For a hostess who loves to cook and often gathers guests at home, a meat grinder is an irreplaceable assistant in the kitchen.
After all, it facilitates the preparation of various dishes. It can be used to make homemade sausages and hot dogs, grate and chop vegetables and fruits and even make juice.
Therefore, the choice of such an irreplaceable item should be taken seriously, in order to understand the various types and technical characteristics of the device. Now we know how to choose the best meat grinder.
Criteria And Characteristics That Are Important When Choosing
There is a wide range of electric meat grinders on the market, but they all have the same characteristics. Therefore, their variables should be taken into account when purchasing electricity.
What is the power of a meat grinder, and how to choose the right power?
The Most Important Characteristic Of The Unit Is Power
This is one of the main variables that affect the cost of the device, hence it becomes the basis of choice.
Manufacturers usually declare two indicators. This is the maximum data when the shaft is locked (maximum) and the nominal value.
- At maximum power, the device can operate for a short time, literally a few seconds.
- Normal production capacity, where the meat grinder operates for a long enough time, is designated.
Important: How well the venous meat can be processed is determined by the maximum capacity. And the name implies a direct result.
A powerful meat grinder processes all meat. But the less strong units will work to the limit of their capacity when cutting stringy or fatty meats. Therefore, they can become stuck.
Attention: If the machine does not have overload protection, prolonged and intensive use can lead to serious failure.
If you are deciding how much power you need, consider the advice of professionals. It is recommended to choose a meat grinder with a nominal power of 400 W and 1000 W at maximum.
Meat grinder with the following parameters is now on sale.
- Power 250-700 W. In 1 minute, grind from 2 to 3.5 kg of raw material. Although hard meat is given to them with some difficulty, it is still a great choice for the home.
- Meat grinder 700-800 W. They have reasonable power and productivity, they process up to 4 kg of meat per minute.
- More than 800 watts. These are already highly effective business tools.
KitchenAid meat grinder attachments are just what they sound like – attachments that you can add to your KitchenAid mixer. These attachments are very easy to use, and they can grind a variety of meats.
Read more about Kitchenaid Meat Grinder.
The Success And Importance Of It When Choosing A Meat Grinder
The second most important criterion for choosing a meat grinder is its success. It determines the amount of meat that the device can process per minute.
Advice: You should not chase high productivity if hack is not produced in large quantities.
Because the device can grind 5 kg of meat, even with the variable 0.5 kg / min, in 10 minutes. But not all dishes require so much hacking.
For home use, the efficiency of a meat grinder between 0.5-1.5 kg/min is quite sufficient.
Continuous Working Hours
An additional component that is inextricably linked to performance is the device’s continuous operating time.
As a rule, the producer allows raw meat to be sold for a quarter of an hour. However, this time may vary depending on the processing method of the product. Without exception, all manufacturers limit this variable, however, such a limitation should not be considered a serious drawback.
Contrast And Its Meaning
Most types of meat grinders are equipped with a useful reverse function. It creates additional usability. This function is activated by pressing a special button on the body of the meat grinder.
Working on the back panel consists of the fact that when the wires are turned on the spinner when the reverse operation is switched on, the spinner starts to rotate in the opposite direction. This makes it easy to remove the solid objects and return them to the feeding hole. Then you can start working again. In such a situation, a meat grinder that is not equipped with a counter must be disassembled.
Note: units with a capacity of 2000 W and higher are usually not equipped with a back cover.
Manufacturers rightly believe that such units can recycle everything because there is basically nothing stuck in them.
Body Material
Modern types of meat grinders have the ability to create bodies from:
- Stainless steel.
- Light alloys.
- Plastic.
However, the content of the case and tray is not so fundamental as sales consultants sometimes try to convince buyers by recommending one or another option.
During operation, the case itself and the tray do not receive a serious load, respectively, plastics can serve as long as steel.
Body and tray materials generally meet hygiene standards and are resistant to food acids. At the same time, plastic is used in food production and therefore processed products can not be harmed.
However, plastic still has some drawbacks – it scratches easily, and dirt gets stuck in the scratches. As a result, metal parts are healthier. In addition, the color of the plastic may change over time.
Nozzles
The presence of several dishes with different streets significantly simplifies the meat processing and improves the quality of prepared dishes.
- Small holes result in a homogeneous hack, which is, for example, ideal for making pate.
- The large hole gives the mince in large chunks.
The function of the meat grinders grows closer to food processors if additional attachments are present.
It is better to focus on this point as soon as you choose a model to get a meat grinder. Indeed, although additional attachments can be purchased separately, connectors may vary. Therefore, it may be difficult to purchase additional attachments for a particular model later.
Types Of Attachments
A basic standard attachment is included with most meat grinders.
- Kebbe – produces minced meat tubes that can be filled, fried, or baked. Kebbe is an unusual dish for Russian cuisine, so if you put a little less on the filling and close the edges, you will be thrilled.
