Whether you run a restaurant, manage a hotel, or sell artisan goods through an organic market, if you want your clientèle to have the best meat, you’ll need to prepare it yourself. Corporations all over the world are taking chemical shortcuts to lower costs, but if you want healthy, real, authentic sausages, salami, and salumi, there’s no substitute for traditional salami processing. What makes it difficult is that each year, fewer companies are willing to take the time to do things correctly; it’s much cheaper to push out low-grade, chemical-filled meats in order to cut costs and artificially boost profits in the short term. The good news is that if you invest in a quality meat curing cabinet and master the process of meat curing in-house, you can obtain much better results without having out of control costs.
We’ve spent time lately reviewing Stagionello curing cabinets, as they provide fully automated curing in under a month for a range of meats. We recently reviewed their two largest offerings, the STG200600 and STG100300, and found both to be among the best offerings on the market. However, both can be more than many small businesses need, whether in price, heft, or capacity. Today we’ll review a smaller, yet still highly capable alternative, the Stagionello Twin 100 + 100 kg STGTWIF0 Curing Cabinet with ClimaTouch and Fumotic. Our summarized thoughts are to buy the STG100300 if you’ll consistently cure close to 900 pounds of meat each month, and to buy the STGTWIF0 if you don’t expect to cure more than 500 pounds of charcuterie in each cycle. Our full review is below, and you can buy the Stagionello STGTWIF0 here on Amazon or buy the Stagionello STG100300 here instead.
Which features are common to all Stagionello cabinets, including the STGTWIF0?
The STGTWIF0, along with the almost identical STG200TF0, is the third-largest meat curing cabinet manufactured by Stagionello. The Italian company has been making cabinets for automatic meat curing longer than nearly any other enterprise, and the seven models they manufacture (i.e., the STG200600, STG100300, STGTWIF0, STG200TF0, STG100TF0, STGPNTF60, and Stagionello Evo 150) share a number of features, including the ability to cure a range of salamis in 20 days on average. We’ll take a look at these features below; the key point to remember is that the cabinets are designed to manage the three essential parts of safe and tasty meat preparation: temperature regulation, humidity control, and airflow management.
All Stagionello cabinets are designed to be used continuously in a range of commercial settings including hotels, farms, restaurants, meat markets, research labs, and organic cooperatives. They use ClimaTouch computer monitoring technology to regulate temperature, pH, humidity, and airflow levels through each of the five programmed phases in each unit: salting, stewing, aromatization and smoking, and seasoning and drying. The cabinets use non-toxic foam to keep your meats insulated without affecting health or taste during the curing process, and you can add cold smoke and flavorings through the included proprietary Fumotic system.
All Stagionellos are built with buy-it-for-life longevity in mind. The interiors are made from AISI 304 stainless steel, which is food-safe, non-porous, and easy to clean. Externally, locking glass panels provide security while ensuring visibility throughout the curing process. The cabinets are designed to function in ambient temperatures of up to 89.6°F (32°C) while featuring alarms and digital notification systems to allow you to monitor condenser, evaporation, pH, humidity, and temperature levels and settings. You can program the computer in five languages (English, Spanish, French, German, and Italian) through a touch screen display. You’ll also find 30 preset recipes and enough memory to store around 100 in total, allowing you to add up to 70 personal recipes without removing the preinstalled options. Every element of the cabinet’s functioning is controllable through the computers, and data logging for record keeping is also built into the system.
Which meats can you cure with the Stagionello STGTWIF0 curing cabinet?
Stagionello curing cabinets are capable of preparing nearly any variety of salami currently available, including but not limited to Cacciatore (also known as Cacciatora or Cacciatorini), Chorizo, Ciauscolo, Fegatelli, Felino, Finocchiona, Genovese, German salami, Hard, Kulen, Lardo, Napoletano, Milanese, Pepperoni, Saucisson, Soppressata, Spegepolse, Vysocina, and Winter salami. Beyond salami, you can cure a range of salumi including Proscuitto, Coppa, Bresaola, Cotechino, Guanciale, Lardo, Mortadella, ‘Nduja, and Pancetta.
Pros, Cons, and Key Features of the Stagionello STGTWIF0 Meat Curing Cabinet
Now we’ve reviewed the features common to every Stagionello cabinet, here’s what’s exclusive to the STGTWIF0. As the third-largest model in the Stagionello lineup along with the STG200TF0, it features twin 100 kg cabinets for a combined 200 kg, or nearly 441 pounds of curing capacity. You can use it in any environment where the ambient temperature stays below 89.6°F (32°C) and where the ambient relative humidity does not surpass 90%.
Electrically, it draws 220 Volts AC, 3.21 kW, and 14.6 amps at max load. Its water inlets and outlets are 3/4″ and 1/2″ in diameter respectively. The cabinet works by creating a microclimate that simulates southern Italy’s climate conditions, allowing it to produce salami of equivalent quality nearly anywhere in the world without sacrificing flavor, texture, or longevity. Essentially, it allows you to use traditional curing methods without a Mediterranean climate.
The STGTWIF0 is about the size of a small commercial double door fridge; it measures 57.5 inches wide, 83 inches tall, and 30.7 inches deep. It weighs 550 pounds empty and features stainless steel adjustable legs to increase stability on uneven floors; casters are optionally available if increased mobility is necessary.
Unfortunately, the unit is only equipped with a 1 year parts and labor warranty; we’d like to see more in this price range. However, Stagionello’s customer support is at the highest level, and given the degree to which their reputation rests on quality machinery for safe, traditional salami preparation, we don’t expect the cabinet to need significant repairs before a minimum of 10 years of service. It’s important to note, however, that Stagionello recommends servicing their cabinets twice a year for preventative purposes.
What’s the difference between the Stagionello STGTWIF0 and the STG100300?
Beyond the higher price of the STG100300 compared to the STGTWIF0, the major differences between both cabinets involve capacities, dimensions, and electrical requirements. Between the two, the STG100300 is by far the more capable machine, which makes it the more demanding; it can cure up to 882 pounds of meat in an average of 20 days, which is exactly twice as much as the 441 pound limit of the STGTWIF0.
The doubled capacity of the STG100300 results in a much larger cabinet; its width swells from 57.5 to 100 inches, its height increases from 83 to 101 inches, and its depth grows from 30.7 to 37.4 inches. The weight also increases significantly from 550 to 700 pounds, as do the electrical requirements. Instead of needing 220 Volts, you now need 380; your kilowatt draw jumps from 3.21kW to 7.12kW. Interestingly, the max amps decrease from 14.6 to 10.32. Aside from these differences, both machines will work in exactly the same way.
Is the STG100300 worth the price jump over the STGTWIF0?
At this point, you might be wondering if, given how much it costs to buy the STGTWIF0, it might not make more sense to just upgrade to the STG100300 to avoid needing to do so in the future. We understand your dilemma; both machines cost a lot of money, especially if you’re running a small business. However, both are among the finest machines available for meat curing, and if you use either at capacity, you will quickly recoup your money from either as long as you don’t underprice your meats. We’d suggest buying the ST100300 if you expect to consistently sell around 500-1000 pounds of meat every few months and to save money and buy the STGTWIF0 if your business tops out at around 250-500 pounds of meat every few months.
You can buy the Stagionello STG100300 200 kg meat curing cabinet here on Amazon. If the price is too dear or if you only need half as much curing capacity, you can buy the Stagionello STGTWIF0 200 kg cabinet here instead.
Canadians, unfortunately Stagionellos are not readily available. We would advise you to have them shipped to a US address and drive them across the border, following all applicable laws and customs regulations as needed.
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