up to 7.5 by 7 by 5.5 inches. It slices very evenly and accurately, due to the pristine quality of the blade and the punchy 320 watt motor (the most powerful on this list), and can churn out delicate shavings, 0.4 inch slabs and anything in between.

The hardy aluminum alloy body is set on skid-proof feet, which keep it pretty stable. It has a waterproof on/off switch, so you don’t need to feel nervous when juices start to trickle down its sides. Its quiet purr reminds you why you were willing to lay down that relatively hefty sum in order to purchase it!

This machine is really very sanitary. The carriage dissembles, and once you’ve read the instructions it’s quite easy to do. Parts can’t go in the dishwasher, though, as the aluminum will corrode.

This is the slicer for cheese lovers! It slows down a little as the blade enters the cheese, but it cuts perfect slices with no crumble, and can process a bulk loaf of cheese without batting an eyelid. And even if you don’t eat a lot of cheese, the KWS premium will delight you with its obvious quality and ease of use.

How to Get the Most from Your Electric Slicer

Before buying a home meat slicer, there are a few things you should know.

• You can’t expect commercial quality from a home slicer. If you’ve ever worked at a deli, you’ll know that professional slicing machines start at a way higher price point than even the best home slicers on our list. It may say “professional” or “commercial” in the title, but don’t be fooled. Slicing machines designed for home use aren’t as powerful, or as precise as their professional counterparts.
• Home slicers shouldn’t be used as meat processors. They’re amazing at cutting boneless roasts or cold processed meats, but they can’t slice through bone. To slice up a meat carcass or carve your own t-bones, you need an electric meat saw.
• It’s a good idea to invest in a pair of kitchen safety gloves! Even if your electric slicer has a finger guard, and you religiously use the plastic food pusher – accidents happen, and you don’t want that accident to happen with a lethally sharp blade whirring at hundreds of reps a second! Not to mention the fact that you’ll need to remove and wash the blade at some point.
• You should expect cleanup to take a little while. On our list, we’ve analyzed the ease of cleanup when it comes to these slicers, but please do remember that because the machines are electric, they can’t be submerged in a basin of warm water. Wiping with a soft cloth and perhaps scraping up food debris will be a part of every cleaning session, and many parts can’t go in the dishwasher.
• Read the instructions before dismantling the machine. Some of us like to read instructions, some of us like to attack a machine with screw-drivers and wrenches in a gung-ho fashion – in this case, reading the instructions first could save you a lot of time and money.
• Most meat slicers can’t run for longer than ten minutes at a time. If the motors run for too long, they can burn out. Some slicers need up to thirty minutes of rest between sessions. The instructions booklet should contain the details you need to know.
• Most slicers perform better when products are firm. This may mean that food needs to be in the fridge or freezer for an hour or two before you can process it.

If you spend your time on the go, and mostly see the inside of your kitchen when you’re mixing a bowl of cereal in the morning, or whipping up a cup of hot chocolate before turning out the lights at night, then an electric slicer is probably an investment that won’t give returns. But if you spend hours in the kitchen cooking up sumptuous homemade meals; if you’re always reaching for bulk bargains, which you then need to process, on the grocery store shelves; if you love entertaining, or get a kick out of crafting your own bacon, hams, jerky and dried fruit and veg, then an electric meat slicer could be a lifesaver.