Summer break is upon us and you finally take that cookbook out of your closet to make that mouth-watering meat dish. But alas! By reading this article with the instructions you realize that cooking protein is not as easy as it seems.

Does your family love your hand cooked chicken too much?

Is there a budding culinary artist in your home? Got an impromptu house party to host and need to prep for the main course?

Although vegan may be the upcoming food trend, non-vegetarian foods still reign worldwide. With the increasing culture of inventing and mixing different cuisines from all over the world, we are consuming more meat than ever before. In this era of fitness and well-being, the demand of lean protein has also exponentially increased.

Since most of our staple foods include meat based dishes, it is healthier to process your own meat and you can also regulate the composition of it and ensure its hygiene.

Well worry not! We understand that cooking any form of meat is a time consuming process, which is why we have here, the encyclopedia of meat grinders. Find out everything you need to know about them by just scrolling down.

What are meat grinders?

They are your go to kitchen assistance for cooking any kind of meat; chicken, beef, pork or fish. They are popularly known as meat mincers in some countries.

This appliance helps you in finely chopping up, mixing raw as well as cooked meat and even some vegetables to prepare the filling. It has replaced the mincing knife with improved results and added functionalities.

Working

You put the portion of the meat or the different kinds of meats together in a funnel shaped opening that is mounted on top of the grinder. After this, the food passes the screw conveyor which is either driven by manually turning the wheel or through an electric motor (depends on the model), churns the meat and a homogeneous mixture is formed. The opening of the conveyor has a sharp edged, knife-like filter that minces the meat which then comes out of it. The quality of the mincing depends on the size of the holes in the knife like filter. The better the model variant, the finer will be the minced meat.

The filter is detachable and comes in various shapes and sizes. You can also squeeze out uniform square-shaped breadcrumbs out of bread by using a square holed filter, or fill up the sausage casings by using a broader, single-hole attachment.

To clean the grinder, you can unscrew the conveyor to thoroughly clean it. Besides being used for domestic purposes, there are other models that can be used for butchery and in the food industry. The industrial level grinders are huge machines that are used to produce thousands of kilogram of minced meat every hour. Some of these grinders can tear apart more meat than a dinosaur! A special variety can also mix frozen blocks of meat, known as the frozen meat grinder.

The basic operational unit is the mixer unit where you can easily mix and make a uniform paste of different meats along with the basic spices (salt and pepper). This mixing when done manually, is an extremely laborious job and also the most important step in some dishes.

Availability

Meat grinders are commonly available at any utility appliance stores and on all e-commerce websites that deal with electronic products. They come in different shapes, sizes and capacity and thus, prices. Starting from Rs. 1700, they can go up to Rs. 30,000 depending on your pocket and requirements. The extra filters start from merely Rs. 500.
Before buying one, like most other things, always know of all your options and check out their ratings and reviews to know what to expect from it once you buy it.

Reviewing meat grinders

Meat grinders are judged on factors like their capacity to mix big chunks of meat including fat and vegetables.

Many people, including industrial researchers, food bloggers and enthusiasts have conducted meticulous researches to find the best grinders on the basis of various factors and have published top rated meat grinder reviews either on their websites or blogs.

So if you follow a food blogger or someone who reviews gadgets and appliances, you can check out their ratings. Alternatively, you can also check out a few dedicated websites online by just searching for top rated meat grinder reviews. Also, if you are loyal to a brand and if they manufacture meat grinders, you can buy their product too.

On some selected websites, you can compare two or more models too and make an informed decision.

Some factors to keep in mind before purchasing are-

• Capacity- how much raw meat can it process in a given period of time

• Ease of cleaning- the conveyor screw should be easy to unfasten so as to facilitate in the regular cleaning

• Energy consumption- the voltage and current needs of a grinder must be checked so as to plug it in the correct socket

• Electric/ Manual motor- manually driven grinders are cheaper than electric motor ones

• Motor- commonly used motors for domestic purposes use 350 to 750 watts of power

• Life span- check for the duration it is estimated to last

• Warranty- most grinders come with a one-year guarantee

• Compatibility- some grinders come with a fixed filter knife while some have detachable attachments that are included in the package

• Material- some grinders are made of hard plastic while some are made of stainless steel

• Speed- there are three standard speeds of operation- low, moderate and high

• Reverse buttons- some variants offer this feature where you can reverse the process of churning out the meat back into the mixer

• Dishwasher friendly- grinders that come in smaller sizes and plastic or stainless steel detachable bodies are dishwasher friendly

It is important to realize the importance of investing in a meat grinder as it is a one-time investment. It helps you to experiment with food and try out different styles of cooking and new dishes that you previously refrained from trying out. Happy cooking!