Meat slicers are a part of many commercial kitchens. Even though domestic use doesn’t call for a commercial meat slicer, having one is a major tune-up to your kitchen. These tools are known to make precise cuts of cheese and meat, mostly in delis, grocery stores, and many other food service establishments.
Meat slicers can harbor and quickly spread foodborne bacteria if not cleaned as often as is required. The FDA recommends cleaning of deli slicers at least once every four hours. For this reason, meat slicers ought to be cleaned thoughtfully and thoroughly. In this article, I shall take through the steps to adequately clean your meat slicer, the parts to clean extra carefully, and the do’s and don’ts when doing the cleaning.
Hard-To-Clean Parts of the Meat Slicer
A meat slicer is unlike any other equipment in your kitchen. It has internal parts that if not carefully cleaned, they easily hub bacteria. These parts are:
- The ring guard mount
- The blade guard
- The slicer handle
These parts should be cleaned more attentively. For example, if not carefully monitored, the surfaces under the handle can collect food and debris. The white plastic piece at the blade guard can also accumulate food on the inside.
The Do’s and Don’ts of Cleaning a Meat Slicer
Before you’re about to embark on cleaning the equipment, here are some few things you should know;
The Do’s
- Always wear protective hand gloves when cleaning the blade and the areas surrounding it. These gloves need to be cut-resistant.
- Always clean the re-usable gloves after use. this ensures the gloves themselves do not harbor and spread germs.
The Don’ts
- Never put the meat slicer in a dishwasher.
- Never wash the slicer with pressurized water.
- Never scour the equipment with steel wool.
- Never submerge the slicer completely in the water when washing. See the manual for details on what parts can be submerged.
- Never clean the slicer while it is still powered on.
Steps to Cleaning a Meat Slicer
Follow these steps when cleaning your deli slicer and it’ll serve you best for the better part of its lifetime:
Remove the bigger food particles
Set the thickness to zero. Put on the cut-resistant gloves and with a gentle scrub, wipe off food particles from the blade as you turn it manually. Be careful with the blade as it can be quite unforgiving on your skin.
Disassembling
Ensure the gauge plate is in the fully closed position. Remove the sharpening stone first and take off the product tray, the slice deflector, and the center plate in that order. The product tray may be labeled as “product chute” in some brands.
Cleaning and sanitizing
Wash each of the above parts carefully and sanitize with a meat slicer sanitizing spray. After cleaning, let these parts air-dry. Do not attempt to wipe them with a towel yet.
Deal with hard-to-clean-parts
It is now time to deal with debris collecting hotspots. With a small brush, scrub areas near screws, handles, the ring guard mount, the blade guard, and any knobs. If your specific model allows for easy removal of the blade, remove it too and scrub it thoroughly.
Collecting the residue
With a clean paper towel or kitchen towel, wipe off all the residue on the backside of the blade. Remember to do this with your protective gloves on.
Cleaning the slicer
After scrubbing all the sensitive areas, use a kitchen towel to wash the slicer entirely. When you get to the blade, clean from the center moving outwards. Some slicers have center holes at the blades. If you’re cleaning such a slicer, poke any debris at the hole and then scrub it thoroughly with a small brush.
Important Notes:
- To clean the slicer adequately, you will need a soap solution containing equal parts of hot water and detergent.
- Sometimes you find the blade still sticky after washing with just water and detergent. This is a sign of fatty debris on the surface. For such a case, use a degreaser spray on the blade.
Rinsing
Begin by wiping the slicer’s exterior and the remaining parts of the equipment. Use hot water and a clean towel to rinse the slicer.
Sanitizing
Using a meat slicer sanitizing spray, sanitize all the parts of the slicer. Allow the sanitizing agent enough contact time as indicated on the sanitizer instructions. Coat the machine thoroughly using a spray bottle and allow it to air-dry.
Lubricating
With an appropriate food-grade spray lubricant, lubricate al the suitable parts. Reassemble everything correctly and store your slicer in a dry and clean place.
Maintenance Practices for a Meat Slicer
There are a few rules that will ensure that the blade and the slicer, in general, last you long. Some of these are:
- Clean the slicer as often as recommended. Sharpen the blade with only the sharpening stone provided. You should only sharpen when the blade shows signs of losing sharpness.
- After sharpening the blade, clean it and sanitize it.
- Ensure you follow the manufacturer’s instructions to the letter.
- Ensure the meat slicer is routinely serviced and repaired in case of breakages.
Benefits of Cleaning Your Meat Slicer
A clean commercial meat slicer accrues many benefits to your kitchen It may be at a restaurant or a grocery store that you’re operating. Some of these benefits are:
Heath inspection
Heath inspection is a requirement for operating a business dealing with food. Health inspectors are well aware of where to look for the dirt. One place they look at is usually a meat slicer. Clean yours well (as explained above) to avoid losing on the health inspection test.
Prevention of contamination
Washing your slicer as explained in this article ensures all food debris is washed off. If not cleaned properly, the food leftovers harbor illness-causing bacteria. These food crumbs can easily contaminate any food passing through the dirty slicer. A cleaned and sanitized equipment minimizes the chances of food contamination.
Reputation
What reputation is better than cleanliness regarding food? Cleanliness is a major selling point for any food business. Cleanliness should be on all aspects and items in a kitchen, including the slicer. A clean slicer will show both the seriousness and mindfulness of your staff.
Machine lifespan
Cleaning the slicer as often as required prevents building up of food debris on metallic parts. This discourages rust from forming. Without rusting, the equipment will comfortably go past the projected lifespan
Wrapping it Up
Cleaning a meat slicer is not only simple but also a vital kitchen practice. It entails a few steps and while some of the steps may differ depending on the manufacturer, the main points remain unchanged. Use the guidelines given in this article to safeguard the health of your customers as well as promote good business practice.