Many of us cut meat on a regular basis when cooking at home -- and most people will likely use a knife to do so. But for restaurants and commercial kitchens that cut large amounts of meat on a daily basis, this may not be the best option. It takes up way too much time, provides reduced precision, and comes with safety risks. Buying a commercial meat cutter, therefore, is an option that makes sense for applications that require a higher volume of production and attention to detail.

But before buying one of these machines, you must consider a number of factors to ensure you make the right purchase. This information will help you choose the best professional meat cutter for your needs.

1. Why Do You Need a Meat Cutter?

Commercial meat cutters are ideal for professional chefs, but they can be an attractive option for home cooks, too. Other than safety issues, there are many more reasons why buying this kitchen equipment is a smart choice in the long run.

First, a commercial meat cutting machine increases the efficiency with which you handle your meat-cutting tasks. In the time it would take to cut a single slice of meat by hand, you'd be much closer to finishing your work with help from commercial meat cutters. This can save substantial time in the kitchen, which is crucial when working under a tight timeline.

Second, commercial meat cutters and grinders are very versatile. Although their intended use is to slice up the meat, they can be used to cut other foods (such as cheeses). They can also be used to cut precise slices of varying thicknesses, which can be vital for grocery stores, casual eateries, and upscale restaurants alike.

Because these machines are easy to use and don’t require any specialized training, they're a must-have for many commercial applications. While you'll always want to ensure that your kitchen staff is properly trained, the ease of use makes this equipment highly accessible to professionals of all levels (and even home users, in some cases).

2. What Types of Meat Cutters are Available?

When looking to buy a professional meat cutter, there are two main options to choose from. You can either buy the manual models or fully automatic versions.

Electric (or automatic) commercial meat cutters are electrically powered, meaning they help slice your meat without any hassle. They’re quite affordable and straightforward to use. These types of cutters are fast and can slice up large amounts of food since they are designed to be stable and durable.

Some models can be used to dice frozen meat, cooked meat and fresh meat into cubes, or to cut them up into shreds, strips, and slices. It is even possible to adjust the thickness of the pieces between four and 30 millimeters.

If you don’t want to rely on electricity to get the job done, then a manual commercial cutter is the way to go. Although they are slower than electric commercial meat cutters, they are much more effective than kitchen knives. They help cut your meat into nice, even slices without the fear of cutting yourself with the knife.

Since they aren’t electric, you will have to do some of the handiwork yourself, but that shouldn’t be too hard. They are ideal for people that are cutting up smaller portions of food.

Design Features You Should Look Out For

Apart from evaluating whether a slicer is manual or automatic, there are many other features you should consider when looking for a commercial meat cutter for sale. Blade size, for example, is an essential factor, since it dictates whether you can use your machine for heavy-duty work. You should also consider the machine’s power to see how often you should use your machine.

With these tips in mind, you'll be able to assess the available commercial meat cutters on the market and determine which models will best suit your needs. For further assistance, please contact us today.