# Tomato slicer advice



## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

Can someone recommend a good tomato slicer?

It takes me an hour to slice and load my 7 tray dehydrator and most of the slices are too thick so it takes at least 36 hours to dry them.

Also, can someone recommend a reasonably priced dehydrator? I'm going to build a big one but not this year. I saw a dehydrator in the store today that can take up to 30 trays. Minus the ones that come with the dryer that's $150 worth of trays but it would be nice to load up a bunch at one time.


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## 400578 (May 4, 2020)

I have this one. https://amzn.to/32SKNsJ If the tomatoes are firm it works like a champ but I'd recommend the cut proof glove to go with it because it is SHARP and if you stop paying attention for a nano second it'll get you.

As far as a dehydrator I absolutely love the my Excalibur Dehydrator. Excalibur 9-tray, Digital 48hr Timer, Black It is about the best dehydrator I've ever used for jerky and vegetables. I see its $350 now but I think I got it on sale in March for 250 or so.


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## alida (Feb 8, 2015)

I agree about the mandolin Hunter1981 recommended. I used mine a lot. I was also happy with this OXO Good grips model, with a dial to make the slices thinner of thicker.


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

Hunter1981 said:


> I have this one. Amazon.com: Mueller Austria Premium Quality V-Pro Multi Blade Adjustable Mandoline Cheese/Vegetable Slicer, Cutter, Shredder with Precise Maximum Adjustability: Kitchen & Dining If the tomatoes are firm it works like a champ but I'd recommend the cut proof glove to go with it because it is SHARP and if you stop paying attention for a nano second it'll get you.
> 
> As far as a dehydrator I absolutely love the my Excalibur Dehydrator. Excalibur 9-tray, Digital 48hr Timer, Black It is about the best dehydrator I've ever used for jerky and vegetables. I see its $350 now but I think I got it on sale in March for 250 or so.


I just ordered that slicer. I ordered some gloves too.

How long do they stay sharp? I'd like to dry 75-80 lbs of tomatoes this season so that's a lot of slicing.


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## netskyblue (Jul 25, 2012)

I have that same slicer. Be careful, I lost a nickel sized chunk of my palm the first time I used it! (My potato slipped off the pushing tool and I had a fair bit of momentum built up, so my hand kept going after the potato escaped.)


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

OUCH! How long can I expect the blades to remain sharp cutting tomatoes? Once it's through the skin it shouldn't be too hard on the edge.


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## netskyblue (Jul 25, 2012)

I've never used it for tomatoes, just potatoes and zucchini. I think I've had it 2 or 3 years, using it maybe 4-5 times a year to make a scalloped potato dish or something similar. Blades are still fine and sharp, but that's a totally different use than you're going for, so I'm not sure how helpful that will be to you.


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

Are there any other recommendations? I tried the mandolin but can't get it to work on tomatoes. The large Beefmaster or Early Girl tomatoes might give up one slice but then they stop slicing. Then the smashed fruit has to be forced through the blade by hand. I've tried quartering and slicing from the inside of the skin but that's not the solution either.

The Roma tomatoes slice good down to the last couple of slices but then they have to be forced through the blade by hand. They aren't overly ripe.

I'm starting to think that maybe the solution is to smash the tomatoes to the desired thickness and dry the pulp/juice separately or freeze it.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Good sharp knife. Everything else that I tried was a waste of time and money.


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

It seems to be that way. I'm still thinking that a person could mash the tomatoes to the desired thickness in something like a pop can smasher instead of slicing them. Or maybe run it through something like a clothes wringer. Then the pulp could be dried.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Don’t make yourself more work of having to clean up a gizmo.


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

Slicing 10-15 lbs at a time takes a long time and I'm planning on drying 75-100 lbs. Plus I'll never have uniformly thick slices without a slicer.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Wow!!!

You must have a huge and wonderful dehydrator.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Nemco 55600-1 Tomato Slicer Amazon.com: Nemco 55600-1 Tomato Slicer: Industrial & Scientific


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## Wolf mom (Mar 8, 2005)

Alice In TX/MO said:


> Good sharp knife. Everything else that I tried was a waste of time and money.


In addition, I use a serrated edged knife. The serration grabs the skin and slices easily,

$234 for a tomato slicer WOW! I'll sit in front of the TV with a plastic tarp on the floor and chair and slice away....


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

Alice In TX/MO said:


> Wow!!!
> 
> You must have a huge and wonderful dehydrator.


I have 2 plus you need to take into account that not all of the tomato goes into the dryer. Some of the largest tomatoes have about 30-50% waste.


