Meat grinder shopping
I have decided to give sausage-making a shot. But while shopping around for meat grinders, I realize I don't know the first thing about them. I don't own an electric stand mixer, so I'm not able to go for the attachment type. Is the manual one a real work-out? Should I bite the bullet and get an electric one and consider it an investment? Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks!
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13 Comments:
Give this a try:
http://www.sausagesource.com/
1stmakearoux at 10:47AM on 10/06/08
I guess it depends on how much sausage you want to make at one time,and also if you're going to like making sausage.I bought a manual meat grinder that clamps to the table,just like the one my parents had when i was a kid,lol.I make about 5 pounds of sausage at a time an the manual one works just fine.I suggest getting a manual grinder,I think you can find them for under 40 bucks,and give sausage making a try.If you find that you are going to be making sausage often,or in large batches,you can always get an electric grinder.I have never used a grinder attachment for a stand mixer,but they look terribly small.
onepercent99 at 11:06AM on 10/06/08
If anyone would know, onepercent99 would know as a butcher! =) I mean no offense to 1stmakearoux.
I have seen pics of ppl on several sites through links on SE who have Kitchenaid appliance attachments. They do appear small, but I guess it all depends, as mentioned above, how much you plan on grinding. If you already have one of those mixers, it might be more cost effective.
Cassaendra at 12:38PM on 10/06/08
my ex and i bought a clamp attachment manual grinder for five bucks at a junk store a few years ago. i didn't wind up taking it with me when i left, but it worked perfectly and was really easy to crank.
cybercita at 12:49PM on 10/06/08
I feel a need to defend my beloved Kitchenaid. I swear, if I was a toaster or a blender, I would ask the Kitchenaid to marry me.
It may look small compared to the bulk of the Kitchenaid, but it's efficient and there's not much work involved in feeding meat into it. Just yesterday, I ground 4 pounds of beef to make chili.
If that's all I was doing -- small batches -- I'm sure a hand grinder would be fine. But when I make sausage, I tend to make a lot and freeze it. If I was just grinding the meat and making bulk sausage, I probably wouldn't do quantities, but if I'm going to bother with casings, I don't want to do little bits at a time.
I agree though, if you don't know if this is something you'll want to do often, the hand grinder will be fine. You can always upgrade later.
dbcurrie at 1:07PM on 10/06/08
Duh, I missed the sentence in the OP: don't own an electric stand mixer, so I'm not able to go for the attachment type.
:P
Cassaendra at 1:11PM on 10/06/08
If there's an antique store closeby, try looking there for a manual one. The design hasn't changed over the years, but the price has. As long as you clean and sanitize it, you should be fine.
beth1 at 2:52PM on 10/06/08
It would depend on how often you want to do it. Either way, getting a manual grinder would be a huge workout.. but think of the arms you get lol Anyway, if you plan on doing it a lot... I would get the electric mixer. Also, with the electric mixer.. you could have many more options if you decide sausage isnt your thing.. they have pasta attachment and juicers I believe. Well.. good luck on your sausage quest!
mmontini at 6:05PM on 10/06/08
I'd definitely trust @onepercent since he's a butcher... and a baker... (hey, @one%, do you by chance do candlesticks?)
On the other hand...
If your budget will allow it, I'd really encourage you to consider popping for a stand mixer. Not only will you then be able to use the grinder attachment AND the sausage making attachment, but you'll have invested in a fantastic multi-tasking kitchen tool that you'll probably never regret owning.
Either way, good luck to you! Be sure to let us know what you end up doing, and how the sausage turns out for you!
LoCo at 11:30AM on 10/07/08
what @ LoCo said. Kitchen Aids are so great. I have the meat grinder and sausage attachment and it works very well. My meat grinding experiments have made asian style chicken meatballs, turkey sausage and with all sorts of ground accessories, and so on. With the pasta attachment you can make pasta solo, something much more difficult to manage with the manual one.
LearP at 12:29PM on 10/07/08
Greetings. I am a chef at an Italian restaurant and have been teaching sausage making classes for years. If you intend to make very small batches of sausage, say five pounds or less, a kitchenaid stand mixer is okay for grinding. I emphasize okay. To stuff the sausages, however, the kitchenaid is unsatisfactory. Check out the Cabelas website. They have excellent prices on stuffers and small electric grinders. If you plan to be serious about sausage making, spend the money.
Ribollita at 2:47PM on 10/07/08
I remember good eats having a whole episode dedicated to sausage and sausage making. I'm not sure of the brand, but Alton used the old fashioned steel hand crank grinder. I do remember one of his tips for making cleanup easier: run a few slices of bread through the grinder before you take it apart to wash it.
jboylan at 9:10PM on 10/07/08
Thanks so much, everyone. I appreciate the much-needed tips and advice.
@jboylan: Dang, I thought I'd seen every Alton episode but I managed to miss the sausage-making one! Slices of bread? Who knew!
JustNancy at 11:54AM on 10/08/08