Much better than I thought. Worth more than I paid.
PROS:
*It can slice through everything. I prefer using it on completely frozen meat, and it's great. Instead of paying $40+ per person to get shabushabu at a restaurant, I can just slice the meat myself at home. Basically, this is a small table saw for meat.
*It can slice very thin. Some people have commented that it can't slice super thin, but unless your definition of super thin is "paper thin," then you're going to be satisfied. It can cut shabushabu thinner than the restaurants will do for you, so that's good enough for me.
*It feels safe. Despite wielding a rapidly spinning razor sharp blade, as long as you're using it the way it's intended (there's a hand guard you're supposed to use to move the meat) it feels safe. If you're holding the meat with your bare hands and not paying attention, then this machine won't be very safe because of course it's a moving blade. Just use it the way it's supposed to be used (and it's easy to use) and you'll feel safe using it too.
*It's inexpensive and it'll pay for itself. I've saved a lot of money by slicing my own sandwich meat and shabushabu meat. A few years ago I remember searching for a meat slicer online and found out that most of them were hundreds of dollars, or more. Chef's Choice makes these units basically for consumers only (not the types they use in stores which are much larger), but for a consumer item it's really a great deal. The price is great (typically under $100), and if your budget is higher for a home-use machine you can get the other models which have an all-metal surface which looks even nicer.
*It's solid and sturdy. I don't have to worry if this thing is going to fall over, or move while I'm cutting meat. It's got weight, and reminds me of working with a KitchenAid stand mixer (also another good item to have in your kitchen). A machine like this should be heavy.
*You feel like a boss using it. That is all.
CONS:
* Cleaning. It's not the easiest machine to clean. You have to take certain parts of it off and wash them separately, and other parts wash with a sponge and dry on the machine itself (such as washing the body). It's kind of heavy so it usually takes me about 10~15 minutes to wash it completely. Also the blade needs to be cleaned carefully because it's sharp, and you don't want to just submerse it in water because you'd lose the grease in the center. Cleaning this thing is a careful job and needs to be done each time you're finished using it. Still, besides this con, I think this is going to be the same with any large machine you purchase, so I wouldn't remove a star because of it.
NOTE: Also make sure to pick up the "Chef`s Choice Non-serrated Blade" for this. The one it comes with works perfectly and can even cut shabushabu fine, but the non-serrated blade is able to get an even thinner cut for that "see-through" thinness you've only seen in butcher shops. The non-serrated blade is also a bit quieter when it cuts, and makes less of a mess (less tiny pieces of meat hitting the machine) and might work better for you when you're slicing through things that are frozen.
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