Electric Meat Grinders for Homemade Advantage?

Answer 1

Electric meat grinders are becoming more popular with home cooks. They can be messy and time consuming, but there are many advantages to using an electric meat grinder. Grinding meat at home produces a fresher quality and flavor, and gives a better texture to the finished product. Cooks can choose meats according to what fat content they want. They can control salt and eliminate additives in products like sausage and other commercially processed meats. Some people even use meat grinders to make better quality pet food. And grinders are good for mincing vegetables, as well.

Meat grinders were originally invented as a replacement for the mincing knife. All grinders, be they hand or electric, commercial or home, work on the same principle. Food goes into a hopper located on the top of the grinder. It then continues into a horizontal screw conveyor, where the meat is churned along the conveyor to the end, where a knife cuts it. From there it is pushed through various metal disc attachments with different sized holes, which changes the fineness of the meat. Seasonings can be added before or after grinding.

Grinders are rated according to how much meat they can handle. A horsepower rating usually means the machine can handle any meat, including tougher game animals. An amp or wattage rating may indicate that the machine isn’t as powerful, and is best used for grinding domestic meats.

Most people who want to grind their own meat don’t need a commercial style electric grinder unless they intend to do large quantities. Many small appliance companies sell smaller, home use electric meat grinders, which are fine for most uses, There are also grinder attachments available for some brands of stand mixers. Consumers can find a product to suit any purpose, whether it be grinding a lot of meat, or just a small amount at a time, and have the homemade advantage of better quality food.