I have a Hobart P660.
I am heavily considering shredding my own cheese.
Does any one already do this and if so would you please share the pros and cons.
Thanks
Bubba
Bubba,
I have a Hobart also, and shred my own cheese. You can probably save 15 cents a lb if you shred it yourself. Only drawback is the labor and storing it in containers.
If your using 500lbs of mozzarella, you’ll save 75 bucks a week.
Take into consideration your gunna need to buy the attachments for it and also utilitzing the machine more often.
I shred every 2 days and roughly 125lbs each time.
I shred my own because I like to have a finer shred than what I can get from the suppliers. I use the 3/32 plate for my shred.
Hi Buba:
See if you can find someone that has a Hobart shredder attachment that you can try.
We have had some clients that found the P 660 with only two gears did not have the rpm for efficient shredding.
Hobart has a unit that goes between the hub and the shredder to up the RPM but the units burnt out in a short time for our clients.
Just what our clients have told us perhaps others have had different results
George Mills
Personally, I like chopped cheese better as it is easier and faster to spread on a pie as well as to portion by weight. We use a vertical cutter/mixer which basically makes for quick prep. It takes about 15 minutes to chop 150 lbs of cheese and clean the machine – big labor savings.
If you are thinking about shredding I would first calculate how long it will take you to do the prep. Multiply that times your labor factor and compare against the product savings. I’m sure others here can chime in how long it takes them since you haven’t done it. If its close I would think its best to stay with the pre-shredded – less headaches and management time.
Shelf life of block is longer.
Price of block is lower.
Block takes half the space in the walk-in.
No question about it, if you do any volume at all, buying block and prepping it yourself is the way to go. We use a VCM. It will chop 20 lbs in 25 seconds. One guy can do all the cheese for both our locations in about 20-30 minutes including opening the cases, chopping and clean-up. The savings for us is about $20 day even including the labor.
Just remember, when it comes to product everything that is done by the purveyor/supplyer costs you more… so everything you can do yourself like shredding your own cheese will save you money.