Buying an electric meat grinder is a great idea. You can make your own ground meats, burgers, sausages and meatballs safe in the knowledge that you know exactly what is going into your food and that all the ingredients are good for you. You can reduce the fat and salt content to improve your health, and live additive free. Electric grinders do have their problems, however, but nothing that you can’t deal with. Here are the things you might encounter when you own one.
1. You Have to Cut Up the Meat
Many are under the impression, before buying a meat grinder, that you can just push big steaks into the grinder and it will come out as ground beef. Unfortunately you have to cut up the meat into one inch chunks and remove any bones and obvious gristle before you process it.
2. They are Noisy
Electric meat grinders are not quiet machines so don’t run the machine if you have a sleeping baby or want to watch your favorite TV show!
3. They Get Clogged
All meat grinders will clog up at times especially if you don’t remove tough tendons or you have processed a lot of fatty meat. Always choose a grinder with a reverse switch so that you can release any meat clogging the blades. If that doesn’t work, take your machine apart (which is easy enough to do) and unblock it.
4. Blades Can Rust or Go Blunt
If you choose steel blades, they stay nice and sharp but they can easily rust if you do not wash and dry them carefully. You can buy an electric meat grinder with stainless steel blades instead if you prefer and you will have fewer problems with rust, however these will go blunt faster and will need to be sharpened or replaced!
5. Clean Up Can Take Time
If you process a lot of meat you will find that everything will be very greasy after you are finished. No matter how much meat you processed, you will need to clean your machine carefully to avoid contamination from raw meat, especially if you use it for grinding other food stuffs.