Looking to purchase a meat grinder
December 9, 2009 8:58 AM Subscribe
Home meat grinder recommendations?
I would like to buy a meat grinder for a Christmas present, but I have no idea what kind to buy, as I do almost no cooking myself. I have found a Panasonic MK-G20NR-W online for a good price, but don't know about it's reputation and performance.... Is there a particular brand or model that you have used and can recommend? Also, are there any attachments that are so useful/ crucial that I may just want to include them with the gift?
Note: My boyfriend wants this primarily to make his own hotdogs and sausages. I can only afford to spend around $200.
This is a big gift for me to give, and I want to make sure I get something quality, that will last. Thank you for any help you can offer.
I would like to buy a meat grinder for a Christmas present, but I have no idea what kind to buy, as I do almost no cooking myself. I have found a Panasonic MK-G20NR-W online for a good price, but don't know about it's reputation and performance.... Is there a particular brand or model that you have used and can recommend? Also, are there any attachments that are so useful/ crucial that I may just want to include them with the gift?
Note: My boyfriend wants this primarily to make his own hotdogs and sausages. I can only afford to spend around $200.
This is a big gift for me to give, and I want to make sure I get something quality, that will last. Thank you for any help you can offer.
Does he have a Kitchen-Aid standing mixer?
If so, there are both meat grinder and sausage stuffer attachments for that. The grinder works really well... the stuffing tube, eh....it gets the meat in the casings, but you still have to do some hand-work to really compact it. I use both, though, to good effect.
posted by kaseijin at 9:30 AM on December 9, 2009
If so, there are both meat grinder and sausage stuffer attachments for that. The grinder works really well... the stuffing tube, eh....it gets the meat in the casings, but you still have to do some hand-work to really compact it. I use both, though, to good effect.
posted by kaseijin at 9:30 AM on December 9, 2009
Seconding the Kitchen Aid. The attachment itself is pretty cheap so maybe get him the mixer as well. I find I use it a lot for "guy" cooking things - various doughs (mostly for pizza), meat griding of all types, and the occaisional birthday cake for the SO.
Hotdogs seem like a bitch to make as its an emulsified sausage.
posted by JPD at 9:33 AM on December 9, 2009
Hotdogs seem like a bitch to make as its an emulsified sausage.
posted by JPD at 9:33 AM on December 9, 2009
The Kitchen-Aid grinder attachment works alright, though it can have a little trouble with meat that has a lot of connective tissue (unfortunately, that's most of what gets made into sausage). The stuffer attachment, however, is worse than useless; it works just barely well enough that you might not get a proper stuffer like the one sanko linked to. Don't be fooled, though: a real stuffer makes a world of difference.
A powered grinder may or may not be a worthwhile buy. They're often harder to keep clean, and it's going to be much more expensive than a manual grinder. Consider how much sausage he's likely to make. If he's not going to be turning out a lot of it, a manual grinder is probably the better value. I would recommend a good manual grinder and a proper stuffer, which should fit in your budget.
If he's going to make hotdogs or other emulsified sausages (proper bratwurst, for example) he absolutely needs a proper stuffer. And a stand mixer wouldn't hurt, though strictly speaking it's not necessary.
Tip: get him some plastic bags and some rice to store the grinder and its parts in. The rice will absorb moisture, which helps prevent rust and keep the blade sharp.
posted by jedicus at 9:43 AM on December 9, 2009
A powered grinder may or may not be a worthwhile buy. They're often harder to keep clean, and it's going to be much more expensive than a manual grinder. Consider how much sausage he's likely to make. If he's not going to be turning out a lot of it, a manual grinder is probably the better value. I would recommend a good manual grinder and a proper stuffer, which should fit in your budget.
If he's going to make hotdogs or other emulsified sausages (proper bratwurst, for example) he absolutely needs a proper stuffer. And a stand mixer wouldn't hurt, though strictly speaking it's not necessary.
Tip: get him some plastic bags and some rice to store the grinder and its parts in. The rice will absorb moisture, which helps prevent rust and keep the blade sharp.
posted by jedicus at 9:43 AM on December 9, 2009
I use a hand grinder. Looks like this. But mine still has my grandma's name stuck onto it with a little piece of masking tape.
We have a grinder attachment for our Kitchen-Aid, but the hand grinder turns out a superior product, IMHO.
posted by SLC Mom at 9:45 AM on December 9, 2009
We have a grinder attachment for our Kitchen-Aid, but the hand grinder turns out a superior product, IMHO.
posted by SLC Mom at 9:45 AM on December 9, 2009
I wouldn't say that the Kitchen-Aid stuffing tube is worse than useless. It gets the meat into the casing.... you just have to work it a *lot* with your hands to actually get a nicely dense sausage. It can be done, and the attachment is only $15. Worth the price for a beginner, in my opinion.
This is definitely not to say, however, that a proper stuffer is not leagues better.
If he's never made a sausage before, I'd still go with the $15 attachment to a standard, extensible, and useful piece of kitchen gear before I'd go with a more expensive and more specialized piece of equipment that might get tossed by the wayside the next time he picks up a new hobby.
posted by kaseijin at 9:57 AM on December 9, 2009
This is definitely not to say, however, that a proper stuffer is not leagues better.
If he's never made a sausage before, I'd still go with the $15 attachment to a standard, extensible, and useful piece of kitchen gear before I'd go with a more expensive and more specialized piece of equipment that might get tossed by the wayside the next time he picks up a new hobby.
posted by kaseijin at 9:57 AM on December 9, 2009
Best answer: Might be worthwhile emailing the fine folks at sausagemaker.com to get their opinion.
posted by electroboy at 10:35 AM on December 9, 2009
posted by electroboy at 10:35 AM on December 9, 2009
Best answer: Did you look at the good eats episode? Season 7, ep. 6, Sausage - A Beautiful Grind
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GD5OXtndNn0
posted by jannw at 12:20 PM on December 9, 2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GD5OXtndNn0
posted by jannw at 12:20 PM on December 9, 2009
Like SLC Mom, I also prefer the results from a hand crank grinder. I've used all sorts of grinders but I've gotten the best results using a #2 universal grinder I got from my grandmother. Having the blade on the outside means the meat can't be overheated by the spinning blade so you don't need to worry about the fat smearing when you're making sausages. With the fine blade it makes amazing falafel and bread crumbs.
posted by foodgeek at 12:40 PM on December 9, 2009
posted by foodgeek at 12:40 PM on December 9, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by sanko at 9:05 AM on December 9, 2009