A meat grinder is one of the most common tools you can find in a kitchen belonging to people who love meat. This appliance is designed to ease your work and make it possible to experiment with new dishes each day using your favorite meats. Each grinder comes with its pros and cons, making it difficult for you to choose the best model. Therefore, we have prepared a buying guide that will help with getting your hands on a product that meets most of your needs.
How to Choose the Best Meat Grinders
With the innumerable meat grinders available in the market, it is easy to get confused when searching for the most suitable product. So, let us focus on the important factors you should consider before finalizing a purchase.
Material
Different parts of meat grinders are designed using different materials. Their body is usually made of stainless steel, high-impact polystyrene, and plastic. Stainless steel and high-impact polystyrene are incredibly long-lasting, durable, easy to clean, rust-resistant, and impact-resistant.
On the other hand, plastic is used because it is lightweight, easy to clean, and cost-efficient. Attachments like food pushers, sausage stuffers, pasta makers, and kibbeh makers are also made using this material. Since grinder blades are required to be sturdy and durable, they are manufactured using stainless steel. Other parts like the hopper and auger are made using cast aluminum that is lightweight and promotes health.
Power
Most home meat grinders are designed with a 350-watt to 500-watt motors. The more the power, the better the grinding results. However, the model with more available power will also consume more electricity. So, make your choice accordingly. If you don’t want an electric grinder, you can also find some manual models that are also easy to use.
Modes of Grinding
Meat grinders come with three grinding plates to produce coarse, medium, and finely chopped minces. They are also designed to work in different modes, including fast, slow, and reverse settings. The fast mode is used to grind meat, whereas the slow mode button fills sausages. Similarly, the reverse button is used to retrieve meat pieces that get stuck in the blades.
Accessories
Meat grinders with several accessories add comfort and convenience, making the appliances more versatile and advanced. These accessories might include a food pusher to effortlessly feed the meat into the grinder as well as different-sized sausage stuffers to make sausages of varying lengths and thicknesses.
Some models also come with additional cutting blades to produce finely cut meat. So, make sure to invest in a grinder that includes some accessories to make your work easier.
Ease of use
The efficiency of a grinder can be determined by its ease of use. The finest meat grinders work with the push of a button, making it super convenient for you to grind the required meat in the least amount of time.
Other attachments that add to ease of use are a meat pusher, meant to push meat inside the grinder without making your hands dirty, and a large-size hopper that allows you to grind meat in large quantities.
Ease of cleaning
Meat grinders are manufactured with detachable parts so that you can easily remove and clean them conveniently. You should wash the parts using a mild soap and then towel dry them to increase longevity. However, avoid putting them into a dishwasher, as it is not recommended.
What Are the Advantages of Using a Meat Grinder?
Precise output
Meat grinders are designed to produce precise results. They come with blades and grinding plates that cut the meat and grind it evenly, producing fine minces. They commonly come with three grinding plates to produce coarse, medium, and finely minced meat.
Multi-purpose use
Most meat grinders are not only used for processing meat but are also ideal for stuffing sausages with minced meat, making kibbeh, and grinding vegetables as well as fruits. So, you can use them for multiple purposes and make scrumptious food at home.
Saves time and effort
Meat grinders can grind 180 to 240 lbs per hour, saving your time as well as effort. You can instantly grind meat to make meatballs, sausages, kibbeh, or your favorite meat patty in just a few minutes.
How to Make Meat Grinders Last Longer
Like any other electric appliances, meat grinders need to be used with precaution to make them last longer. So, we'll discuss a few tips that'll keep your product in the best condition.
- Avoid chopping bones or big ice cubes as these grinders are meant for home grinding only.
- Do not use a meat grinder to stir any sticky item, such as flour.
- Never put whole vegetables or fruits in the grinder. Instead, cut them into medium-sized pieces before grinding, perhaps using a vegetable chopper.
- Always fill the meat up to the max line, and don't go beyond it for optimal results.
- After 30 seconds, give the appliance a 2-minute break to increase longevity.
- Always wash and clean the parts after use, as this will keep them protected from rust and corrosion.
- Make sure you're following the instructions mentioned in the grinder’s manual.
How Much Should You Spend on a Meat Grinder?
There's a wide variety of meat grinders available today. Prices vary significantly from manual to electric grinders as well as from home grinders to commercial grinders.
Correspondingly, the cost of a meat grinder depends on its material, power, number of blades, ease of use, and the number of accessories that come with it. So, to buy the best grinder, you may have to spend between $26.99 and $379.99.
