How to Choose a Meat Slicer: A Buyer's Guide
The short answer: for most home kitchens, the meat slicer to buy is an electric one with a 200 to 220 mm blade and a built-in sharpener. It handles salami, coppa, pancetta, cheese and the Sunday roast, it fits on a kitchen bench, and it stays sharp because sharpening takes a few seconds. Go up to a 250 mm blade if you slice bigger pieces every week, and to 300 mm if you are running a deli or café counter.
We import our slicers from Essedue and RGV in Italy and supply them to other retailers around Australia, and every model is on display at our shops in Laverton North and Epping. This is what we tell people across the counter.
Which meat slicer suits you?
| You want to... | Look at | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Slice salami, cheese or bread now and then, in a small kitchen | RGV Ausonia Smarty | 170 mm blade, slices from 0 to 20 mm, weighs 2.2 kg and folds up to store in a cupboard |
| Have a compact everyday slicer without spending much | RGV Ausonia 190 | 190 mm belt-driven blade, slices up to 14 mm. No sharpener, but replacement blades are on our shelf |
| Slice your own salami and salumi every week | RGV Lucy GS or Essedue 220AF | 200 to 220 mm blade, built-in sharpener and a solid aluminium body that does not walk across the bench |
| Slice coppa, pancetta and bigger pieces of ham | Essedue 250AF, RGV Lusso GS 250 or RGV Luxury 250 | 250 mm blade and a bigger carriage, so larger pieces go through in one pass |
| Slice all day in a café, deli or butcher's shop | Essedue 220AFAB PROF or Essedue 300C | Essedue's commercial-standard build, a blade protection ring and a built-in two-stone sharpener, in 220 or 300 mm |
Blade size matters more than anything else
The diameter of the blade decides how big a piece the slicer can take in one pass. Manufacturers list this as the cutting capacity. Essedue's manual gives 150 x 200 mm for the 220AF, 190 x 230 mm for the 250AF and 210 x 230 mm for the 300C. RGV gives 115 x 140 mm for the Ausonia Smarty and 200 x 130 mm for the Lucy GS. Measure the biggest thing you slice and check it fits.
- 170 to 195 mm: salami, small cheeses, bread and cooked meats.
- 200 to 220 mm: most home-cured salumi, coppa, pancetta and roast meat. This is the sweet spot for a home kitchen.
- 250 mm: larger coppa and pieces of boned ham, and heavier weekly use.
- 300 mm and up: deli counters, boned prosciutto legs and all-day slicing.
Built-in sharpener, removable sharpener or none
A slicer is only as good as its edge. Essedue's manual says to sharpen as soon as the slices look frayed or uneven, or you notice more waste. On a slicer with a built-in sharpener that takes seconds: the manual has you run the sharpening stone for 3 to 4 seconds, then the truing stone for 1 to 2 seconds to take off the burr.
- Fixed (built-in) sharpener: always on the machine, so you actually use it. This is what we recommend for anyone slicing every week.
- Removable sharpener: fitted only when you sharpen, which leaves the machine quicker to clean. RGV notes that some of its models with a removable sharpener are sold without one in the box, so check the listing.
- No sharpener: found on compact slicers like the Ausonia. When the blade dulls, you replace it. We keep replacement blades for the slicers we sell.
Every sharpening takes a little off the blade. Essedue says to replace a blade once it has worn 10 mm smaller than its original diameter.
Belt or gear drive?
Almost every home and light commercial slicer is belt driven. Essedue's manual for its AF, AFP, C and E models puts their low noise down to the belt transmission, and the RGV Ausonia's blade is driven by a belt too. A belt runs smoothly and quietly, and it is a cheap part to replace. Drive belts are in our parts range.
Gear drive sends more power to the blade and belongs on heavy commercial machines. Essedue builds gear-driven slicers in its heavy-duty range for hard products like cheese and frozen goods. For a home kitchen, it is more machine than you need.
How much motor power do you need?
Do not buy on wattage alone. Home slicers run on small motors: RGV's range from 100 W on the Ausonia 190 to 140 W on the Luxury 250, and Essedue's current light-duty slicers are 110 to 150 W. Their heavy-duty deli machines run 240 to 370 W. For home slicing, a sharp blade and a solid carriage make more difference to the slice than extra watts.
What does matter on a home slicer is rest. RGV says its home slicers should run for no more than 15 minutes at a time, then rest for 25.
Home or commercial?
Essedue builds its slicers to the European safety standard for slicers (EN 1974) and to the standard for commercial electric kitchen machines (EN 60335-2-64). The food carriage can only be taken off with the thickness set to zero, so the blade stays covered. That is why an Essedue suits a café or deli as well as a home kitchen. RGV's Ausonia, Lucy, Luxor and Luxury slicers are designed for the home.
What you can and cannot slice
- Yes: salami, boned prosciutto, coppa, pancetta, ham, roast and cooked meats, cheese and bread. For bread and cheese, a serrated or Teflon-coated blade does a better job, and Essedue says to use a special blade for them.
- No: meat with bones in it, fruit, and frozen food. Essedue's manual says not to slice anything colder than minus 2°C.
Meat straight from the fridge slices cleanest. Warm meat smears and tears.
Using a meat slicer safely
- Always use the food pusher and keep your hands away from the blade, even with the guards on.
- Set the thickness to zero and switch off before you load or unload the carriage.
- Stand the slicer on a stable, dry bench. Essedue recommends a work surface about 800 mm high.
- Before cleaning, switch off, unplug and set the thickness to zero. Essedue says to wear cut-resistant gloves whenever you clean.
How to clean a meat slicer
Clean it after every use, or at least once a day if you slice often. With the slicer unplugged and the thickness at zero, take off the food carriage, then wipe the carriage, blade cover, deflector and base with a soft cloth, warm water and a mild food-safe detergent. Wipe off the detergent and let everything air dry before you put it back together.
Essedue's manual is clear on what not to do: leave the blade on the machine, never pour water over the slicer or pressure wash it, do not put the parts in the dishwasher, and do not use bleach, steel wool or scourers. Some RGV parts, such as the food holder arm on the Luxury 250, are dishwasher safe, so check the manual for your model.
A straight word on price
You will find cheaper slicers, and some of them are fine for a salami a month. What you get with an Essedue or RGV is a machine made in Italy, built to be repaired rather than thrown out. Because we import them ourselves, we keep the blades, sharpening stones, belts and switches on our shelves, every model is on display to try at Laverton North and Epping, and every slicer comes with a 1-year warranty from us. For a machine you will use for years, we think that is worth more than the cheapest price.
See the full range of electric meat slicers, find slicer blades and parts, or come and try one at Laverton North or Epping. Curing your own? Our salami and sausage making range has everything before the slicer.
