Meat slicers are becoming more popular in the United States, and for good reason. They allow home chefs all around the world to experiment with novel taste combinations in their sandwiches and beautifully designed charcuterie boards. However, the meat-cheese-slicer mania might have serious health effects. This is because not everyone is aware of how often a meat slicer should be cleaned.
Fortunately, that is no longer the case. This handy tutorial will teach you all you need to know about sterilizing and cleaning a meat slicer. It is essential to read it if you want to understand about food safety.
Contents
- Cleaning vs. Sanitizing Meat Slicers
- When Should Deli Slicers Be Cleaned?
- What About At-Home Meat Slicers?
- How to Clean a Meat Slicer? Is It Hard?
- FAQs
- How often should meat slicer be cleaned?
- How often should a meat slicer be cleaned and sanitized if being used at room temperature?
- How often must a slicer be cleaned and sanitized if it is used through an entire work shift?
- What is the correct order to clean a meat slicer?
- How old must you be to clean a meat slicer?
- How often should slicer be disassembled washed rinsed and sanitized?
- Which of the following must be cleaned and sanitized every 4 hours?
- How often should food equipment be cleaned and sanitized?
- How often does food equipment like slicers and food processors need to be sanitized?
- Do you just used the meat slicer and it must now be cleaned?
Cleaning vs. Sanitizing Meat Slicers
First and foremost, we must address the elephant in the room: cleaning and disinfecting a meat slicer are not synonymous. I’m willing to bet you clean your meat slicer after each usage, but you probably don’t sterilize it as much as you should.
Cleaning a meat slicer entails cleaning the equipment of any food residue. When you wipe off the blade, tray, and pusher with a paper towel, you are just eliminating oil and crud from the cured and raw meat that accumulates while the machine is working. However, you are not getting rid of tiny and big food particles. This is where sanitization comes into play. Cleaning solutions are used in this procedure to destroy hazardous bacteria that may accumulate and go undetected. If you don’t do this, your health and the health of your loved ones might be jeopardized. More on it in a moment.
In conclusion, only a well cleaned and sterilized meat slicer can help to ensure food safety.
Is Not Sanitizing a Meat Slicer Thoroughly That Big of a Deal?
As we have shown, just washing clean a meat slicer is insufficient. There will always be food residue that you are missing, which will fester in the machine’s blades. As you can expect, this isn’t good.
For starters, if you use a filthy meat slicer, the deli products you slice will taste bad. They will have absorbed any food particles that remained from the previous time you used your machine. In the end, you will have squandered money on meat or cheese that you will not appreciate.
Second (and most crucially), raw meat may harbor Listeria monocytogenes if your meat slicer is not thoroughly sanitized. This potentially lethal bacterium can be present in deli goods (meats and cheeses), but it may quickly spread to other foods you slice due to cross-contamination. It can only be removed with hot water and soap or bleach.
All of this also applies to meat grinders. So, if you already know how crucial it is to clean your meat grinder, you’ll understand why you shouldn’t skimp on cleaning and disinfecting your meat slicer.
When Should Deli Slicers Be Cleaned?
Continuously used meat slicers (such as those seen in supermarkets) must be cleaned and sterilized numerous times every day. All blade guards, food trays, and meat pushers must be cleaned using a soap solution and degreaser spray. The FDA has established cleaning recommendations for meat slicers. Sanitizing these slicers every 4 hours is recommended for as long as they are in continual use.
What About At-Home Meat Slicers?
Things are a bit different at home. The FDA recommends that slicing machines be cleaned and sanitized after each usage. I’m guessing you don’t use your low- or heavy-duty slicer every day. As a result, there is no need to clean the slicer every four hours.
If you only use the meat slicer for less than four hours at a time, clean and sterilize it after you’re through. However, if you want to use the slicer for a full day, the FDA recommends cleaning and sanitizing it every 4 hours. Whatever method you choose, be sure you clean thoroughly!
How to Clean a Meat Slicer? Is It Hard?
We’ve covered how often a meat slicer should be cleaned, so now comes the tricky part: how do you clean it? We’ve planned ahead and developed a detailed and easy-to-follow instruction with a meat slicer sanitizer regimen, from step 1 to the conclusion.
In brief, you’ll only need a few supplies: sanitizing solution, a spray bottle, a mild scrub pad, hot water, a clean towel, and steel wool cut-resistant gloves. Before you start your machine, double-check that you have everything.
Remember that, although not unduly difficult, there are several components that must be cleaned and sterilized. All of the meat slicer blade, gauge position, slice deflector, sharpening stone, food chute, slide rods, blade plate, face plate, gauge plate, center plate, blade guard, ring guard mount, and product tray will need your attention.
You must even ensure that the food table surfaces are clean! Food safety is dependent on being meticulous and using only clean meat slicers. And believe me, you don’t want to deal with Listeria monocytogenes.
FAQs
How often should meat slicer be cleaned?
* According to the FDA Food Code, food contact surfaces, including slicers, must be cleaned and sanitized at least every 4 hours (4-602.11[C]) (8), and must be dismantled before cleaning and sanitizing (4-202.11[A][5]) (8).
How often should a meat slicer be cleaned and sanitized if being used at room temperature?
To avoid the formation of disease-causing germs such as Listeria, meat slicers should be cleaned and sanitized at least every four hours.
How often must a slicer be cleaned and sanitized if it is used through an entire work shift?
According to these rules, slicers should be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized every four hours. Cleaning a commercial meat slicer is critical to preventing the spread of foodborne infections. Slicers are hazardous pieces of equipment, so although cleaning one is simple, you must use care throughout the procedure.
What is the correct order to clean a meat slicer?
Remove the machine from the power supply and reset the blade to zero. Using a paper towel or cloth, wipe away big food particles. Wipe off the blade, carriage, food chute, product pusher, and product catcher sections using a clean cloth, a food-grade cleanser, and hot water.
How old must you be to clean a meat slicer?
Employees under the age of 18 may not operate, feed, set-up, adjust, repair, or clean any of these equipment. This ban covers hand-washing of dismantled meat processing equipment components.
How often should slicer be disassembled washed rinsed and sanitized?
The meat slicer is an important piece of commercial kitchen equipment in restaurants that sell deli meats. A recent research, however, found that at least half of slicers are not cleaned as often as FDA rules recommend. According to these rules, slicers should be cleaned and sanitized every four hours.
Which of the following must be cleaned and sanitized every 4 hours?
Temperature control for safety (TCS) foods should be cleaned every four hours at the absolute least.Any food-contact surface that is regularly used with time, such as a knife or cutting board
How often should food equipment be cleaned and sanitized?
Items should be cleaned and sanitized after each use and before food handlers begin dealing with a new kind of food. Clean and sanitize utensils and equipment if food handlers are stopped while performing a job and the items may have been contaminated. If the goods are constantly in use, clean and sterilize them every four hours.
How often does food equipment like slicers and food processors need to be sanitized?
Clean after each usage to minimize bacterial growth or cross-contamination from different foods. Dishwasher-safe slicer blades may be cleaned. Wipe off the remaining areas with a clean, soapy cloth. As a last step, spray the equipment with a sanitizing spray bottle.
Do you just used the meat slicer and it must now be cleaned?
Cleaning a Meat Slicer
Unplug your machine and reset the blade.
Using a paper towel or cloth, wipe away big food particles.
Wipe off the blade, carriage, food chute, product pusher, and product catcher sections using a fresh cloth, food-grade cleanser, and hot water.
Using a fresh towel, rinse the affected areas with hot water.