There are various kinds of meat grinders in terms of size, utility, and construction. We can also differentiate meat grinders based on the price. For example, if you have a limited budget, then a meat grinder below 100 dollars will be a suitable option for you. Usually, when people are in budget, they find a meat grinder that generates the best value. Are the budget meat grinders suitable for home use? In this article, I will discuss what you should expect from a meat grinder that cost under $100. After the read, you will know what you can do with a budget meat grinder. It will help you to plan accordingly during the purchase.
What to expect from a budget manual meat grinder?
Manual meat grinders are inexpensive. You will get a manual meat grinder under 100 dollars whatever the brand or size is. The users of manual and electric meat grinders are different. As you know that you will have to hand crank for a manual meat grinder, it will not be convenient for heavy use. Even for regular residential use, these will not be suitable. This type of meat grinder is suitable for you if you are an infrequent user of the meat grinder. For example, if you use it once or twice in a month and the volume of meat is small, then a manual meat grinder will be good for you. Do not expect that you can grind meat with it for hours.
Another usefulness of a manual meat grinder is fish chum grinding. If you are an amateur fisherman, then you may need a good quality fish chum grinder that you can carry with the boat. As the electric meat grinders are heavy, manual meat grinders are a good option in this case. Travelers or campers who need a lightweight meat grinder many carry a manual meat grinder as well.
Can you grind bones to prepare pet food with it? Yes, you can. But it should be the soft bones. You can also grind dried bones for the preparation of organic fertilizer for the plants. Again, with a manual meat grinder, you can do these on a small scale.
What to expect from an electric meat grinder below 100?
Electric meat grinders can be divided into three categories in terms of sturdiness and utility – residential, heavy residential or light commercial and commercial. The industrial meat grinder is another type of meat grinder that we will not discuss here. Residential grade electric meat grinders are inexpensive and usually cost you below 100. What to expect from it?
Firstly, the motor power of a budget residential grade meat grinder is not that much. You should expect motor power ranging from 300 to 500W from it where the commercial-grade meat grinders have motor having wattage of more than 1000W. With this much of motor power, a meat grinder under 100 can perform regular residential meat grinding well. But it will not be suitable for grinding meat in large chunks. For this reason, residential grade budget meat grinders are smaller in size – usually #8 or lower.
Lightweight is an advantage of a meat grinder below 100. It will weigh around 7 to 10 pounds. Therefore, it will be suitable for mobility. It can be carried in a limited way if needed. If I compare the weight with a heavy residential grade, these may weight around 10 to 20 pounds. Therefore, if you have limited space in your kitchen, then a budget meat grinder will be a better option for you.
How much output speed should you expect from a budget electric meat grinder? Maximum 200 pounds per hour. An average budget electric meat grinder has a speed of around 150 lbs/ hour. Therefore, curb your expectation. If you need more than this speed then you should spend a bit more to get a heavy residential grade meat grinder.
Stainless steel is the premium type of metal that is used to build the body and feeding tube of higher quality commercial grade meat grinders. You should not expect this metal alloy in your budget electric meat grinder. A meat grinder below 100 is made of plastic and aluminum allow. Therefore, these are not rust proof. You should clean and wash these carefully to prevent corrosion.
Bottom line
The quality and features that a meat grinder under 100 provides you are good enough for residential users. However, some people like convenience. They do not mind spending a bit more to get the best possible solution to their problems. For this kind of user, a light commercial grade is a perfect choice.