Whether it is Mexican or Western food, minced meat is the most commonly used ingredient. Buying ready-made minced meat is very convenient and hassle-free. But everyone may realize that the minced meat bought outside is not safe, and the messy things are smashed and you can’t tell what it is. It may taste delicious, but it is not safe and healthy. It’s hard to say.

Chopping the stuffing yourself is physically and time-consuming. Of course, you can also buy a piece of meat at the store and ask the clerk to help you make it into the stuffing. However, at the juncture of the current outbreak of the new coronavirus, do you feel comfortable using someone else’s meat grinder? Not to mention that the meat needs to be washed several times before being ground.

The best way is to have a durable meat grinder at home, make fresh, clean, and safe meat fillings, and have mouthwatering buns, dumplings, wontons, sausages, meatballs, and burgers anytime.

Why not use a food processor to grind minced meat?

Both meat grinders and food processors can be used to mince meat, vegetables, and other ingredients. However, the meat grinder is specially designed to mince meat fillings with different thicknesses. Furthermore, it can lock the moisture to the greatest extent and maintain the original meat quality.

Food processors, on the other hand, are better for grinding, blending, slicing, and chopping loosely. Many people will use a food processor to grind meat fillings. It is not impossible, but the texture, taste, and evenness of meat fillings are not as good as special meat grinders.

  • Meat loses moisture during churning in a food processor/blender, moisture = flavor.
  • The meat filling made in the food processor is uneven and likely contains larger pieces of meat that are not broken up. Or it becomes a mushy mince after being over-ground and loses its original meaty flavor.

Meat Grinder Buying Guide

There are three types of meat grinders on the market, and they each have their pros and cons. You can choose the one that suits you best according to your needs.

  • Electric: The advantage is that you can grind a lot of meat at once, and it is faster and less time-consuming. But the price is relatively more expensive and takes up more space.
  • Manual: The advantage is that it is cheaper, has a simple structure, can be used anywhere, and is easy to maintain. However, only a small amount of meat can be processed each time, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive.
  • Stand mixer attachment: If you already have a KitchenAid or Cuisinart stand mixer at home, you only need to add an attachment that can grind meat fillings. Its biggest disadvantage is that it can only process a small amount of meat at a time. The best seller on Amazon is this KitchenAid Food Grinder Attachment.

A few things to consider when choosing a meat grinder:

1. Is it easy to clean

This is important because, if not thoroughly cleaned after each use, the remaining grease and stains will not only breed bacteria but may also reduce the life of the machine and parts.

It is best to choose a meat grinder that is made of stainless steel and can be removed. If you do not have the time and maintain complex equipment, you can choose a model with a simple structure.

2. Multifunctional

Most meat grinders offer multiple functions, especially electric ones.

Some models of equipment can not only grind meat of different thicknesses but also cut vegetables or stuff sausages. Others have a reverse swivel function for easy removal of blockages.

3. Power

If you are grinding a small amount of meat at a time, say a few pounds, then a general-purpose meat grinder will suffice, which has the power to process 100 to 150 pounds of meat per hour.

There are plenty of options for the home, like the STX Turboforce Classic 3000 Electric Meat Grinder/Enema and the Sunmile SM-G31 ETL Meat Grinder.

Commercial meat grinders are more powerful, more efficient, faster, and more durable, capable of processing more than 700 pounds of meat per hour. They can be used for extended periods without overheating, and handle tough meats like game, cartilage, ligaments, tendons, and offal with ease. If you have a restaurant business at home, it is recommended to choose the Weston electric meat grinder.

The Best Meat Grinders in the United States

There are many brands and models of meat grinders on the market. After a comprehensive comparison, we have selected several better meat grinders for your reference.

1. STX Turboforce Classic 3000 Electric Meat Grinder/Enema Machine — Best Overall Performance

STX Turboforce 3000, Which is the Best Meat Grinder

This is a powerful household electric meat grinder that can handle any type of meat you want, including sausages, poultry, fish, fat, cartilage, and more. Although some people use it to grind vegetables, and fruits, and even make pasta, merchants recommend using it for the best results.

The STX Turboforce 3000 uses a power-locked motor that delivers 800 to 1200 watts of power when grinding meat, which equates to up to 2.4 horsepower. It comes with a 12-gauge, food-grade cast aluminum grinder that is more efficient than most meat grinders have a large grinding head. A wider feed tube can grind large amounts of meat in a short time.

The machine has two settings, low and high. With a high setting ideal for tender meats and a low speed for tougher textured meats, reducing the chance of clogging and allowing for a more thorough grind. It also has a unique feature: circuit breakers. When a blockage occurs, the device will automatically power off to prevent short circuits.

This unit comes with a three-year warranty, which is longer than most other products. Register the purchased goods on the company’s website after purchase, and you can get free parts and labor repairs provided by the merchant within three years. The following YouTube video demonstrates how to assemble and use the STX Turboforce Meat Grinder.

ProsCons
Powerful functions and many accessories
Fast, time-saving and labor-saving
Safe to use
Durable
Long warranty period
Higher price
Relatively loud noise

2. Gourmia Gmg525 electric meat grinder – Suitable for hard ingredients

Gourmia GMG525 Meat Grinder, Which is the Best Meat Grinder

 This meat grinder is made of durable super-strong material, which can easily process all kinds of livestock, poultry, and fish, and is more suitable for grinding meat with a harder texture, such as cartilage, beef tendon, venison, etc.

