There are two types of meat grinders: electric and manual. Compared to the electric meat grinder, the hand-operated one is much simpler to operate. So, how to use a manual meat grinder? The process is simple with four steps as follows:
- Step 1: Prepare the meat
- Step 2: Secure the grinder
- Step 3: Grind meat manually
- Step 4: Disassemble and clean the grinder
Today, We will give you step-by-step instructions about using a manual meat grinder. Let’s read on to discover!
Table of Contents
How To Use A Manual Meat Grinder?
Hand-grinding meat will result in fresher sausages and much more flavorful hamburgers. This simple instruction will show you how to use your manual grinder to produce delicious ground meat.
Step 1: Prepare the meat
Before cutting your meat into pieces, remove any excessive tendon, fat, or cartilage. The pieces should be small enough to fit through the meat grinder’s mouth.
The manual meat grinders may get clogged with excess fat or tendon. By removing them, you will be able to save the headache of cleaning the appliance.
Refrigerate or freeze the meat pieces until they are freezing. Cold meat maintains its form better in a meat grinder and retains the heat created by pressure from dissolving meat fat.
Moreover, by keeping your meat cold at all times, you can reduce the risk of germs.
View more: How to work on a food processor
Step 2: Secure the grinder
You can use the built-in clamp or bolts to fasten the meat grinder to a hard surface. Try moving the fitted grinder back and forth to compress the crank and prevent it from shaking.
Place a big clean meat bowl under the outlet side of a grinder to collect the ground meat.
Step 3: Grind the meat manually
Slowly and steadily spin a hand crank on one side of the meat grinder. Bring the first meat piece into the grinder’s mouth.
Then, allow the meat grinder’s blades to push the meat through the grinding machine. Make sure you don’t force it down in the hole with your fingers.
Grind meat manually
When grinding the remainder of the meat, slide a loaf of damp bread through it to wipe up the leftover parts. Please remove all of the bread bits from the meat bowl and remove them.
Step 4: Disassemble and clean the grinder
Finally, dismantle the meat grinder. Also, clean it thoroughly before using it again.
Why Should You Use A Manual Meat Grinder?
You might be curious about the advantages of a manual model in comparison with the electric meat grinder. You learn more about the differences between both devices via this video.
Thanks to the ease of operation and safety, users prefer to do things in an old-fashioned manner.
People also like a meat grinder because this tool is available in a simplistic form and size.
There are no motors or electronic parts in the hand crank meat grinder. As a result, the height and size of the grinder decrease. The height is always less than a foot, and the weight is only a few pounds.
Another advantage of manual grinders is that you don’t have to worry about ruining them by connecting them to any electric component. This part might be dangerous at times.
There is no need to use a power source. You can run the tool anytime, no matter how long you work with it.
Another plus of a manual meat grinder versus an electric one is its lower cost.
A hand crank meat grinder offers many benefits
Common Problems Of Using A Manual Meat Grinder
You might expect several common challenges while utilizing hand crank meat grinders, such as:
- The stress on the body.
- If you don’t secure the handle and grinder properly, grinding will be unsatisfactory.
- Meat cut with a blunt knife or blade might become chewy. In such a scenario, you’ll either need to sharpen or replace it.
- The odor of fat and old meat from the earlier grinding may remain. The residue may affect your tasty ground meats.
- With a hand grinding machine, crushing hard bones is quite tough.
- It will be challenging to remove the leftovers from the inner and the head sections. However, you may clean it by soaking all of the pieces in warm soapy water for about 30 minutes and then washing them.
- After each wash, make sure that every piece dries out completely before storing.
Tips For Using A Manual Meat Grinder
Using a manual meat grinder saves you from the risk of electric issues. Yet, you need to pay attention to certain points.
The tips below will make your work more effective and safer.
Clean the meat grinder carefully
After every usage, it’s critical to dismantle the meat grinder and carefully clean all components that come into touch with ground meat.
A fast rinse will not suffice. It would help if you also disinfected the blades grinding plate with hot water and gentle soap.
Regrind if needed
The advantage of a meat grinder is that it allows you to grind your meat to any fineness or coarseness you want.
Send them through the meat grinder again if you like the ground meat to be coarser after one pass. Otherwise, you might use a butcher’s or culinary knife to chop up the ground meat by hand.
Do not press the meat with your hands
Never put your hand inside the feeding tube. You face the risk of getting gravely injured. Use the metal or plastic pusher included with the meat grinder instead. You can also employ a carrot as your improvised pusher.
Be careful when pushing meat into the hole
How To Maintain A Manual Meat Grinder?
Maintaining is the only way to help things last longer. With proper care, you can use your meat grinder for years.
Here are some tips for maintaining the manual meat grinder correctly:
Instant cleaning
Instant cleaning refers to cleaning the meat grinder as soon as you finish grinding. Refusal to do so will lead to an accumulation of stains and residue in the device, which can cause it to malfunction.
Clean with bread
Put moist bread pieces into the meat grinder to eliminate oil. The purpose of the bread is to absorb the oil from the device as much as possible.
Dismantle the grinder
Don’t be hesitant to take your grinder apart now and again. You may clean it up a bit more so that it functions properly.
Give your grinder proper care so that you can use it for longer
Frequently Asked Questions
Users have shown their concerns about using manual meat grinders. Here are some of their frequently asked questions.
1. How effective are manual meat grinders?
For grinding small portions of meat, a manual grinder is preferable. A manual grinder must be ideal for people who grind meat regularly.
2. Why do you cool the components of the grinder before grinding?
Chilling the beef in the freezer for about 30 minutes aids in the grinding process and ensures food safety by using the cold meat while you labor.
3. What can I use the manual meat grinders for?
Manual grinders can perform a variety of tasks. You may use a meat grinder for grinding nuts, vegetables, nuts, and even cookies. You can also prepare pasta and molding dough.
The Bottom Line
Hand-operated tools are easy to use, inexpensive, and effective. Once you know how to use a manual meat grinder properly, grinding food turns out to be the most straightforward task.
Hopefully, you will find this article helpful. If you need any further information about “how to use a manual meat grinder”, please feel free to ask.
Thank you for reading!
