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I used to have an electric deli slicer (with the motorized rotary cutter) like they have in the supermarkets, though not so fancy for home use. But not any more, and now I do not have the counter space or budget to justify getting another one. Also cleaning given infrequent use does not make a lot of sense.

Where I usually have a problem is thin slicing hard cheeses (like a block of cheddar cheese) with a knife. Because of the force required to slice the cheese, the slice usually ends up too thick or only a partial slice.

I have tried using generic band type cheese slicers that are fine for soft cheese but would seem to break for hard cheeses.

So I would like to know what kind of utensil I could use. Ideally I would like to keep it in the realm of a manual-operation utensil that is easy to clean and store.

--EDIT--

After doing some more searching, I came across these two that seem like possibilities:

Norpro 330 Heavy Duty Adjustable Cheese Slicer

Norpro 349 Marble Cheese Slicer-MARBLE CHEESE SLICER

The 330 has replaceable wire which seems like a good feature. I would appreciate any comment regarding whether these might be suitable.

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  • Chef's knife bolted to the end of a block of wood, so it swivels. Be sure to blunt the tip of the blade, beyond the swivel point, with a bench grinder so as not to poke yourself while cutting.
    – Wayfaring Stranger
    Commented May 20, 2015 at 23:31
  • related : cooking.stackexchange.com/q/14542
    – Joe
    Commented May 21, 2015 at 1:05
  • I've broken a device pretty much like your second link, the 349, while slicing cheddar. They're also a bit of pain to clean.
    – Ross Ridge
    Commented May 21, 2015 at 5:26

2 Answers 2

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A Scandinavian cheese slicer, like this one should do the trick. It's small, cheap, machine washable, and they last basically forever.

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  • How wide would you say the cutting blade is? I need something at least 3 1/2" wide. Also, can you vary the slice thickness with the cutting angle?
    – user3169
    Commented May 20, 2015 at 22:53
  • I think for that width you might be better off getting a wire based slicer.
    – djmadscribbler
    Commented May 20, 2015 at 23:35
  • @user3169 They're only about 2" wide, but that's what I would use. Just cut your cheese in half so it fits. You don't have that much control of the thickness. You could try a mandolin instead but I don't know how well they work with with cheese.
    – Ross Ridge
    Commented May 21, 2015 at 1:04
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    They also function as a vegetable peeler when you're desperate. You can use them on a wider block, as the blade digs in a little past flat part. You can then alternate back and forth on either side of a larger block.
    – Joe
    Commented May 21, 2015 at 1:09
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Cheddar is generally not a problem for a wire to slice - not sure if that's what you mean by "band-type slicer" as I've never heard the term. Most images that come up for it seem to be of the rolling hand-held sort many of which would probably be too wimpy.

What I use when I don't use a knife is a board with a wire supported on a frame and a lever arm attached to a base/board. I've never gone after parmesan or other "seriously hard" cheeses with mine, but cheddar certainly poses no problem for it. An alternate version uses a board with slot to hold a more traditional cheese wire with handles.

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  • Sorry I meant a wire slicer something like this one but maybe I just need to get a better one. I found a couple of other options. I'll add them to my question.
    – user3169
    Commented May 21, 2015 at 3:41

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