A meat grinder is an essential kitchen accessory for a meat lover. You can make many different kinds of food items by grinding meat in the right texture. For a hunter, it is essential to process the game in the right manner and enjoy the meal. If you are a pet owner, you might be thinking about providing healthy food to your animal friends. You need the right meat grinder for the bones to make quality pet food. Every now and then, people ask a question, how to use a meat grinder in the right way? We have answered all the necessary things regarding meat grinder problems.
At first, we will discuss the process of assembly of a meat grinder machine and afterward, we will discuss the right way of operation. Finally, we will give you some tips about storing and cleaning your machine. After you get all the answers, we hope you’ll find the best recipes to cook with your meat grinder.
Assemble the Meat Grinder before using
Before using a meat grinder, you need to assemble the meat grinder. Because every time we use a meat grinder, we need to clean it by disassembling the grinder. Therefore, each time we use a meat grinder, we need to assemble it correctly. Below is the process of how you should assemble a meat grinder before using it.
- Safety and sanitation should come first. You should wash the small parts of your meat grinder, then dry up before you want to use it.
- You should not connect your power cord during assembling your machine. Make sure that the electric connection is turned off.
- Attach the T tank first which carries the cutting blade, plate, and the input hopper. After that, find a locking screw to tighten the T tank with the enclosure.
- Now you need to insert the pushing bar into the T tank. You can tighten the pushing bar by just rotating it accordingly.
- After that, set the meat grinder blade with the bar in the proper direction. You should make sure that the flat side is placed on the outer side of the machine.
- Insert the plate at the very end of the pushing bar.
- Now attach the handle cap at the outer side of the T tank.
- Finally, attach the input hopper at the top of the T tank.
How to Use a meat grinder
Cut the meat
Cut the meat into pieces. The length of the slices should be three to five centimeters. To shove the meat easily into the grinder, you need to have small slices of meat.
Wrap the meat
Wrap the meat with something suitable after slicing is done. Meat that you want to grind needs to be cold and hard but not frozen.
Harden the meat
Place the meat in the freezer for about 30 minutes. This will harden the fat that is present in the meat. Putting the meat in the freezer is necessary for a smooth grinding operation. You should also put cutting blades and plates inside the freezer for a smoother grinding experience.
Assemble the meat grinder
After freezing the meat and small parts, assemble the parts as per the instruction. Put the meat in the hopper. You can also put some garlic, herbs and other ingredients as per your wish.
Take some ice
Make sure that the receiving bowl is cold. We recommend you have some ice in a bigger bowl. Then place the main receiving bowl on the ice and place the whole thing near the grinder’s spout.
Grind the meat
Turn on the grinder. You might have a meat pusher that came as a free accessory with the machine. You can use this to push the meat safely.
Meat Grinder Cleaning
Cleaning is an important part of using a meat grinder. Because meat can be entrapped inside the parts of the grinder, you should disassemble it and clean it properly before storing it. Below is the process of cleaning a meat grinder in the right way.
- After you have done with your grinding, you need to disassemble the parts again.
- First, remove the blood and fats with something appropriate.
- You can wash the small parts with a mild dishwasher. Lukewarm water will be better for cleaning.
- Most of the meat grinders are not dishwasher friendly. Therefore, always try to use a diluted and mild dishwasher solution.
- After washing is done, keep the parts for drying.
- Finally, store the parts with some dehydrants. These will keep the metal away from rusting.
If you own a manual meat grinder, then the cleaning and storing process will be exactly the same as an electric meat grinder.
Final Words
If you expect a long service life from your meat grinder, you must use it in a proper manner. Some inexpensive machines are made of low-grade metal alloy. Therefore, rusting might be a big problem for these. If not set up and operate properly, you might not be fully satisfied with the service of your machine. We have researched hundreds of bad reviews from customers who are using different brands. In at least 50% of cases, we have found that the problem could have been solved if it would have operated and maintained properly. After you learn about how to use a meat grinder, you might be thinking- what to do with a mincer? We suggest you learn some awesome meat grinder recipes and enjoy your meal.