How to Slice Vegetables with a Meat Slicer

Author : Efrain E. Silva

So I was walking downtown the other day, in my business suit, a little stressed - out and over - worked. And to be quite honest, I started to spitball ideas left and right : Should I start to look for a new job and employer? Do I really like where I currently live? What’s so great about taking the metro ride every day, after all? Do I need new and different shoes? Why are my friends wearing out on me?

On and on and on the thoughts would go….one negative notion after another, each piling up on the last like a pair of wet, dirty laundry socks left unattended after a long, exhausting day. Ya da ya da ya da. But then, after some serious thinking, the light bulb really turned on in my head, and I had this weird thought that had NOTHING to do with any of that : “Can I slice my veggies up with a meat slicer, instead of just slicing up my usual old meat?” Then thoughts started to churn, and the bubble of great ideas started to go on and on, a good train of thought on its way….

I looked into this and thought, “Why not?” I mean, after all, if it can slice through hard meat (even some with a little bone in it, since I have one of those fancy ones I can use anytime, that cuts roughly and is of high - quality steel), why should it not be able to tear its way through some produce? Heck, why not give it a shot? And that was what I did, and it not only took my mind off my problems but also reminded me that sometimes there are more than 1 ways to do the same thing, which is so rewarding to consider…..

And I’ve been doing this since then, from time to time. Last week, I just threw a couple full potatoes right over that sliding tray while resting the hand guard that I got for the slicer right on them. I had my thickness on 2 inches, which is where I think it’s ideal, based on the results I get each time, and then just sliced away like a mad - man with no mercy (still being accurate and careful, of course). If you’re doing like a smaller vegetable, such as a tomato or even small cucumbers, you want to place only as many of these as can comfortably fit right under that guard and not go over - board with it.

In other words, make sure that you line things up evenly, cut things up length - wise and try new veggies each time, within reason. Have fun but be careful, two things that often tend to go best when done together, he heh. Zucchini is also an option (and yes, it is a vegetable, in case you were wondering, though probably not one of the more popular ones) that works well with such a slicer. So take a break from slicing meats!