How To Choose The Best Meat Grinder For Your Kitchen?
The Best Meat Grinders have always been some of the essential kitchen tools for many cooking enthusiasts including myself. In fact, I find grinding food at home with a meat grinder more rewarding than purchasing already ground one from a processing shop. If you are in the market for the Best Meat Grinder for your kitchen, I’m here to help you.
Rank | Image | Product Name | Score | |
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1 | 4.7 /5 | |||
2 | 4.4 /5 | |||
3 | 4.8 /5 | |||
4 | 4.2 /5 | |||
5 | 4.7 /5 |
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Factors To Consider When Buying A Meat Grinder
Choosing the best meat grinder for your kitchen may not be a straightforward task if you are a first-time buyer. There is a wide range of these products in the market with varying materials, shapes, function and prices.
So with all this in mind, how do you eventually pick the best product that is within your budget? Here are some of the factors to consider before making your decision.
1. How Much Meat You Will Be Grinding?
You have to consider the quantity of meat you will be grinding before you make your decision. If you are going to grind less meat, particularly for your family, an industrial meat grinder is not the best choice. Instead go for a smaller model it is easier to use, clean and takes less space in the kitchen. You also need to consider a small high quality model if you are going to be grinding occasionally.
2. Your Budget
Price is one of the most important factors you need to consider when you are shopping for the Best Meat Grinder for your kitchen. You must factor in how much you want to pay for your unit. In a nutshell, I have found that a good Meat Grinder will cost between $50 and $200 but you can spend less and still find a capable and durable unit for your kitchen.
3. Stand Mixer
If you have a stand mixer, there is no need to purchase a complete Meat Grinder. All you need to buy is an attachment to transform that grind mixer into a meat grinder. The type of Meat Grinder made using the above combination is ideal for grinding small quantities of meat. So if you are going to be grinding small quantities of meat, buying an attachment might be a better option than buying a complete meat grinding unit.
4. Design & Accessories
You also need to factor in design and accessories when selecting a meat grinder. Meat grinders come with a wide range of accessories that makes the grinding process easier. For example, most of them come with at least three grinding plates that allow you to achieve any texture.
Some meat grinders come with a sausage attachment that makes the process if feeding meat pieces into the sausage skins easier. Other additional accessories to consider include cutting plate diameter, pushers and kibbe attachments.
Types Of Meat Grinders
Basically, there are three types of meat grinders on the market you can purchase and each one comes with its own merits and demerits. I have given a quick review of each type to help you make an informed decision.
1. Manual Grinder
This might be good for you if you plan to grind meat occasionally. You can choose this option if you will be willing to apply more elbow grease when grinding up meat. The entirely depend on the strength so they might not be a good option for people who can’t put the required effort into the grinding process. They are also perfect for neighborhoods that don’t have a reliable source of electricity.
2. Standalone Grinder
This type of meat grinders are powered by electricity. They allow you to grind large quantities of meat without applying any force. When it comes to purchase, they cost more than manual grinders. They come with replaceable grinder plates allowing you to experience different grinding styles and textures.
3. Meat Grinder Attachment
As stated above, a meat grinder attachment is combined with a stand mixer to create a Meat Grinder. They are not meat grinders per se but versatile units that you can combine with your stand mixer to do more just meat grinding.
The video below demonstrates how meat grinder attachments work.
My Top 5 Recommendation
I’m finally ready to take you through my popular choices for meat grinders in 2017. There are dozens of them on Amazon. I have only featured the top five based on their number of reviews and overall rating at Amazon. Read on to learn more.
I think I know 75 HP Electric Meat Grinder better than anybody else having used it for a year now. Even if this grinding unit is a little more expensive, it has been giving me the professional results that I always craved for.
I don’t regret by emptying out my pockets because it offers guaranteed quality, strength and durability that I won’t need to purchase another grinder in years to come.
The .75 HP Electric Meat Grinder is made of sanitary stainless steel material so you can expect it to be durable. The unit looks sleek and modern even if my kitchen is always in a mess. It comes with a powerful motor designed to grind up to 300 pounds of meat in one hour.
I wanted a grinding unit that never gets stuck halfway through a grinding job, and I got it. LEM 75 HP Meat Grinder also comes with sausage making attachments. I combine the unit’s cutting blades with these sausage attachments whenever I want to create a variety of grinding options.
Other great features include a large meat tray, metal gears equipped with roller bearings and accessories such as meat stomper, stainless steel knife, three stuffing tubes and three stainless steel plates.
Pros
- Stainless steel finish looks great and it is easy to clean.
- This model is simple to use.
- There is no need to push your meat through manually.
- Comes with a two-year parts and labor warranty.
- Comes with sausage making attachments.
Cons
- A little bit expensive than other models.
