By Lee Davis, CFSP
Like many, I’ve always had a fascination with specialty kitchen tools. Perhaps it comes from growing up during the 60’s and 70’s watching Ron Popeil hawk his Veg-O-Matic Slicer on TV every night. They made him wealthy and famous. Comedians from Dan Aykroyd to Gallagher spoofed his product, but in the end, the pitch was effective because the concept was solid:
- Inexpensive to purchase
- Simple to use
- Capable of processing large quantities rapidly
- Consistently perfect cuts
- Minimal labor
- NO electricity!
The only place you’re likely to find a Veg-O-Matic these days is in an “As Seen On TV” museum collection, but there is still a place in commercial kitchens for the high quality relatives of this product. Winco’s new Kattex line of food processing equipment provides many great examples: tomato slicers, French fry cutters, fruit wedge slicers, lettuce cutters, turning slicers and more.
The Kattex units feature sturdy aluminum or cast iron construction with stainless steel blades. Some feature a steady base with non-skid feet, while others are designed for mounting to a solid surface or wall, using appropriate hardware. Most models allow you to interchange blades for more versatility in the width and thickness of whatever you’re processing. These products are durable, and easy to disassemble and clean.
For operators that can’t justify the investment in a high speed, electronic, continuous feed, vegetable processor, there are a whole host of reasons to select a Winco Kattex cutter or slicer over a staff of prep cooks with chef’s knives:
- Consistency – better presentations for cold foods; even cook times for hot foods
- Labor & Time Savings – faster processing with virtually no training necessary
- Food Safety – less risk of produce being cross-contaminated by prep knives and cutting boards that have been used for processing raw meats
- Employee Safety – handles are well away from cutting blades and whatever items are being cut
- Food Savings – machines can consistently get more slices out of a single item of produce, such as a tomato, than the typical prep cook can get manually
- Green – no electricity required
If slicing, dicing and cutting is an important part of your operation, then check out the entire Kattex line of Winco products and accessories at www.wincous.com.
