Slicer or Vac-Sealer? A little wisdom please.

foamheart · Oct 6, 2015

You guys were great back when I was trying to decide between buying a grinder or a stuffer. I would no doubt blown the proper first purchase. Its time to start research again and this time I am thinking slicer or vac-u-seal.

I like thin thin bacon and lunch meats so even with fair knife skills a slicer would be really great.

I would like to get away from all the freezer burn on the andouille and sausages and bacon and pastrami, etc etc etc......... I know I have always heard the sealer is not as important as the bags but if that was true why would there be such a variety of prices?

So a good slicer or a good vac sealer? Not wanting to buy two that can work, either/or with a lifetime of uninterrupted service.

I know the old guru's around here must have some wisdom to share. they no doubt is an obvious answer that I am just not seeing.

Thanks in advance to all got their time and opinions.

venture · Oct 6, 2015

Aside from the fact my answer is both? But being a frugal guy, I understand.

I use my vac sealer a lot more often than I do my slicer.

A vac sealer is a great thing when stuff sits in the freezer longer than I want. Having said that, I did without one for many years. Wrapping stuff tightly in a good plastic wrap like "Stretch-Tite" and putting it in a zipper bag works fairly well.

Then again? Thin slices require a slicer. With a knife you need Morimoto type knife skills and then may not even be able to do that.

I would budget a time for both. First, the one you think you would use the most and be most valuable to you. Then the other.

A lot depends on the types of things you do, and how you cook?

Also, how have you gotten along all these years? What do you really need?

More toys! I am down with that!

Good luck and good smoking.

siege · Oct 6, 2015

You can use a knife instead of a slicer, and a mandoline can be had pretty inexpensively. It will slice semi frozen meat so thin you can read through it. That works better for me when making jerky than the electric counter top slicer. Might be just as good on bacon.
On the other hand, there are a few ways to get most of the air out of a bag, but nothing will do it as well as a vacuum sealer. You will eventualy have both, but would probably want to start with the sealer. I just bagged 6# of cheddar. I cut it into pieces about the size of butter sticks, smoke it, and hide the vac packs in the back of the refrigerator to mellow. Sealed in zip lock bags, the aroma seeps out, but not when vac sealed.
I have used my sealer for a lot of non food uses, too, from protecting important documents to sealing a box of bullets and a handgun that sits in my bug-out bag. It doesn't matter how long it sits, it will never rust.
Like Alton Brown says, 'ya gotta love a multi tasking tool :-)

dirtsailor2003 · Oct 7, 2015

I have saved thousands of pounds of food using my vacuum sealers. Never owned a slicer. Oh wait I have over twenty of them, they are called knives!

tropics · Oct 7, 2015

You can still slice it with your knife,but ya can't suck the air out!!

vac-sealer

Richie

muralboy · Oct 7, 2015

That is definitely a tough call. A slicer is invaluable when it comes to cutting quickly and consistently for bacon, jerky, sausage, etc. On the other hand, a vac-sealer will be used in soooo many situations.

If your ROI outlook is based on what you can use it for and how often you will use it - go for the vac-seal.

mowin · Oct 7, 2015

My vote goes to the vac also. I've had one for 20 yrs, and couldn't live without one. Had a globe slicer that rarely got used, so I sold it. To be fair, the slicer was stupidity heavy, and was a pain to clean. I'm thinking one of the smaller newer ones would be more user friendly.

muralboy · Oct 7, 2015

Not sure what the budget is....but I have the Chef's Choice 615, which works great for cutting jerky, bacon, etc. It's limited though to the 7.5" blade. You can pick one up for $150 online at Chef's Catalog, plus there's an offer for a free serrated blade.

Maybe that puts both the vac-seal and slicer in your budget...Just sayin..

bmaddox · Oct 7, 2015

Now that I have a slicer I would never go back but if I had to pick between the two it would definitely be a vac sealer. I use it all the time for leftovers and to buy meat in bulk packages and portion it out.

foamheart · Oct 8, 2015

Thanks guys I am surprised, I really expected it to be a slicer, but is almost unanimous.

crazymoon · Oct 8, 2015

Foam, the vac sealer wins in my book also.

BandCollector · Oct 8, 2015

Vac Sealer is an invaluable tool as is the slicer...Hmmmm? I use my vac slicer far more than the slicer and don't have to worry so much about freezer burn any more! My vote...Vac Slicer.

Good luck,

John

muralboy · Oct 8, 2015

Where do you get a vac-slicer?

LanceR · Oct 8, 2015

Try vacuumsealersunlimited.com

Lisa B. is a site sponsor and provides good service along with the best foodsaver type bags I've ever seen. We just ordered 500 about two weeks ago. Look here for a 10% members discount.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/124305/vacuum-sealing-discount-for-all-members/60

Lance

foamheart · Oct 8, 2015

I am really surprised !!

dirtsailor2003 · Oct 8, 2015

Foamheart said:
Thanks guys I am surprised, I really expected it to be a slicer, but is almost unanimous.

Real men know how to use their knife!

mowin · Oct 8, 2015

dirtsailor2003 said:
Real men know how to use their knife!

Dam, you beet me too it....

muralboy · Oct 8, 2015

aaah, but real smart men realize when there's a better way to get the job done.

mowin · Oct 8, 2015

muralboy said:
aaah, but real smart men realize when there's a better way to get the job done.

And the "real smart men" have spoken. Vac sealer..... :biggrin:

muralboy · Oct 8, 2015

and for the record, I agreed.

Slicer or Vac-Sealer? A little wisdom please.

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