25 Jan, 2019
Commercial Meat Slicer Maintenance
When operating a restaurant, delicatessen or even in your own kitchen, a meat slicer is a must-have for food processing. The cutting blade can be set to varying thicknesses, and the unit can be used to slice many types of meats and vegetables. Meat slicer maintenance requires safe handling, usage and storage of the equipment.
Although commercial and home meat slicers are useful for slicing cheese and meat quickly, they can harbor bacteria and possibly cause food poisoning if they aren’t kept clean. In addition, both types of slicers can majorly injure your hand if they’re jammed from improper maintenance or cleaning. Keep your slicer clean by following the guidelines below.
Warning: Be sure to wear cut-resistant gloves when using and cleaning a meat slicer. Follow any special instructions as provided by the manufacturer in the owner’s manual, and always take the appropriate safety precautions.
Importance
Meats are perishable foods that easily breed many forms of bacteria and other microorganisms. Small pieces of meat or other sliced foods usually get caught in and collect between the blade and the slicing machine of a meat slicer. If left for a period of time, microorganisms will grow in and around the meat particles, posing a health risk for the foods sliced thereafter on the unclean machine.
Meat slicer maintenance is about stabilizing the sanitary processing of sliced meats. When a meat slicer is regularly cleaned, harmful microorganisms do not have the chance to populate the meat slicer’s surfaces.
Clean and Sanitize
During active use of a meat slicer, the machine must be cleaned at least every four hours, and after each use if the machine is used only on occasion. Do not leave a great deal of time between meat slicing without sanitizing your slicer.
Follow your machine’s instructions on how to handle, operate and clean your meat slicer. Protect your hands from injury by wearing gloves that resist cutting, and do not operate the machine with distractions. Pay special attention to clean the entire surface area of the meat slicer, as well as underneath it and the entire counter that it rests on. Some parts of the meat slicer may have to be disassembled for proper cleaning.
It is recommended by government agencies, including the Department of Health and Community Services of Canada, to unplug the machine and set the meat slicer blade all the way down to zero to recess the blade’s sharp edge into the machine during cleaning. Clean all of the meat slicer parts, including the handles, sides and underneath, with very warm or hot water and a food-grade detergent. Rinse the machine well.
Sanitize the meat slicer and allow the sanitizer time to dry on its surface. Food-safe sanitizer includes the special food-grade formulations of iodine, chlorine or quaternary ammonium mixed with water at least 113-degrees F. Reassemble its parts once the machine is dry.
Safe Operation
Thoroughly wash your hands and wear gloves prior to handling the meat slicer, the meat and the counter. Insert the meat properly into the machine, set the blade to the correct thickness and use the push guard to protect your hands as you slice the meat.
Do not respond to anyone while operating the machine. Rather, stop the machine if you must deal with something else. Once your slicing job is complete, set the blade to zero and clean the machine. It is better to clean the machine after each use.
Proper Storage
Lock the blade when storing the meat slicer. The meat slicer may also be stored disassembled, as long as the blade is protected and secured. Cover the meat slicer to protect it from airborne dust. Store in a safe and dry place away from the high-traffic areas.
Benefits of Having a Clean Meat Slicer
A clean meat slicer brings a lot of benefits into a kitchen or restaurant, and some of these benefits include:
- Helps You Pass the Health Inspection
A health inspection is a requirement for any establishment whose purpose is to cook or serve food items, regardless if its in raw form or cooked to perfection. This is also part of the government’s efforts to keep the public safe and away from illnesses stemming from contaminated food. This being said, a meat slicer encounters a lot of meat, bones and all the other parts you can think of, it is only natural to assume that some of this stuff we pass through the slicer will stick to the equipment and this is something health inspectors look for specifically.
- Prevents Food Contamination
A genuinely clean meat slicer gets rid of all the bacteria and other contaminants that might have transferred over from the food items that have passed through the equipment. This transference is not a rare occurrence, and it does happen on a daily basis, which is why regularly cleaning your meat slicer is a best practice shared among professionals.
- Looks Good on Camera
Most food establishments nowadays utilize the power of social media to promote their brand and the food that they make. This means tons and tons of photographs and videos revolving around the kitchen and the dining area, focusing on how each item is made and what not. This also means that your equipment is also put on the spotlight, and a clean meat slicer complements all the shiny stuff that your kitchen already has.
- Helps Build Your Reputation
A clean establishment that serves good food is a place worth supporting and spreading the news about. Following this logic, maintaining a clean kitchen and having clean equipment like an electric meat slicer is worth a million dollars when it comes to word-of-mouth marketing. When people see their food being prepared using a clean machine, they know that that food is safe to eat. Plus points if the food is tasty. The news about it and you will spread, not like wildfire maybe, but trust us, it will spread.
- Makes Slicers Last Longer
Well-maintained equipment, regardless of the industry, is bound to last longer than it should. All of the equipment that you see in the market today has a hidden expiration date, and this date is dependent on how well you treat your machine.