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If you’re wondering about what is a meat grinder, there is a big chance that you’re still a newbie in the field of kitchen appliances. You might still be relying on your own hands, along with a couple of meat forks, for chopping and mixing of meat, chicken and other food items. However, when it is quite a time-consuming process, it might be better to switch to a meat grinder for your own sake.
Ever since its invention back in in the 19th century, meat grinders have become an important kitchen appliance all across the globe. Millions of homeowners, which consist of both men and women, rely on this particular item for turning big chunks of meat into small, manageable form. They also prefer the meat grinders when it comes to chopping vegetables, fish along with a wide range of other food items.
So what is a meat grinder? And what makes this product, amongst a vast majority of kitchen accessories, so special that almost every chef prefers to have a grinder by his or her side during an extensive cooking session?
If you’re looking for the answer to these questions, you have just landed at the perfect place. In the below-mentioned guide, we’ve curated a comprehensive analysis of the meat grinders and how this product can make your life easy inside the kitchen. So, if you’re still confused whether or not to purchase a meat grinder for your own kitchen, have a look at this guide which will introduce you to a flawless kitchen appliance known as a meat grinder.
Table of Contents
What is a Meat Grinder?
A meat grinder is a simple yet effective kitchen item which can help you chop all kinds of meat in an easy manner. This product is basically used in place of a mincing knife or even a regular cutting knife. This is due to the reason that when the former kitchen appliance can help you finish your chopping job in a short duration of time, you have to spend more time and energy for chopping meat with almost any knife.
A meat grinder consists of six different components in its design. Starting from a hopper, it includes a funnel, meat pusher, screw conveyor, cutting blade and finally, some grinding plates. Each of the components plays an integral role in the overall functionality of this product, so even if any one of them gets damaged, you might not be able to chop meat with utmost efficiency.
Hopper
This is basically a tray like component which is used to handle big chunks of meat before you push it with the help of a meat pusher. Thanks to such a working mechanism, many people often term it as a meat tray.
Feeding Tube
This is the place where raw meat is converted into fine form. While choosing a new meat grinder, it is imperative to look at the size of the feeding tube because it will tell you the overall grinding capacity of this particular product.
Meat Pusher
As the name suggests, meat pusher is used to push raw meat from the hopper to the feeding tray. Depending on the manufacturer from which you’re making this purchase, a meat pusher might or might not come with the actual acquisition.
However, if you want to prevent your fingers from getting damaged, it might be beneficial to purchase a separate plunger if it doesn’t come included with the actual meat grinder. Making this purchase will not only enhance your personals safety but at the same time, it will also enhance the overall speed of this process.
Screw Conveyor
Once the meat passes the feeding tube, it’s up to the screw conveyor for pushing it further forward towards the cutting blades. There are two ways in which the screw conveyor normally operates inside a meat grinder.
First of all, if you’ve purchased a traditional meat grinder, there is a big chance that the screw conveyor runs on a hand wheel. However, if you’ve purchased some of the modern meat grinders, the conveyor might also be driven by an electric motor.
Cutting Blade
Just like a regular mincing knife, a cutting blade is used to chop down big pieces of meat into fine, uniform form. However, when it does all the hard work by itself, it makes it a more efficient cutting tool as compared to that of a regular knife. As a result, it can also be considered as a vital component of this particular kitchen appliance.
However, one thing which you have to keep in mind is that any cutting blade, which comes fitted inside a meat grinder, is extremely sharp. So when it comes to deal with it, you have to be extremely careful. Otherwise, you might have to deal with abraded fingers on a consistent basis.
Grinder Plates
Once the meat has been chopped down by the cutting blade, it comes out of the meat grinder via the grinder plates. The grinder plate features a large number of small holes in its usual design. When the meat, comes out of these holes after getting chopped, it converts it into fully ground form.
Nowadays, there is a large number of grinder plates which are available in the tool marketplace. When the small-sized plates come handy for handling small pieces of chicken, the large ones come with a better cutting capacity. So when it comes to purchasing any one of these plates, it comes down to the size of food items which you’re going to grind via these plates.
Advantages of Meat Grinder
When it comes to a meat grinder, there is a wide range of benefits which are usually associated with this kitchen appliance. First of all, it is very easy to clean this item as compared to other such kitchen accessories. The reason behind it is that a vast majority of meat grinders, which are available in today’s market, incorporate a dishwasher-safe design. Hence, you don’t have to wash them with your own hands which is a big plus for all those of you who already got tired of long clean-up sessions involving a number of different kitchen utensils.
Second, a high-quality meat grinder can process a sizeable amount of meat in four to five minutes. The meat grinders are usually made of BPA-free plastic, and when it comes to the high-end models, the manufacturers usually incorporate durable stainless steel in their construction.
Conclusion
A meat grinder is a must-have kitchen appliance for those who want to attain full control over their food. Making this purchase can also help you in terms of saving a handful of money which you might have to spend, in the absence of a meat grinder, for purchasing processed meat. So if you want to make the most of your cooking sessions, it might be beneficial to invest in a meat grinder.
