New Star Foodservice | Restaurant-Grade Tomato Slicer, 3/16

The Verdict

Let’s be blunt: hand-slicing tomatoes for a busy kitchen is a miserable way to spend 20 minutes. The New Star Foodservice 3/16-inch tomato slicer promises to fix that for under $20. After digging through 210 ratings and the spec sheet, here’s the real story.

What You Actually Get

The unit is compact — roughly 7 inches long and 5 inches wide — with a cast aluminum frame that feels denser than the price suggests. The 3/16-inch blades are stainless steel, mounted in a V-shaped cutting bed. There’s no collection tray, no pusher, no safety guard. It’s a bare-bones tool designed for one job: turning whole tomatoes into uniform slices in a single downward push.

The design is dead simple. Place a tomato on the coring spikes, press down, and the blades do the work. The base has four rubber feet that grip wet stainless steel prep tables — a small detail that matters more than you’d think.

Real-World Performance

Here’s where this slicer earns its keep. The blades are actually sharp out of the box. One buyer noted, “Cuts through a Roma tomato in one clean press — no squishing, no torn edges.” That matches what I’d expect from the 3/16-inch gauge: thin enough for burger toppings, thick enough that slices hold their structure on a catering tray.

The coring spikes on the bottom center the tomato and punch out the stem area — a thoughtful touch that saves you from trimming each slice individually. For Roma and beefsteak varieties, this works flawlessly. The unit handles up to about 3 inches in diameter before you’re forcing the fruit through.

Cleanup is straightforward: rinse under hot water immediately after use. Don’t let tomato seeds dry on the blades, or you’ll be scrubbing. The aluminum frame won’t rust, but it will show water spots if you air-dry it.

What Buyers Consistently Praise

Across the ratings, three themes dominate:

• Speed: “I prep 50 tomatoes for salsa in under five minutes now” — one reviewer’s exact words. That’s the pitch, and it delivers.
• Consistency: Every slice comes out the same thickness. No more uneven slices where one is paper-thin and the next is a wedge.
• Build quality: Multiple buyers called out the cast aluminum construction as “heavier than expected” and “clearly commercial-grade.”

Where It Falls Short

The exposed blades are the elephant in the room. There’s no guard, no hand shield, nothing between your fingers and six sharp stainless steel edges. One reviewer mentioned “nicked a fingertip during rinsing” — that’s a real risk, not a hypothetical. If you have kids around or you’re clumsy with knives, this is a legitimate concern.

Second, this is a tomato-only tool. Cucumbers, zucchini, or firm produce will either crush under the blades or require so much force that the frame flexes. One frustrated buyer wrote, “Tried it on English cucumbers — ended up with a mushy mess and a bruised palm.” Don’t expect a multi-purpose slicer.

Third, the 3/16-inch cut is non-negotiable. If you want thicker slices for caprese salads, this isn’t the tool. It’s a one-trick pony with one trick.

Who Should Buy This

• Home cooks who make burgers or sandwiches regularly: Uniform tomato slices elevate the final product, and this makes it effortless.
• Small restaurants, food trucks, or caterers: If you’re slicing tomatoes by the case, this pays for itself in labor savings within a week.
• Anyone with arthritis or grip issues: The lever-style press requires far less hand strength than a knife.

Skip it if you need a multi-purpose slicer, if you’re uncomfortable with exposed blades, or if you only cut tomatoes once a month — a sharp chef’s knife is already in your drawer.

FAQ

Can it slice cherry or grape tomatoes? No. The coring spikes are spaced for full-size tomatoes. Small varieties slip off the spikes and get crushed. Cut those by hand.

Will it rust in a dishwasher? The blades are stainless, but the aluminum frame will discolor and the rubber feet may degrade. Hand-wash only — it takes 30 seconds.

Can I adjust the slice thickness? No. The 3/16-inch blades are fixed. New Star makes other models with different gauges if you need thicker or thinner cuts.

The Verdict

Buy it if you’re slicing tomatoes in any kind of volume — this is a legitimate time-saver that produces clean, consistent results for under $20. Skip it if you want versatility or you’re wary of exposed blades.

The New Star Foodservice 3/16-inch tomato slicer does exactly one thing, and it does that one thing exceptionally well. It’s earned its 4.2-star rating honestly. Just keep your fingers clear.

Rating: 4.2/5

Where to Buy

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Last updated: 2026-08-06. Ratings and prices current as of review date. Verify on Amazon before purchasing.