A meat grinder is a useful tool used to grind, cut and mix raw or cooked meat, fish, vegetables, and other food ingredients. Meat grinders can be manual or electric-powered devices, both of which have a variety of sizes and capabilities. Aside from their convenience in the kitchen, meat grinders offer many benefits for those who purchase them for home or commercial use.
The main benefit of owning a meat grinder is that you have complete control over the quality and texture of your ground meats. Unlike pre-ground meats in the store which may contain fillers and additives, with a home grinder you can choose the leanest cuts and mix them together with spices if desired to create your own unique blend. You can also cater to dietary needs by separating out specific cuts that are lower in fat or calories than others.
Here is a more detailed list of the benefits of using a meat grinder and why you should add one to your cart now:
Benefits of using a meat grinder
- Versatility – Meat grinders can be used to mince a variety of meat including beef, pork, chicken, turkey, lamb and veal. This means that you have the freedom to make all kinds of delicious dishes.
- Freshness – When you use a meat grinder you are able to make sure that your ground meat is as fresh as possible because it’s being made right before your eyes! This also means that you know exactly what’s going into each dish and can monitor sodium and fat levels.
- Control over Texture – When you buy pre-ground meats at the store the texture tends to be uniform due to them being processed with machines. By grinding your own meats with a meat grinder, you get more control over texture ensuring that it’s just how you want it.
- Cost Savings – As homemade ground meats tend to be cheaper than buying readymade from stores, using a meat grinder is an excellent way of saving money as well as providing food for a longer period of time as opposed to buying in bits and pieces..
In addition to allowing you greater freedom when it comes to selecting ingredients, using a meat grinder often results in superior product quality overall as well. Since grinding takes place within minutes at home rather than hours away packed into pre-ground packages at the store – not only can grinding produce fresher products but also more flavorful ones since less exposure to air oxidizes flavors faster.
Types of Meat Grinders
If you’re convinced about buying a meat grinder – which you should probably be, here are some of the types of meat grinders you can choose from depending on your needs:
- Manual Meat Grinder – A manual meat grinder is perfect for grinding small amounts of meat, vegetables, and other food items quickly. It doesn’t require electrical power and with its crank handle, it can easily be moved around the kitchen so that you can use it whenever needed.
- Electric Meat Grinder – An electric meat grinder may be more difficult to use compared to a manual one, but it has a powerful motor which makes the task easier and faster. This type of grinder is ideal for commercial kitchens but can also be used in residential kitchens for grinding larger quantities of meats or for more complex operations such as sausage making.
- Slicer/Grater – This type of grinder functions like two separate pieces of equipment in one: a slicer and a grater. It can quickly and accurately separate ground meats into thin slices suitable for burgers or sandwiches or even turn large cuts into smaller ones or cut them into cubes, ready to cook in stews or soups.
- Food Processor/Chopper – While this isn’t technically considered a “grinder” per se, it is still an excellent tool that can perform many different tasks including chopping, blending, and pureeing foods as well as grinding some types of meats and vegetables if you get the right attachment for your specific food processor model.
- Stand Mixer Attachment – If you have an electric stand mixer, then you’re lucky enough to have access to an incredible kitchen appliance that can do so much more than just mix cake batter and cookie dough! With the right attachment (most commonly known as “meat grinders”), your stand mixer can easily double up as a grinder- perfect for anyone who likes their meals freshly ground at home!
Additional Care Tips
- Unpacking and Setup – Unpack your meat grinder and make sure all the parts are present. Make sure you have the grinder body, grinding plates, grinding blades, pusher, hopper, food tray, sausage attachment if needed, set screw assorted and motor if electric. If any parts are missing or broken contact your supplier immediately.
- Before you begin – Be sure to read through the manufacturer’s instructions carefully before attempting to use your meat grinder. Check that all screws and fastenings are properly tightened. Also check that the blade is securely fixed in place on the grinding plate.
- Cleaning – Before construction of a new batch of grinded food, remove old pieces of food from inside and outside the machine with a damp cloth or brush especially around where meat enters into gears and blades as well as where coarse material may have lodged itself in cracks or crevices between parts of the machine such as transmission pulleys/ belts or housing walls of auger shaft etc.. Disassemble metal components with warm water containing a few drops of dishwashing liquid when possible; dry them thoroughly before installing again so metal surfaces won’t rust due to moisture absorption from air/food easily.
For greater capacity of freshness & shelf life storage for leftovers during processing of grinded meat immediately after use, it is best to keep your ground-meat stored in sealed containers within a cool temperature refrigerator for maximum efficiency against spoilage & defrosted completely prior to eating.