Why Use a Food Slicer? Food Slicer Buying Guide
An electric food slicer makes everyday food preparation quicker, easier and more precise. Designed to cut bread, meats, cheeses, fruits and vegetables into consistent slices, a food slicer removes much of the effort involved in cutting ingredients by hand.
A good food slicer is particularly useful for homemade bread, preparing deli-style meats and cheeses, and slicing large quantities of ingredients for batch cooking. Adjustable thickness settings also give you greater control over portion sizes, helping reduce food waste and make ingredients go further.
The Cooks Professional Food Slicer features a powerful 150W motor, a 19cm stainless steel blade and adjustable slicing thickness between 1mm and 15mm, making it a versatile addition to the kitchen.
What Are the Benefits of Using a Food Slicer?
Food slicers offer several advantages over traditional kitchen knives, particularly when preparing larger quantities of food or achieving consistent results.
Some of the main benefits of using an electric food slicer include:
- Faster Food Preparation: Slice multiple ingredients quickly without repeatedly cutting by hand.
- Uniform Slices: Achieve consistent thickness for sandwiches, cooking and food presentation.
- Adjustable Thickness: Choose thin deli-style slices or thicker portions depending on the ingredient.
- Less Food Waste: Slice only what you need and keep the remaining food whole until required.
- Reduced Manual Effort: Motorised cutting reduces the repeated slicing movements required with a knife.
- Versatile Food Preparation: Suitable for bread, cooked meats, cheeses, fruits and vegetables.
For households that regularly prepare sandwiches, packed lunches or meals in larger quantities, an electric food slicer can make everyday kitchen tasks considerably easier.
1. Slice Fresh Bread Without Crushing or Crumbling
Freshly baked bread can be surprisingly difficult to slice evenly with a traditional bread knife. Soft loaves may compress under pressure, while crusty bread can produce excessive crumbs or uneven slices. An electric food slicer helps overcome these problems by using a rotating blade and controlled feeding mechanism to produce consistent slices with less manual sawing.
This is particularly useful for homemade bread, sourdough and sandwich loaves, where achieving uniform thickness by hand can be difficult. A food slicer also allows you to keep your bread whole until you're ready to eat it. Pre-sliced bread exposes more of the loaf to air, which can accelerate moisture loss and staling. By slicing fresh bread as needed, you can enjoy softer slices and keep the remaining loaf intact for longer.
2. Save Time with Batch Cooking and Meal Preparation
Preparing ingredients in large quantities can be time-consuming, particularly when slicing vegetables individually. An electric food slicer makes it easier to prepare consistent portions quickly, reducing the repetitive work involved in chopping ingredients by hand. For example, slicing several tomatoes for sandwiches, preparing cucumber for salads or cutting vegetables for a large family meal becomes much more straightforward.
Food slicers are particularly useful for:
- Sandwich Preparation: Quickly slice tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese and cooked meats for packed lunches.
- Batch Cooking: Prepare larger quantities of suitable vegetables for recipes and meal preparation.
- Entertaining: Slice meats and cheeses for sharing platters and grazing boards.
- Homemade Bread: Cut consistent slices for sandwiches, toast and freezing.
- Portion Preparation: Divide suitable cooked meats and cheeses into evenly sized servings.
Consistent slices can also improve cooking results, as ingredients of a similar thickness generally cook more evenly. For regular meal preparation, the time saved can make an electric food slicer a worthwhile addition to the kitchen.
3. Enjoy Freshly Sliced Meats and Cheeses for Less
Buying whole pieces of cooked meat or larger blocks of cheese can often work out cheaper per kilogram than purchasing smaller, pre-sliced packs. A food slicer allows you to take advantage of larger portions while still enjoying the convenience of ready-to-use slices. Cooked ham, roast beef, turkey and suitable cured meats can be sliced to your preferred thickness, making it easier to prepare sandwiches and deli-style platters at home.
The same applies to firm and semi-firm cheeses. Buying a block of cheese and slicing it yourself can offer better value than regularly purchasing pre-sliced alternatives. Freshly sliced ingredients can also provide a better eating experience, particularly when preparing charcuterie boards and sandwiches. With an adjustable electric food slicer, you can prepare wafer-thin slices for delicate deli meats or thicker portions for hearty sandwiches.
4. Reduce Food Waste by Slicing Only What You Need
Pre-sliced foods are convenient, but exposing more surface area to air can affect their quality over time. Sliced bread may become stale more quickly, while cut meats and cheeses can lose moisture or develop changes in texture during storage.
Keeping food whole until it's needed can help preserve freshness and reduce unnecessary waste. A food slicer allows you to prepare the quantity required for a meal while leaving the remaining portion intact. This is particularly useful for larger blocks of cheese, whole loaves of bread and cooked joints of meat. Although slicing only what you need can help maintain quality, it doesn't extend food beyond its use-by date. Refrigeration, hygienic handling and appropriate storage remain essential, particularly for cooked meats.
5. Achieve Uniform Slices with Adjustable Thickness
One of the biggest advantages of an electric food slicer is the ability to achieve consistent results. Cutting identical slices with a knife requires patience and practice, particularly when working with softer foods or preparing large quantities.
The Cooks Professional Food Slicer features adjustable thickness settings between 1mm and 15mm, allowing you to select the appropriate cut for different ingredients. Thinner settings are useful for delicate deli-style meats, while thicker settings can be used for sandwich bread, cheese and suitable vegetables. Uniform slicing isn't just about appearance. Consistent portions make sandwiches easier to assemble, help with portion control and can improve the presentation of sharing platters.