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

I just spent more than 5 minutes unloading a tray. The trays are 1/4" stainless mesh and the tomato slices sunk down and wrapped around the wires before drying. Aaaakkkk!

I'm trying a work-around that involves some extra work but a lot less than trying to pry chunks of tomatoes off the wires. I turned the heat up to 140 F from 130 F and in one hour I will flip the slices. They should be dry enough to hold together and pull loose from the tray. Then they should be dry enough to not stick to the tray as they finish drying.

I'm going to give the mandolin one more chance once I get enough ripe roma tomatoes to slice.


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## random (Jul 23, 2020)

fishhead said:


> Slicing 10-15 lbs at a time takes a long time and I'm planning on drying 75-100 lbs. Plus I'll never have uniformly thick slices without a slicer.


I can slice a large batch of tomatoes (or cucumbers, squash, etc.) with my chef's knife just as fast as I can with a mandolin, with nearly the same uniformity. 7-8 years ago, that was not true. It's just basic knife skills and_ a lot_ of practice. Not suggesting that you don't have basic knife skills, but if you haven't taken a culinary knife handling class (which is how I learned), I would suggest looking up the knife skills episode of Good Eats. With the amount of tomatoes you're slicing, you'll have it mastered by the end of the year.


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## painterswife (Jun 7, 2004)

How about freezing then slicing? Would it make a difference to quality?


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Oh, no. Not a good idea. Mush.


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

painterswife said:


> How about freezing then slicing? Would it make a difference to quality?


I think that it might make them mushy.

I just got done slicing enough tomatoes for both of my dehydrators. It went okay. I'm learning how to use my sharpening steel that I've used off and on since the 70's. Having a sharp knife makes a huge difference.


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## Zurie (Aug 29, 2020)

Try using a serrated knife, I was a chef for years and that is what they taught us in school. Once you get through the skin (with a serrated knife it's easy peasy) the knife slides through like nothing.


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

Zurie said:


> Try using a serrated knife, I was a chef for years and that is what they taught us in school. Once you get through the skin (with a serrated knife it's easy peasy) the knife slides through like nothing.


I'll have to check the blades that came with the slicer to see if there are any serrated blades.

I don't understand why someone doesn't make a tomato slicer like a cabbage slicer. If I could get the blade sharp enough I would give it try with my cabbage slicer.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Cabbage is much more firm than ripe tomatoes, and the tomato skin puts up resistance with a soft texture behind it. Thus the difficulty.

My mother had a wooden guide for slicing a loaf of bread. I am going to search for a picture of something similar for tomatoes.


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

If the blade was 30 degrees to the line of travel instead of 45 degrees I believe that it would slice a lot better. The stroke would be longer but not enough to make much of a difference. Maybe even make the blade serrated.


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

Zurie said:


> Try using a serrated knife, I was a chef for years and that is what they taught us in school. Once you get through the skin (with a serrated knife it's easy peasy) the knife slides through like nothing.


I'll give that a try next time. Thanks!


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## weaselfire (Feb 7, 2018)

There are dozens of tomato slicers. Stop in at your local restaurant supply and look at a few.

Jeff


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## w_w_w_31 (Dec 2, 2020)

The Amazon link to the Nemco tomato slicer is probably the best tomato slicer you are going to be able to find, including all of the mandolins. The blades on the Nemco are serrated, which will cut into the skin very effectively. That is the slicer that all the sandwich shops use since they need very consistent slices.

However, I personally would not be using it in my home kitchen. As a number of people have already said, basic knife skills will be your helper. Those would include knowing how to grip your knives, and how to, and when, to properly use a steel and stone. When I am processing tomatoes, I can peel a tomato with my chef knife if need be. Because I keep my knife that sharp all the time. I do have a "proper" serrated tomato knife, but I rarely use it, because I find it easier to just use one knife for the entire job.

Also, as another person has said, you may not be able to get consistent slices right away. Because that will take practice. For a cook in a commercial kitchen, it takes a lot of repetitive practice to get consistent size cuts in everything being processed. So yes, by the end of the season you will be doing it beautifully and easily.

And yes, I do have 2 different mandolins at home, that normally get used for Au Gratin potatoes. Not tomatoes.

dave


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

Alice In TX/MO said:


> Cabbage is much more firm than ripe tomatoes, and the tomato skin puts up resistance with a soft texture behind it. Thus the difficulty.
> 
> My mother had a wooden guide for slicing a loaf of bread. I am going to search for a picture of something similar for tomatoes.


That kind of guide should work for getting uniform slices and reduce the need to slice slowly at the start. I wonder if the person could make one using a tube so that you just feed the tomatoes into one end and the slices fall out the other.


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