Maintaining meat slicer

Infi-del · Sep 11, 2009

My friend has a deli and she has given me a rusty circular blade from a used meat slicer that she purchased and she wants to save the blade because a replacement is about $200.00. Sharpening it won't be a problem. And cleaning the rust off won't either. My question is do any of you guys know the best food safe oil to use so that it will not rust up on her again. It's a carbon steel blade. Has to be, stainless wouldn't have rusted this badly although I know stainless can rust. But it's had a nice dark brown patina going as well and to my knowledge stainless doesn't really do that. Anyway I'd appreciate some suggestions from anyone who knows how to maintain these things once I get it polised and sharp for her. Thanks.

bgentry · Sep 11, 2009

I've seen multiple recommendations for mineral oil as being food safe. I used it on my bamboo cutting board periodically to keep the surface from drying out. I've never used it on a knife, but others do.

Brian.

Infi-del · Sep 11, 2009

Won't mineral oil kinda give you the squirts? Will vegetable oil or oilve oil spoil?

dawsonbob · Sep 11, 2009

Mineral oil is just the ticket for what you want to do. You don't use vegetable oil or olive oil because they'll turn rancid. In answer to your question: yes, mineral oil is used as a laxative, but that's only in larger doses (a couple of table spoons or more). In the amount you need to protect a blade, I wouldn't worry about it. Just wipe the blade down with mineral oil (it doesn't need to be dripping oil), and you're good to go ... but it won't make you have to go.

richard j · Sep 11, 2009

they make a food grade oil thats more like a paste. any place that sells slicers and such should have it.

chickenplucker · Sep 11, 2009

I cut meat for 15 years and we cleaned our saws and slicers in hot soapy water,sanitized with bleach/water solution everday and coated them down with mineral oil.:thumbup:

Roger999 · Sep 11, 2009

Olive oil would work, it won't be as effective as mineral oil though, tell her after using it, clean it, dry quickly and wipe it down with a cloth of oil.

benchmadebob · Sep 11, 2009

If its rusting it shouldnt be used anyway i think theres laws against carbon steel as food cutlery for a buisness. Unless it is stainless i could be wrong?

sodak · Sep 11, 2009

chickenplucker said:
I cut meat for 15 years and we cleaned our saws and slicers in hot soapy water,sanitized with bleach/water solution everday and coated them down with mineral oil.:thumbup:

There you go. That's as good advice as you're going to get.

Roger999 · Sep 12, 2009

benchmadebob said:
If its rusting it shouldnt be used anyway i think theres laws against carbon steel as food cutlery for a buisness. Unless it is stainless i could be wrong?

How are they going to enforce that law? test each and every knife in every shop for carbon and chromium content? Stainless steel knives can still rust.

Josh K · Sep 12, 2009

I normally would recommend a Tuf-Cloth and keep it touched up once a week or so, but if you need something cheap and easy to use everyday I vote mineral oil. Vegetable based oils might work, but those break down over time and if it starts gunking up the machine that would be a problem.

cj65 · Sep 12, 2009

Josh K said:
I normally would recommend a Tuf-Cloth and keep it touched up once a week or so, but if you need something cheap and easy to use everyday I vote mineral oil. Vegetable based oils might work, but those break down over time and if it starts gunking up the machine that would be a problem.

Tuf-Cloth has such a chemical smell. I am not sure it is food safe.

David Martin · Sep 12, 2009

Roger999 said:
Olive oil would work, .

Yes,and won't spoil.But mineral is still the best. As far as the rust on slicer blades;
I am a Meat Inspector and have close to 20yrs. experience and our state does not have a law of such nature to enforce. However,I've not seen a slicer rust as you speak of.Hobart meat equipment blades I've not seen do that.I'd go ahead and order a blade from them and keep the one that rusts as a spare.Normally they get so much fat on them they don't rust.Has it been setting for sometime?Or perhaps washed in strong bleach? You only need one oz./gallon H2O.Those slicers last 20yrs. trouble free.Perhaps you can polish/buff the rust off and watch and clean it closely and the problem goes away.Your call.DM

maycatthit · Jan 22, 2016

you can use a slice of pineapple fruit, fragrant fruit acidity makes sharper blades. (according maycatthit.info)

KennyB · Jan 22, 2016

benchmadebob said:
If its rusting it shouldnt be used anyway i think theres laws against carbon steel as food cutlery for a buisness. Unless it is stainless i could be wrong?

I don't think it's a food safety thing so much as an OSHA requirement, because I know I have friends who have to use OSHA approved knives only and they're always stainless. I think they're usually just perceived as "safer" because they have big oversized rubberized handles with little grooves and tips so blunt they couldn't pop a balloon without good effort.

Obsessed with Edges · Jan 22, 2016

Infi-del said:
My friend has a deli and she has given me a rusty circular blade from a used meat slicer that she purchased and she wants to save the blade because a replacement is about $200.00. Sharpening it won't be a problem. And cleaning the rust off won't either. My question is do any of you guys know the best food safe oil to use so that it will not rust up on her again. It's a carbon steel blade. Has to be, stainless wouldn't have rusted this badly although I know stainless can rust. But it's had a nice dark brown patina going as well and to my knowledge stainless doesn't really do that. Anyway I'd appreciate some suggestions from anyone who knows how to maintain these things once I get it polised and sharp for her. Thanks.

Restaurant supply companies sell food-safe mineral oil in relatively large bottles for just these purposes (to be used in/on food-processing machines, like slicers). Might look for such a company in your area. I became aware of this in shopping at local restaurant supply house in my area, and picked up a couple 16 oz. bottles for eventual use as honing oil. On that note, you might also find Norton's Sharpening Stone Oil in the same stores (look in the cutlery section); it's also 100% food-safe.

(..and I'm just realizing I'm replying to a resurrected 6-year-old thread. Oh, well...)

David