How to Choose the Right Meat Grinder

Love burgers and sausages? Putting efforts to maintain a health-conscious lifestyle? Whatever your reason for getting one, a meat grinder will spoil you. You're never going back to store-bought types. You gain total control over what goes into the ground meat of your choice, and peace of mind with what you serve your family. No more stale meat, but only the freshest and most delicious foods to eat! Here's your guide to finding the best equipment for grinding your own meat to suit your individual cooking needs and culinary skills.

Types of Meat Grinders

You have three meat grinder types to choose from.

Manual Meat Grinders

Manual meat grinders are perfect for people who grind meat only occasionally, and don't mind exerting a bit of effort during grinding. Prepare to use some muscle in the process where you'll typically have to twist and crank while feeding meat through the grinder. It's the sensible choice if grinding will be done in an area without an electrical outlet.

Attachment Meat Grinder

People who own a food processor or stand mixer can retrofit their existing appliance with a meat grinder attachment, preferably one that's specifically designed by the same manufacturer. See to it that instructions are followed through to avoid injury.

Electric Meat Grinders

Electric meat grinders are perfect for people who intend to grind meat regularly. With added power and versatility of grinder plates, you can expect the cost to be higher than acquiring a manual grinder or a mixer attachment. Ease of use, speed and convenience altogether render the electric type worth the cost. Simply feed the chunks of meat down the feeding chute, and it does all the grinding work for you.

Things to Consider

Here are essential considerations and tips when buying a meat grinder.

Motor

Some meat grinders are built with a 350-watt motor, while others provide a powerful motor of 700 watts and up. Basically, you can grind 200 lbs of meat per hour, reaching to over 700 lbs per hour in high-end machines. Contemporary creations are quite capable of grinding meat faster while ensuring your safety during use.

Grinder Size

A smaller grinder has a relatively small feeding tube and less power compared to a larger model. Here are the industry standards of grinder sizes and its corresponding plate diameter:

Grinder size #5 - 2 1/8";

Grinder size #8 - 2 1/2";

Grinder size #12 - 2 3/4";

Grinder size #22 - 3 1/4";

Grinder size #32 -3 7/8".

Plate Holes

Here are grinder plate hole sizes and their suggested use:

3/32" & 1/8" Fine grind - Best for Franks, Bologna, Hamburger, Forcemeats, and Beef Jerky;

5/32" & 3/16 Medium grind - Great for Hamburger, Breakfast Sausage, Polish and Italian Sausage;

1/4" & 5/16" Coarse grind - Great for Hamburger, Summer Sausage, Salami, Pepperoni and Bratwurst;

3/8" Coarse grind - Ideal for first grind, Chorizo and Chili meat;

1/2" Very Coarse - Ideal for first grind, Stew meat, Chili meat, and Vegetables;

3/4" Very Coarse - Ideal for first grind or for chunking meat.

Grind Quantities

A larger grinder serves the purpose of prepping large batches of meat while saving your valuable time. It holds more power and grinds the toughest meat significantly faster than smaller types. The bigger the feeding tube, the more meat you can put in at a time without having to cut them up into smaller chunks.

Construction

Materials range from stainless, steel, metal or plastic. You can’t beat the opulence of a stainless steel meat grinder matched with excellent durability. REDMOND meat grinders are packed with elegant and useful features along with a vast assortment of similarly crafted stainless steel accessories. The multi-functional device lets you do almost anything- from grinding meat to the perfect consistency, to slicing and chopping vegetables, to pressing fresh juice out of fruits!