KSMGBC Food/Meat Grinder Attachment works with KitchenAid mixers. So if you already own a Kitchen Aid mixer, there is no need to purchase a complete meat grinder. You can purchase this meat grinder attachment and connect it with the head of the mixer.
The meat grinder attachment comes with the sausage stuffer kit which allows you to formulate sausage recipes without any hassle. When you purchase this meat grinder attachment, you also get a large tray to hold your meat while grinding.
Other unique features of this grinder attachment unit include 2 grinding plates for coarse and fine texture. This grinder attachment unit is easier to use even if you are a newbie.
After connecting it with your mixer, the next step is to attach the plate to create the meat texture you want. You need to cut the meat into small pieces and then remove the bones before placing it into the grinding plate.
Pros
- It comes with easy to clean plastic material.
- It is easier to grind meat using this grinder attachment and your Kitchen Aid mixer.
- It offers fast grinding motion.
- Lightweight and compact parts making it ideal for use during hunting or camping.
Cons
- Only compatible with Kitchen Aid mixers.
- You need to invest additional money to purchase a mixer if you don’t have any.
- Materials are not the most durable when you compare them with that of other models.
Weston No. 22 is a stainless steel electric meat grinder for commercial and home use. The unit features a powerful 750 w motor which is air cooled all the time and lubricated.
The unit can grind up to 725 pounds of meat in a 1 hour so it is ideal for meat processing shops, small restaurants or anyone who want to purchase a heavy duty meat grinder for home use.
The grinder comes with all the accessories you need to start grinding your own meat at home. A Cyclone-Inch auger is included in the package making it easier for you when making snack sticks.
The unit features a long tube kit with a sausage stuffing star making it easier for you when stuffing the casings for sausages. The stuffing star prevents you from grinding meat again as you stuff meat on the bags.
The outer housing is made of stainless steel which is easier to clean and resistant to rust. Other unique features of this unit include, large square stainless steel feed pan, safety guard on the feed pan which you can remove for easy cleaning, a reverse switch for easy unjamming, stainless steel cutting blade and plates, and a stainless steel feed auger.
Pros
- Stainless steel parts for easy cleaning and resistant to rust.
- Powerful motor for grinding enormous amount of meat.
- It is easy to assemble and disassemble.
- Functions as a meat grinder and a sausage stuffer.
- Comes with a circuit breaker for safe use.
Cons
- A little bit heavier in comparison with other models I have reviewed above.
STX-3000-TF Meat Grinder is possibly one of the best meat grinders on the market today. This grinder might be good for you if you like making sausages or grinding meat for your family.
The unique selling point of this grinding unit is the 3000 watts engine which is more than enough in grinding large quantities of meat in a small restaurant or in your home. The manufacture claims that it can grind up to 225 pounds of meat in one hour.
It comes with a circuit breaker so you don’t need to worry about electrical problems or appliances overheating. Other unique features of this grinding unit include large size grinding plate; which are unlikely to get clogged; three grinding plates which offers fine, medium and coarse textures; three cutting blades and three sausage tube attachments.
Pros
- Easy to use and clean.
- The finishing of this appliance is careful at every detail.
- Powerful motor for grinding enormous amount of meat.
- Offers a variety of grinding texture.
- It is easy to assemble and disassemble.
- Affordable and worth the investment.
Cons
- Parts are not safe to put in the dishwasher.
- A little bit heavier than other models.
If you want a budget friendly meat grinder from LEM other than the one I own you can go for LEM .35 HP Meat Grinder. The price of this meat grinder is almost half of the LEM Products .75 HP Electric Meat Grinder.
One of my neighbors uses it to make pet food as well as making venison. It comes with three grinding plates and stuffing tubes allowing you to make sausage at home.
LEM .35 HP Meat Grinder is also made of sanitary stainless steel material so it is easier to clean and resistant to rust. It comes with a ‘Big Bite’ auger that literally pulls the pieces of meat down from the meat pan into the stuffing tube.
Other great features include a large meat tray, and accessories such as meat stomper, stainless steel knife, three stuffing tubes and three stainless steel plates.
Pros
- Comes with stainless steel which are all dishwasher safe.
- Easily assembled and disassembled.
- Comes with a two-year parts and labor warranty.
Cons
- It does not have a reverse switch.
Conclusion
Weston Commercial Meat Grinder and Sausage Stuffer is my clear winner among the meat grinders that I have reviewed above. Some of the appealing features that make it rank top include easy-to-use functions and the consistency of the ground meat.
It functions as a meat grinder and a sausage stuffer so you might not need to purchase a separate unit for stuffing sausages. When it comes to grinding, it can grind up to 725 pounds of meat in a 1 hour. This is an enormous amount of meat which can process when using other models including the one I own.