Cleaning your slicer: easy-to-clean models and tips for impeccable maintenance

A slicer is an essential tool for cutting meat, cured meats, vegetables, fish, and even cheese. While some slicers, like those for household use, are used infrequently, those used in butcher's shops, delicatessens, restaurants or canteens are always functioning. That’s why, accurate maintenance is essential to keep it operative over time. A clean and efficient slicer significantly impacts food hygiene. Cleaning and sanitising your slicer extends its life, ensuring slicing precision while preserving the food’s properties. Therefore, maintenance after use is essential to keep the machine efficient without contaminating the food.

Removable components

All cleaning operations must take place while the machine is turned off. Therefore, even if it may sound obvious, remember to unplug the machine before starting maintenance. We recommend setting the slice thickness to zero before turning off the slicer. This way, you can carry out all the other operations smoothly and safely since the thickness gauge will protect the blade.

The slicer’s components must be washed daily or several times a day in case of intensive use.

Once you turn off the machine, we recommend removing all the removable parts. Slicers with removable parts help you clean and wash the machine more easily.

For example, Sirman’s Legend flywheel slicer can be used manually or automatically. But what sets it apart is its unique feature of a removable carriage that can be effortlessly washed.

Stonhenge

Sirman offers a range of machines with Stonehenge ceramic treatment. This treatment is applied to the machine’s removable components, making them dishwasher friendly. Depending on the version, this treatment can be applied to the entire machine. This way, slicing products that tend to create more friction, such as cheese, has never been easier.

The blade

The blade is the most used part of the slicer, so it needs to be cleaned thoroughly after use. Clean the blade regularly using a specific degreaser, a suitable sanitiser or hot water and soap. You can also remove it using a blade remover for more accurate cleaning. However, a well-designed machine always has enough space to allow you to clean the blade thoroughly without having to remove it every time.

The machine’s structure can be cleaned less frequently than other components. However, it’s good practice to remove residues using a sponge. Rinse and dry the structure every time you clean it.

The structure

Sirman’s slicers stand out for their rounded shape and elegant line. However, despite their visually striking appearance, the key advantage of these slicers is the convenience they offer during the cleaning process. In fact, cleaning and drying a rounded surface is much easier than cleaning the edges and protrusions on squared surfaces. Sirman’s extensive experience and constant research have led towards this choice, even if it implies a higher number of production stages and greater energy and resource expenditure. Sirman slicers are manufactured using a gravity die-casting process with an anodised alloy within a shell mould to make its food-grade surfaces. This process prevents the structure from wearing over time. The result is a clean, durable and homogenous hard surface. Although this process has multiple advantages, it requires a lot of energy and resources during production, involving several steps and, therefore, long lead times. For example, the casting stage takes place by gravity and not by pressure because we use top-quality alloys to undergo the electrolytic process, which is essential for food-grade machines. Moreover, the structure coming out of the mould has a rough surface that must be polished using methods suited to the machine’s rounded shapes.

Sharpening the blade

Once the machine is clean, you can sharpen the blade. Sharpening the slicer’s blade helps you preserve its quality, ensuring precise slices and reduced product waste. When you start noticing a drop in the slicing quality and more product going to waste, it's time to sharpen the slicer.

Sirman has fitted the slicer with a sharpener for various reasons. Firstly, having the tool in sight will encourage the operator to sharpen the blade periodically. Butchers always sharpen their knives right before slicing. So why not do the same for the slicer’s blade to ensure a top-rate service?

Having the sharpener in sight prevents you from taking incorrect actions, such as using incompatible tools. Another reason that has led Sirman to opt for this solution is that every slicer is obtained from a mould, which is then honed and polished. While this process makes every machine unique, it could also affect the positioning of the sharpener, causing damage. The sharpener is adjusted based on the individual slicer, and having it on the machine is convenient and functional. Moreover, Sirman has installed an upper and lower protective cover to make sure it remains clean and undamaged.

Once again, Sirman presents a wide range of slicers that meet multiple needs thanks to its experience, continuous research, and obsessive attention to detail. Every product is thoughtfully designed to be user-friendly, offering remarkable potential for an exceptional user experience. Every product of the TOP range (optional for other models) comes with a maintenance kit to allow you to take care of your slicer autonomously. But remember that Sirman is always happy to help your slicer achieve maximum performance.