A Simple Guide For Choosing The Right Slicing Equipment For A Restaurant Kitchen

Running a busy restaurant can be a harsh business. Rush hour at mealtimes means significant work to do with a never-ending line of customers waiting. This isn’t necessarily bad, but it is easy to get overwhelmed. The best way to manage a thriving foodservice business is to maximize the efficiency of your kitchen. 

The right tools and prep equipment are the deciding factors between prompt service with a smile and a rushed, haggard staff. Serving any type of food that needs to be quickly portioned means you need highly efficient slicing equipment. With all the available options, choosing the best slicer for your needs can be daunting. 

To make the right purchase easy, we’ve compiled this simple guide for choosing the right slicing equipment for a restaurant kitchen. Let’s take a look at the various options available, and how to get the best slicer for your needs.

Types of Kitchen Slicers

All slicers are task-specific and intended for portioning various types of food to the desired serving size. Here’s an overview of the most common kitchen slicers available.

Bread Slicers

Bakeries, delis and restaurants that serve portions of sliced bread in large quantities daily should consider investing in a bread slicer. They come in all shapes and sizes, but there are several essential considerations to make when choosing a bread slicer that’s right for your restaurant:

Designs

The two most common types of commercial kitchen bread slicers are freestanding and countertop designs. Freestanding models are mounted on racks with casters, so they save valuable countertop prep space. Better still, they can be easily moved for storage when not in use. The one drawback is they generally handle smaller volumes of bread than fixed or countertop-mounted bread slicers.

Countertop models are better for high volume slicing, but they do occupy a significant amount of available counter space. These are your best choice if sliced bread makes up a significant portion of your menu items, or if you serve bread as an appetizer. In short, the best bread slicer for your kitchen will be determined by your menu, kitchen floor plan and available countertop space.

Configurations

You can anticipate that any commercial bread slicer will come with presets for determining the width of each slice. This significantly cuts back on prep time for each loaf, as you can set the slicer and drop finished loaves through the slicer as they are ready. Each slice provides perfectly uniform bread for appetizers or sandwiches.

Certain bread slicers also have a higher cutting speed and handle more slices per hour than other models. If you have a high demand for sliced bread in your kitchen, you want to choose a bread slicer designed for volume. Estimate how many slices of bread per hour you currently use, and buy the slicer that can handle that volume. Your customers and your staff will thank you.

Maintenance

Crumbs must be swept away regularly from commercial-grade kitchen slicers. High volume kitchens need to clean appliances more frequently to keep them in good working order. Research a model that has easy maintenance features like removable parts and crumb drawers. Some owners invest in bagging features for bread slicers to speed up the process of getting products from kitchen to table while maintaining freshness. 

Deli Slicers

Foodservice establishments that require high volumes of thinly sliced meat or cheese as part of their menu should consider a deli meat slicer. They save time and significantly reduce waste by efficiently slicing cheeses, roasts, hams, chicken, turkey and all manner of processed meats.

Designs

The two most common designs are manual and electric deli slicers. Manual slicers don’t require a power source, but they are slower and more physically demanding on your kitchen staff. Electric deli slicers are a far better option if you cut a lot of deli meat or slice a significant amount of roasted meats or hard cheeses daily. Additionally, electric deli slicers tend to have more available features and configurations than manual models.

Configurations

Deli slicers typically come in gear or belt drive configurations, and most professionals prefer gear-driven systems for their durability. Belt-driven systems are typically less expensive to buy, but the drive belt will need to be exchanged on a regular basis. Gear-driven systems last much longer but are far more expensive to repair if they do break down.

Maintenance

All deli slicers must be kept spotless daily to maintain sanitary standards. Due to the nature of this appliance, cleaning should always be conducted with the utmost caution. Most have extensive safety features to make cleaning less hazardous and more efficient. That being said, you and your staff should always work carefully around the extremely sharp blade of any cutting machine. 

Last but not least, all moving parts should be maintained with food-grade lubricant to prevent unnecessary wear and tear. Proper lubrication can extend the lifespan of a commercial kitchen slicer by many years. Moreover, it’s the smart choice for getting the best return on your investment.

Produce Slicers

Any kitchen that prepares large quantities of fresh produce needs a commercial-grade produce slicer. It can significantly cut down on prep times for many dishes and allows for safer mass processing of fruits and vegetables. 

Designs

Whether you choose a manual or electric produce slicer depends on the volume of produce that needs preparing daily. Manual models are fine for kitchens that process moderate volumes of produce, but electric models are far more efficient. The primary consideration here is cost: electric models are more efficient, but also more expensive. Your choice will hinge on saving time over saving money.

Configurations

High volume slicers may be more costly, but they make quickly processing greens for salads and chopping vegetables for ingredients fast and easy. If you don’t need to process a high volume of produce though, you may find that a manual slicer is more than sufficient for your needs.

Maintenance

Like all slicers, produce slicers must be cleaned and sanitized daily to meet health and safety codes. Moving parts need to be lubricated daily, and blades should be removed, cleaned and sterilized as part of daily closing procedures. Many produce slicers have dishwasher-safe components, and you will need to consider this feature when choosing the right slicer for your commercial kitchen. The ability to quickly break down your slicer and load parts into the dishwasher significantly reduces maintenance hours for your staff.

Final Thoughts

Investing in commercial-grade slicing equipment is always a wise decision for business owners running a commercial kitchen. Researching the design, configuration and maintenance for each slicer are imperative to reducing preparation time and waste. If you are an Irving, Texas local business in need of high-quality commercial slicing equipment, consider Texas Restaurant Supply. We have a wide range of slicing equipment that is sure to meet your kitchen’s needs and budget. Contact us today or visit one of our locations near you.