6. Which Food Slicer Blade Should You Use?
Different foods require different cutting techniques, which is why interchangeable blades can be particularly useful. The Cooks Professional 150W Food Slicer offers three 19cm stainless steel blade options, each designed for different slicing tasks including:
- Straight Edge Blade: A versatile everyday blade suitable for bread, cheese and vegetables, producing clean, consistent slices.
- Serrated Blade: Designed for slicing meats, helping achieve thin deli-style cuts or thicker portions of cooked meat.
- Wave Blade: Particularly useful for softer foods, including bread, fruit and cheese, helping produce a smooth cut without excessive crushing.
Selecting the appropriate blade helps improve slicing performance and makes it easier to achieve the desired finish. The Cooks Professional Food Slicer also offers constant and intermittent operating modes, allowing users to select a suitable setting for the task. Always switch off and unplug the appliance before changing blades, and follow the manufacturer's instructions when handling or cleaning sharp components.
7. Reduce Hand Strain During Food Preparation
Repeatedly cutting ingredients with a kitchen knife can place strain on the hands and wrists, particularly during longer food preparation sessions. For people who experience hand fatigue, reduced grip strength or arthritis-related discomfort, an electric food slicer may reduce some of the physical effort involved in repetitive slicing.
Rather than repeatedly moving a knife through food, the motorised blade performs the cutting while the user guides the food using the feeding table and handguard. This can make preparing larger quantities of suitable ingredients more manageable for bulk batch cooking or hosting.
8. Choosing the Right Food Slicer for Your Kitchen
When buying a food slicer, it's worth considering how frequently you'll use it, the types of food you intend to slice and the amount of available kitchen space. A larger electric food slicer is useful for households that regularly prepare homemade bread, cooked meats and larger quantities of ingredients.
The Cooks Professional 150W Food Slicer features a 19cm stainless steel blade, adjustable thickness settings between 1mm and 15mm, and a strong steel body. Its handguard, end-piece holder and non-slip suction feet help support controlled operation, while the compact design allows it to be stored away when not in use. For households with limited worktop or cupboard space, a smaller food slicer may be a more practical choice. Compact models can provide many of the everyday benefits of electric slicing while taking up less room.
Cooks Professional is also introducing a smaller food slicer to its range, offering another option for kitchens where storage space is a priority. When comparing food slicers, consider blade size, adjustable thickness, ease of cleaning, safety features and the types of food the appliance is designed to handle.
Are Food Slicers Worth Buying?
An electric food slicer is worth considering if you regularly prepare sandwiches, homemade bread, cooked meats, cheeses or large quantities of vegetables. Its ability to produce consistent slices quickly can save preparation time, reduce repetitive cutting and provide greater control over portion sizes.
Buying whole ingredients and slicing them as needed may also help reduce food costs and preserve freshness, particularly when compared with regularly purchasing pre-sliced products. For households that value convenience and regularly prepare food in larger quantities, a food slicer can be a practical kitchen investment.
Frequently Asked Questions About Food Slicers
What can you cut with a food slicer?
An electric food slicer can cut a variety of suitable foods, including bread, cooked meats, cheese, fruits and vegetables. The foods it can handle depend on the blade design, motor and manufacturer's instructions.
Can you use a food slicer to cut bread?
Yes. Food slicers are particularly useful for cutting homemade bread into consistent slices. Using an appropriate blade can help reduce uneven cutting and excessive crumbling compared with slicing by hand.
Can you slice cheese with a food slicer?
Yes. Many electric food slicers can cut suitable firm and semi-firm cheeses into even slices. Very soft or sticky cheeses may be more difficult to slice cleanly.
Can a food slicer cut tomatoes?
Yes. A food slicer can produce consistent tomato slices when the fruit is sufficiently firm and the appropriate blade is used. This is particularly useful when preparing large quantities for sandwiches, burgers and salads.
Is a food slicer cheaper than buying pre-sliced meat?
Buying whole cooked meats and slicing them at home can sometimes cost less per kilogram than purchasing pre-sliced packs. The potential savings depend on the product, retailer and quantity purchased.
What is the best blade for a food slicer?
The best blade depends on the ingredient. The Cooks Professional Food Slicer offers a straight edge blade for everyday slicing, a serrated blade for meats and a wave blade for softer foods such as bread, fruit and cheese.
Can you adjust the thickness of a food slicer?
Yes. Many electric food slicers feature adjustable thickness settings. The Cooks Professional 150W Food Slicer allows users to select a slicing thickness between 1mm and 15mm.
Are food slicers suitable for people with arthritis?
An electric food slicer may reduce the repetitive cutting effort required with a traditional knife, which can be helpful for some people experiencing hand discomfort. However, safe operation still requires adequate hand control and the ability to handle the appliance's controls and cleaning procedures.
Can you slice raw meat with a food slicer?
Some food slicers are designed to handle certain raw meats, but suitability depends on the appliance and the texture of the meat. Always follow the manufacturer's instructions and thoroughly clean food-contact components to prevent cross-contamination.
Discover Cooks Professional Food Slicers
A food slicer makes preparing everyday ingredients quicker and more consistent, helping you enjoy freshly sliced bread, meats, cheeses and vegetables with less manual effort. The Cooks Professional Food Slicer combines adjustable thickness settings, interchangeable stainless steel blades and a powerful 150W motor to make everyday slicing more convenient. With a smaller model also joining the range, there are options to suit different kitchen sizes and food preparation needs.
Explore the Cooks Professional Food Slicer and discover the benefits of freshly sliced food at home.