How to Use an Electric Meat Grinder
An electric meat grinder makes short work of grinding your own meats for burgers, sausage and other ground meat recipes. You can purchase stand-alone electric meat grinders, or you can buy a grinder that attaches to your kitchen center mixer. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the manual that comes with your particular meat grinder. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Freeze the meat to be ground for 30 minutes. This will make it simpler to cut the meat into cubes for the grinder.
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Cut the meat, using a sharp knife, into one-inch cubes. Place the cubes back into the freezer until you get the grinder set up.
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Set up your grinder according to the manufacturer's instructions. For stand-alone grinders, this may include securing the grinder to a table or counter top with a clamp. For mixer attachments, ensure that the grinder is firmly in place.
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Place a large bowl or tray beneath the exit spout of the grinder.
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Turn the machine on and begin feeding cubes into the feed tube. Use the plunger that came with the machine to press the meat onto the grinder screw.
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Continue to feed meat into the feed tube until all the meat is ground.
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Change the cutting blades on the grinder to a finer blade if your machine is equipped with multiple blades. Repeat the grinding process with the coarsely ground meat.
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Tips & Warnings
Lean meats, such as venison, may need pork shoulder meat added to the grind to keep the meat from drying out when cooking.
Some meat grinders come with multiple blades; some only come with one. For some models, additional blades can be purchased as optional equipment.
Meat grinders can also be used to grind some fruits, such as apples and pears, to pulp for use in applesauce or for baby food.
References
- Photo Credit meat grinder image by Aleksandr Ugorenkov from Fotolia.com
