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As people move towards an increasingly health-conscious outlook, those who like their meat ground down for burgers and sausages are worried about what, exactly, goes into the store-brought sausages and ground meat. They ask themselves:
- What’s the quality like?
- Is a single lot of ground meat all from one animal?
- How can you ensure you get the leanest, and healthiest, meat?
This is partly why meat grinders, long popular with self-sufficient hunters, are becoming a more common sight in suburban kitchens. They enable parents to produce healthy, fresh burgers and sausages for their children – a double win, both securing the children’s favor, while knowing you’ve made the best choice for them.
Meat grinders can be manual (for those looking for a traditional experience) or electric (for those who value speed and ease of use). We’ve reviewed a mix of both manual and electric meat grinders, so you can make the best choice for you and your family.
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Best Meat Grinder of 2021
Chef Goss Meat Grinder
The Chef Goss manual meat grinder comes in an interesting shade of green, which could provide a striking accent color in the right kitchen scheme, and, at the very least, will get it, and the fact that you’re putting the effort into grinding your own mince, noticed.
The Chef Goss comes with a sturdy suction base, a nozzle for sausage making, and two separate discs for different grains of meat.
It is dishwasher safe, making it exceptionally easy to clean, and is ideally suited for low-volume work, as it can get a little messy when a lot of meat is being put through.
Kitchen Basics 3-In-1 Meat Grinder
While some people have observed the Kitchen Basics to be difficult to clean, and disconcertingly small for a meat grinder, it does offer the ability to create three different sizes of sausage, meaning you can really get the most out of your meat.
It attaches easily and securely to a countertop, making it a perfect basic accessory, especially for those just starting out with sausage making and meat grinding.
STX International STX-3000
STX International offers a fully-accessorized three-speed electric grinder, with three blades and three grinding plates, providing the opportunity to easily create a variety of different products from your meat joints, and a simple, effective way to get your freezer stocked.
The drawbacks to the STX are that it has a tendency to jam up easily, and really needs to be cleaned at intervals during use, which can be awkward and time consuming, and, if you are grinding meat to raw feed dogs, and thus intending to grind bones as well, it can struggle to grind finer bones, such as chicken bones.
Gourmia GMG7500 Prime Plus
The Gourmia GMG7500 is an extra-strong, durable construction grinder, which is ideal for those looking to try out custom blends, although it does come with a recipe book for those who prefer the tried and tested method.
With a stainless steel body and blade, and three different cutting settings, the Gourmia is easy to use, and easy to clean, offering the ideal meat grinder for those who are looking to get stuck in right from the off, or who already have experience grinding their own meat, and are maybe looking to upgrade their grinder.
LEM Products 1182 Electric Meat Grinder
Finally, LEM Products comes with a full range of accessories, and is ideal for frequent use, although it is recommended to use trimmed, frozen meat, as the grinder does have a tendency to jam with room temperature or high fat-content meat.
It is also fairly heavy and bulky, so not ideal for those with limited counter space, as, ideally, you’d be looking to set this grinder up and leave it out, rather than keep moving it back and forth.
For the self-sufficient minimalist, whose home is designed for practicality more than appearance, however, the LEM Products meat grinder may well be the perfect accessory.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of meat?
Almost any kind of meat, from venison to chicken, can be put through a meat grinder, meaning you can quickly and easily adapt your favorite recipes for those who need a leaner version, as well as being able to experiment with making the kind of sausages and burgers you won’t find in the stores.
Parents have commented that meat grinders are a life saver when you have children who have decided they will only eat “junk” food – you can easily make healthy versions of their favorite burgers, sausages, and nuggets, and be reassured that you know exactly what’s gone into your child’s food.
Isn’t this just another boys’ toy for hunters?
Absolutely not – while hunters will definitely get a lot of use out of a meat grinder, as they are used to using their kills to stock the family freezer, a meat grinder is an ideal accessory for any kitchen, making it easy to efficiently eliminate food waste, by using all of a joint of meat – roast the joint for a main meal, and then run the ends through a grinder to create quick, healthy burger patties or sausages from the remainder.
As everyone becomes more aware of the impact, financial and otherwise, of food wastage, there really is no reason not to invest in a meat grinder.
A meat grinder is also an ideal way to introduce children to the idea of preparing food for themselves, and to encourage them to pay attention to where their food comes from, and what goes into their bodies, two things which will set them up, and set them ahead of their peers, for life.
Can I use vegetables in a grinder?
While most grinders would more than likely make a mush out of softer vegetables, there is no reason why harder vegetables, and fruits, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, and apples, couldn’t be put through the grinder with various meats, and maybe a handful of fresh herbs, to make an enticing, enjoyable, healthy home-blend batch of sausages or burgers.
Perhaps the best thing about meat grinders is that they offer easy experimentation so that adults and children alike can learn what works together, and what doesn’t, and have fun coming up with their own recipes – and perhaps even creating new family traditions.