Includes 3 durable stainless steel blades for a variety of fine, medium, and rough cuts. Automatically adjusts power consumption (500W – 1000W), this feature saves you the need to use high power when processing hard meats.

The operation is simple, and the three buttons on/off/reverse are intuitive. The reverse function is used when you need to remove impurities from ingredients or unclog the grinder.

It also comes with a double safety switch for safety during use. All parts are removable for easy cleaning. Storage and lock in place during assembly to keep the unit solid for safe operation.

ProsCons
Excellent material, durable
Fast and time-saving
High Security
Easy to use
Easy to clean
The body gets very hot during the operation

3. Sunmile SM-G31 Electric Meat Grinder – The most cost-effective

Sunmile SM-G31 Electric Meat Grinder

Sunmile is a well-known small appliance manufacturer. As a basic household meat grinder, Sunmile SM-G31 can automatically adjust the power between 250W and 800W. Which can easily grind different textures of meat while keeping the power consumption low.

Simple yet powerful, this meat grinder can process up to 150 pounds of meat per hour to meet the daily needs of most households. And it is equipped with large gears and gearboxes to overcome the various pressures and resistances generated when the meat is ground. It also has a safety switch (emergency cut-off) and circuit breaker to prevent the motor from overheating or burning out.

ProsCons
Easy to assemble
Easy to use
Durable
Save time and energy
High Security
Cost-effective
No reverse function
The feeding port is relatively small, and the meat needs to be cut into small pieces
Some parts are aluminum and cannot be washed in a dishwasher

4. Aobosi Electric Meat Grinder/Enema Machine — Perfect for Home and Small Food Processors

AAOBOSI Electric Meat Grinder

This Electric Meat Grinder is a powerful and practical kitchen appliance suitable for use in the home and catering industry. You can use it not only for meat fillings, but also for mincing fruits, and vegetables, making sausages, meat sauces, vegetable purees, fruit purees, and more.

With motors ranging from 800W to 2000W, it can easily and quickly grind 2 pounds of meat per minute. Special high-torque design, by squeezing the three helical turns of the auger attachment, the meat can be squeezed out without damaging the meat fibers, maximizing the preservation of the original flavor and texture of the meat.

Has a reverse function for easy removal of clogged debris. Easy to disassemble and assemble, one-button control, simple and safe operation. Equipped with a circuit breaker, in case the motor overheated and burned out, prolonging the service life.

ProsCons
Simple and practical
Easy to assemble and operate
Multifunction
High Security
Strong and sturdy
Not dishwasher safe

5. F&W 3-in-1 Manual Meat Grinder/Vegetable Slicer – Manual Best

Kitchen Basics 3 N 1 Manual Meat and Vegetable Grinder Mincer

The advantage of a manual meat grinder is that it does not require a power source, and can be used anywhere. Furthermore, it has a simple structure that is easy to assemble and use. The bottom has a strong suction cup to ensure that it is not easy to move when it is running.

This manual meat grinder from F&W is perfect for a low-budget home. In addition to making meat, it can chop vegetables, grind nuts and garlic, and even make macaroni and pasta. Those with babies at home can use it to make vegetable puree baby meals. While the housing is hard plastic, the blade is made of high-quality, sharp stainless steel. The whole machine is dishwasher safe.

ProsCons
Affordable
Simple structure
Easy to operate
Small and portable, does not take up space
Multi-purpose machine
Dishwasher safe
Time-consuming
Manual cleaning is cumbersome
Cannot grind tough meat
Excessive force may cause the handle to break easily

Meat grinder usage skills

Most electric meat grinders are versatile enough to process stuffed meat, fill sausages, grind vegetables and fruits, and more. Here are a few tips for getting the best meat filling, using meat as an example.

  • Meat needs to be refrigerated before processing because high temperatures can separate and ooze the fat in the meat, causing water loss and affecting texture.
  • Remove the fascia from the cooled meat and cut it into pieces of appropriate size for easy passage through the feeding port.
  • Process the meat as soon as possible, before it becomes completely soft, to prevent the heat from losing moisture and affecting the meat quality.

How to maintain and maintain the meat grinder

Whether it is an electric or manual meat grinder, various problems will occur over time. Proper maintenance and maintenance can prolong its service life.

Here are a few daily maintenance tips:

1. The meat grinder only needs to be oiled once a year under normal use. Butter should be used as a lubricant instead of ordinary liquid oil.

2. After each use, disassemble the ground meat tee, screw, blade orifice, etc., wash and dry together with the tray, and then reassemble. This will not only prevent the growth of bacteria and affect food hygiene, but also maintain the flexibility of the components.

3. Keep the blade sharp. If the frequency of use is relatively high, the blade should be sharpened at least once every six months.

4. If the meat grinder is not used for a long time, it should be cleaned. All parts should be wiped dry, and stored in a ventilated and dry place to avoid moisture.

Finally, which home meat grinder is the best?

Many people are used to buying minced meat directly from the market. Although it is very convenient, you have no idea what mess is mixed into this minced meat. So there is no guarantee of their quality.

If you have a meat grinder at home, you can use the healthy and safe meat you buy to make high-quality meat fillings that taste and taste better.

This guide introduces several meat grinders with a good reputation. Overall, the STX Turboforce 3000 is superior to other meat grinders in terms of durability, safety, and overall performance. If you have a limited budget or prefer a manual meat grinder, there are corresponding products in this article for reference.