How to Choose an Electric Meat Grinder
Buying a machine to grind your own meat is a great idea these days with all the food scares around. You can control what goes into your food and create some great recipes too. An electric meat grinder takes all the hard work out of grinding and means you will be able to process a large joint of meat and grind it in minutes. There are quite a few of these machines on market, however, so you may be wondering which one to choose for the best. Here are some guidelines to get the best possible appliance for you.
1. Motor
Unless you are going to process huge quantities of meat, get a machine with a motor around 300 to 500 watts. That will have the best balance between cost and speed but will still process around 3lbs of meat a minute.
2. Metal Parts
It is fine for the body of the machine to be made of strong plastic but the internal workings need to be made of tough metal. Carbon steel or steel blades are best although you need to look after them so they do not rust. Stainless steel is OK too and is less prone to rust but the cutting edges go blunt more quickly.
3. Functionality
Look for a machine which has plates to produce fine and coarse ground meat and one which has funnels from producing sausages as this will give you the most functionality when it comes to using your machine.
4. Add-on or Stand Alone?
If you have a KitchenAid or Cusinart mixer you can buy an attachment which will grind meat instead of having to buy a separate appliance. This saves money and storage space. Both the Cusinart and KitchenAid meat grinder will also grind and puree other foods so this makes them especially useful but it is probably best to buy a stand alone meat grinder if you are going to process a lot of meat, such as a whole animal for the freezer.