Domestic Food/Meat Slicers - any good?

Ticklemouse · 19 February 2005 at 9:10PM

I resent having to pay over the odds for sliced ham and remembered my gran used to have one of those hand operated meat/bread slicers, back in the 60's. You can still get them, along with various electrically operated ones too.

What I want to know is, are they any good? I'm thinking specifically of the cheapo hand operated ones. There's one on ebay currently, no make and no details of how thin it will slice. I just want something that will slice meat (mainly) thinly, cos I can buy a hunk of ham from the butchers, boil/roast it and slice it myself. I don't really want to pay £25ish for an electric one if I'll only use it a few times. I don't make a lot of bread as Mr TM (the main bread eater) has stopped eating it.

Your comments please, fellow moneysavers

MATH · 19 February 2005 at 11:41PM

I often boil my own ham (in the slo-cooker -of course) but haven't got a slicer thingy. A sharp cooks knife will give you wafer thin slices (although we like doorstep ham)

Ticklemouse · 20 February 2005 at 12:15AM

Yes, Mr TM likes doorsteps too. However, boys like really thin ham and when you've only got a little piece left, it's really hard to slice thinly. I have an assortment of sharp knives, just fancied a slicer like me gran had "in the olden days":D

Also, it's a lot cheaper when you can get 3 times as many slices out of a joint - therefore good moneysaving tip. Mr TM never used to moan when I made his lunches, just too lazy to cut thin slices himself, methinks:)

BTW MATH, exactly how do you do your ham? Never done it in the slow-cooker before.

MATH · 20 February 2005 at 5:14PM

I whack it in the cooker, and if I've got time and am feeling a bit s****y-danky, I will smear said meat with honey and marmite or honey and mustard. Pour in enough boiling water to give a depth of two inches in the bottom of the crock and leave overnight on low. You must chill in the fridge before you carve it cos it will be too tender otherwise and just fall into chunks. HTH

MATH · 20 February 2005 at 5:16PM

My mouth is agape - I can't beleive how touchy this obsenity filter is. (see above post) Who designed it - Mary Whitehouse? I don't think even she would find S W A N K Y - DANKY and offensive term. At this rate the english language will be reduced to half a dozen words and a lot of dashes :0

Ticklemouse · 20 February 2005 at 7:10PM

LOL @ MATH

Thanks for the recipe. Will give it a go sometime. Need another good shop at the butchers soon.

Queenie · 21 February 2005 at 9:50AM

My Mum and my FIL used the hand operated one's (from Argos, but that was a number of years ago and I don't know if they still sell them) and swore by them for getting the last few slices from the heel ends of joints.

My preference has always been to never carve meat warm/hot. I chill then slice thinly with my knife. My dh lurves thick pieces, my dk's aren't fussed either way

Until you get your hand op slicer, how about, you thinly slice your meats for your kids who like thin and then only give Mr T his share when you get to the end part which is difficult to cut thinly

If you can get hold of a hand op one, do invest in it. Certainly the one's my mum and fil had you were able to adjust the cut of the slice from thin/med and a bit thicker.

fairenoughclough · 21 February 2005 at 11:14AM

I wasn't much good at carving the Turkey or so I thought.

Bought a brand new professional cooks knife (half price from Tesco's), now I can carve wafer thin or doorsteps on demand.

Think it's the sharpness of your tool that makes the difference!

moggins · 21 February 2005 at 3:10PM

Ticklemouse

Have you tried looking for one of these at a car boot sale, you could probably pick one up for a couple of quid. I bought my old fashioned mincer at a boot sale for 50p and I've just seen them on sale for £30!

culpepper · 21 February 2005 at 3:10PM

Ive got a hand cranked slicer but I keep it for slicing the bread.
Its excellent for that and you can slice really thinly which is just as well as home made bread can be much more filling than shop bought.
I dont use it for meat because I would have to dismantle the blade by unscrewing it to wash it whilst bread isnt sticky or wet so doesnt need it.

Ticklemouse · 21 February 2005 at 6:54PM

Thanks everyone.

I was talking to my dad today and mentioned the slicer Grandma used to have - now long defunct. He said you could slice meat very thinly on them. When I said I was going to buy one, he said - "Look under the sink in the studio" (They don't live in a mansion, it's the garage conversion for him to do his hobbies in:) ) Lo and behold, a hand slicer. Needs a bit of a clean (along with the old slow cooker I liberated from them - 2 is better than one;) )

I don't even remember M & D having one. Have bought a ham, will be slow cooking it later. I'll tell you how many slices I get out of it too (Got to be less than 20-25p per slice, as paid at supermarket!)

Also converted one of their friends - just popped round for a natter, told her about the cheap phone calls and she headed off clutching the site address.:D

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Domestic Food/Meat Slicers - any good?

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