- For the production of sausages – speeds up and simplifies the filling of homemade sausages. The nozzle is made in the form of a tube which is connected to the outlet of the unit. Sheaths with tied ends are placed on the hose. The mince that comes out of the tube forms a sausage, it is only after tying the cover through an arbitrary part.
- For cookie cutters – a metal plate with various holes in the frame is placed instead of a regular plate. The dough, squeezed out through the holes, takes on certain shapes. Then a strip of dough is cut into pieces and baked.
- For shredders and rifles, they are a special (usually plastic) tray with a work compartment. Releasable swivel cups are placed in it while the main tray and the meat receiver are not in use. There are usually 3-4 cups (one to shred and 2-3 different grater).
- Juicer – used to make juice. It is an elongated metal casing with holes, the inside of which is a tapered screw shaft. When turned, it strongly compresses pieces of vegetable or fruit and squeezes out the juice. The cleared residue is discharged at the top of the cone. This attachment is extremely easy to use. All vitamins are retained during juice. The nozzle does not need to be cleaned of waste too often. However, it also has its drawbacks – a large amount of cake at the exit.
There are types of meat grinders with rarer types of attachments – for grinding coffee and peppercorns, noodle cutters, citrus presses, etc.
However, the best meat grinder is not one that is equipped with all possible attachments. And the one who has the components that are really necessary in the work.
Attention: The expanded equipment will undoubtedly raise the price of the unit. Therefore, when buying, you should think about what attachments you really need in the kitchen.
Of course, if you want to perform as many operations as possible with one meat grinder, you should buy the maximum number of attachments.
In any case, it will be cheaper than buying special methods – mixer, juicer, coffee grinder, etc.
Meat Grinder Brands And Manufacturers
One of the important factors when choosing a meat grinder model is the brand and the brand.
Here you can face some difficulties – the choice is varied and rich. You can buy both on a budget and more expensive.
Basically, many companies produce good equipment, and therefore any electric meat grinder can be of high quality. Therefore, it is already a matter of taste who to acquire.
Expensive Units
Users who prefer expensive imported equipment usually choose the following brands:
- Moulinex (France)
- Kenwood (UK)
- Panasonic (Japan)
- Philips (Holland).
The products of the German manufacturer Bosch (Germany), which has an impeccable reputation, are invariably popular.
Budgets
Among the budget items, Zelmer’s (Poland) products received positive reviews.
Traditionally, products from China also appear in the budget lists:
- Redmond.
- Polaris.
- Supra.
Low-cost, high-quality units are offered by domestic brands:
- Axion.
- Miracle.
- Rotor.
Tips For How To Choose The Best Meat Grinder For Your Home
Before buying home appliances, it is advisable to read the answers of the buyers on the Internet, in which of course you can gather a lot of information that the seller may be silent about.
It is worth focusing on the following characteristics of the unit.
- A number of speeds. Usually, the speed of a meat grinder is one, but if the unit is made by making juice, then they can be two, as in a juicer.
- The comparison compartment of the drawer facilitates cleaning your meat grinder. But unfortunately, only some models are equipped with it.
- Rubber feet increase the reliability and stability of the device. Now provided in almost all meat grinders.
- The nozzle mounting chamber is usually located on the surface of the meat grinder (not in all models). The presence of such a compartment allows you to place the unit firmly on the work surface.
- The height of the outlet above the table. It is usually from 10 to 15 cm, so the hostess should not have any difficulty using the dishes.
Now we know how to choose the right meat grinder. It will undoubtedly facilitate homework and save time and money.
The advantages of a meat grinder over a food processor are obvious and undeniable. These are power, performance, reliability, uselessness, and low prices.
* Best Meat Grinder For Home Use.
*How Does A Meat Grinder Work?
FAQs
- What should I look for in a meat mincer?
When looking for a meat mincer, there are a few things you should keep in mind. The first is the size of the mincer. If you only plan to use it occasionally, a smaller model may be suitable. However, if you plan to use it regularly, you will need a larger model.
Another important factor to consider is the power of the mincer. A powerful motor will be able to handle tougher cuts of meat. It is also important to consider the speed of the mincer. A model that can quickly mincemeat will be more efficient.
- How many watts should a meat grinder have?
When looking for a meat grinder, it is important to consider the wattage. Higher wattage means that the machine will be more powerful. A meat grinder with a higher wattage will be able to handle tougher cuts of meat. However, it is important to keep in mind that a higher wattage also means that the machine will use more electricity.
- What is #12 meat grinder?
A #12 meat grinder is a model that is designed for heavy-duty use. It has a powerful motor and can handle tougher cuts of meat. If you plan to use your meat grinder regularly, a model like this is a good option.
- Is a manual meat grinder worth it?
A manual meat grinder can be a good option if you only plan to use it occasionally. They are less expensive than electric models and do not require electricity to operate. However, they are not as powerful as electric models and can be more difficult to use.