What is the Right Thickness for Meat Slices?

Invest in your kitchen gear with meat slicers from LEM Products. A commercial meat slicer allows you to achieve the customized thickness you want your meat to have. The good news is that any whole muscle meat—meaning meat that has not been ground or chopped up or overly processed—will work well with any thickness. The following is a guide on how thick you achieve a specific level of thickness.

Shaved – Less than 1/16”

Shaved slices of meat are those paper-thin beauties that you can almost see through. They are like the stained-glass windows of meat. Delicate and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Use this thickness for a charcuterie board (a fancy way of saying meat and cheese board) paired with scrumptious cheese, fruit, and crackers. You can even use your meat slicer to slice the cheese, just make sure you clean it properly!

Thin Sliced – Between 1/16” to 1/8”

When you are pressing a panini or making a grilled cheese and want to add meat to it, go for thin sliced. This is going to be around 1/16” or less than 1/8”. You can pile that meat onto the bread along with cheese and other toppings and everything will melt together flawlessly so when you take a bite you have the perfect texture of sliced meat.

Medium Sliced – Between 1/8” to 3/16”

Perfect for a classic sandwich, this gives you a meaty bite while still being able to create layers of flavor. A medium slice is going to be around 1/8” but no thicker than 3/16” because that gets into the thick sliced territory. Whether slicing up ham, turkey, or venison, you will

Thick Sliced

Anything 3/16” or thicker is a thick slice. This thickness is great for an entrée or when you want to julienne meat for salads. For a steak, try ¼”, just remember that if you are slicing raw meat, you want to clean your machine properly before using it again to slice cooked meat. The risk of bacteria just is not worth skipping this step.

Thankfully, all of the meat slicers from LEM are easy to take apart and clean when you need to. Head to LEMProducts.com to explore all of your options!