When it comes to food processing, so many machines have been created to make the processes more efficient, safe, and fast. Machines that work correctly and for an extended period are essential for any food processing plant or company. The average consumer doesn’t always understand the processing and planning of effectively preparing frozen or pre-packaged meals—things like pizzas and sandwiches used to be so time-consuming when they were prepared by hand. Automation increased production to an unimaginable degree around 50 years ago. Meat slicer machines are critical in producing pizzas and sandwiches today, but some characteristics can make these machines even more valuable.
Meat Slicer Machines
Commercial meat slicers are more than just machines that slice meat, whether it’s pizzas, paninis, or subs. Many features reflect what makes a specific meat slicer machine right for your production line. Each feature is distinctive to help achieve the meat preparation your line needs. The best meat slicer for your company might be different from others, which is why there are so many great options and features available.
Product Variability
Each meat slicer machine can cut a variety of meats, including pepperoni, ham, salami, prosciutto, and deli meats. Many of these machines can also cut things like cheese and more. However, applicable meat and cheese need to be in stick form. With product variability, these machines can be helpful for multiple purposes. You no longer necessarily have to purchase more than one machine to make pizzas.
Portions
Meat slicing is incredibly tedious as manual labor. Not only this, it is tough to have uniform slices. The best meat slicer has portion control settings so the desired slices can be cut as thin as .04 inches thick. Having uniform, attractive slices also helps with visual appeal. It is helpful to have a variety of settings, too, because different meats sometimes require a different cut. For example, pepperonis are usually cut a bit thicker than prosciutto. Having a machine that allows you to cut both is indispensable.
Production Rate
Some plants must ensure they can quickly produce a large amount of food. With so many issues with supply chains and shortages, production needs to speed up. Each machine has production stats that can help you know how many slices it can create per minute and how you can best use it.
For example, the TP-2 single-head meat slicer can place slices on 50 12-inch pizzas a minute. This means that it can produce over 3,000 12-inch pizzas per hour. For some production companies, that might be the perfect amount. For others, they might need more production. Capabilities can also vary for each kind of product, as well as for each size of product. For example, while a meat slicer machine might make 3,000 12-inch pizzas in one hour, it makes 6,000 6-inch pizzas in one hour. Make sure you know what kinds of products you want to make with your machine before purchasing, so you can identify if it reaches your desired production rate.
Height Adjustments
Another feature for many of these machines is height adjustment, usually ranging to allow products about 0.25 to 3.50 inches in thickness. This is an important feature to ensure your products fit in your commercial meat slicer. If your production company produces sub sandwiches and cuts them in half, and they are about 2.00 inches thick, you would need a machine that allows that much of a gap. These machines only adjust to a certain level because if you allow too much space between a meat slicer and a product, the product might fall or bounce off the machine. Slices are often circular, leading to them potentially rolling off a food product and falling off a conveyor or onto other products. A smaller gap between food and a machine avoids this, creating a better chance of uniformity and safety.
Other Features
Other things to look for when searching for the best meat slicer are things that help production, make your employees’ work more manageable and save money or time. Many machines come with interface screens, so you can see whether one has a touchscreen. You may also find machines that are easy to link with others. How easy is a given machine to clean? How heavy is it? Ensure you have the space for the machine and the setup to sustain it. These are also other features you may want to pay attention to.
Single vs. Double-Head
Do you need a single or double-head meat slicer to achieve desired results in your plant? One beneficial use for a double-head meat slicer is that they can add different slices of meat to the same product. You could also add pepperoni and salami to pizzas simultaneously. One of the most significant advantages of a double-head machine is a substantial increase in production.
The Best Meat Slicer
Every production plant has different needs, so choosing the right meat slicer for your company takes time and careful comparisons. Contact us at Quantum today to purchase machines with expert design, cutting-edge fabrication, and quality manufacturing. We will help you find the machine that will suit your needs and create the best possible situation so that you can take care of everything else in your food production plant and not have to worry about the production of your machines.