How to assemble a manual meat grinder step by step: installation steps. How does a meat grinder work - description Working conditions of a manual meat grinder

What is an electric meat grinder and why is it needed - everyone knows. This kitchen appliance has firmly established itself in many kitchens - an acceptable price and performance incomparable with a manual meat grinder has led to the fact that electric meat grinders are replacing manual ones everywhere. But many do not even realize that with an electric meat grinder you can not only twist minced meat, but also squeeze juice, chop vegetables, cut cookies and stuff sausages - for all this there are additional attachments.

And, before going to the store for a meat grinder, it would be useful to understand not only what parameters are responsible for the quality preparation of minced meat, but also what additional features are hidden in it.

Electric meat grinder device

This kitchen appliance is arranged quite simply. Inside the housing (1) there is an engine that rotates the meat grinder shaft through a gearbox. For most devices, the gearbox is partially or completely plastic, and it is the wear or breakage of the plastic parts of the gearbox that is the most common cause of meat grinder failure. For expensive models, the gearbox is entirely made of metal, and a safety clutch is installed on the shaft to protect the engine in case of a wedge. An auger (2) of a meat grinder is fixed on the shaft, which, when rotated, pushes the meat along the meat receiver (3). The meat enters the meat receiver through the tray (4). At the end of the auger, a knife (5) and a steel perforated disc (6) are fixed, pressed by a clamping nut (7). Meat under pressure enters the holes of the disk and is cut off by a moving knife. High-quality discs and knives of expensive meat grinders provide easy cutting of meat without unnecessary deformations and a low load on the engine - as a result, the minced meat is of better quality, and the performance of the device increases. Budget models of meat grinders are often equipped with cheap steel knives and discs that require frequent sharpening.

Characteristics of meat grinders

Power- one of the main parameters of meat grinders, which directly affects its "omnivorous" and price. Power is also related to performance, but not so clearly - two devices with the same performance can have power that differs by 1.5 - 2 times. But at the same time, a more powerful meat grinder will withstand the specified performance for any quality of meat, and a less powerful meat grinder will show passport performance only on small homogeneous pieces without veins and fat.

The parameters often give two power values: peak (maximum, when the shaft is blocked) and nominal. The first is the maximum power that the meat grinder engine is capable of delivering. At this power, the meat grinder can work for a short time, literally a matter of seconds. The rated power is the normal operating power at which the meat grinder can operate for a long time. The maximum power determines how well the meat grinder will cope with stringy pieces of meat, and the rated power mainly affects performance.

The more power, the less time you need to spend on preparing meat before laying it in the tray.

Meat can be put into a powerful meat grinder “indiscriminately”, but sinewy and fatty meat will make a low-power meat grinder work at the limit of power and may even jam. This is especially dangerous if the grinder motor is not equipped with overload protection– in this case, jamming of the auger or prolonged operation with increased load may lead to breakage. Therefore, in order not to waste time on separating veins, cartilage and fat from pieces of meat, it is better to choose a model with a power reserve - from 400 W nominal and from 1000 W peak.

At the same time, excessive (more than 2000W peak) power may be required only if you need increased performance, or one of the attachments requires increased power.

Performance shows how many kilograms of meat the meat grinder can turn in a minute. If you are not engaged in the preparation of minced meat in large volumes, you should not pursue high productivity - in most cases, preparing the workplace and washing the meat grinder after scrolling will take much more time than scrolling itself. Indeed, even with a capacity of 0.5 kg / min, the meat grinder will scroll 5 kg of meat in just 10 minutes - a rare dish will require such an amount of minced meat.

Therefore, when choosing among two models with the same power, it is better to stop at the one with lower productivity - the time lost when scrolling meat will be more than compensated for by the fact that it will not have to be carefully prepared for scrolling. For home use, a performance of 0.5 - 1.5 kg / min is enough.

Reverse system allows you to change the direction of rotation of the auger and remove the stuck piece of meat. The option is extremely useful, especially on meat grinders of low power - in the absence of a reverse, a jammed meat grinder will have to be disassembled.

Housing material And tray not as important as sales consultants sometimes insist, offering to buy an expensive all-metal model. The tray and the body do not experience heavy loads during operation, therefore, if the meat grinder is not dropped or hit with a hammer, the plastic elements will last as long as the metal ones. The plastic in these parts is food grade, so there will be no harm to the product from contact with it either. In addition, plastic models are lighter. The downside of the plastic tray is that it scratches more, and dirt can remain in the scratches, which is a breeding ground for bacteria - the plastic tray should be washed more thoroughly.

Different dishes require a different consistency of minced meat, so the presence in the kit several perforated discs with holes of different sizes will simplify the preparation of "non-standard" minced meat and improve the taste of your dishes. A disc with small holes will give a more uniform minced meat - this option is suitable for making pâtés. And minced meat that has passed through a disk with large holes, on the contrary, will be rough, with large pieces of meat - such minced meat is good for baking.

Before you finally make your choice, it would be useful to look at the method of attaching the meat grinder auger to the drive shaft. Of the many mounting methods, the most common are the following:
- A metal hexagon, due to ease of manufacture, is used on inexpensive models. Since inexpensive models often do not have overload protection, jamming the auger with this method of attachment can lead to breakage of the gears of the gearbox or engine failure.

- Plastic spline mount is used on most middle class meat grinders. The plastic element is usually removable and plays the role of a fuse: it breaks when the screw is jammed, "saving" the engine. To continue working, you just need to replace the plastic element.

Metal slotted connection is used in meat grinders of high power. Such a meat grinder must necessarily have a safety clutch or electronic overload protection, otherwise jamming of the auger can lead to damage to the engine or gearbox.

nozzles

Thanks to additional nozzles, the functionality of electric meat grinders increases significantly, bringing them closer to food processors. And if you want to diversify your menu without any special expenses, it is better to take care of a set of necessary nozzles immediately when buying an electric meat grinder: although nozzles can be bought separately, the connecting dimensions of all meat grinders are different and finding the right nozzle for a specific model can be a difficult task.

What are nozzles, and what do they do?

Nozzle for kebbe. Kebbe is a traditional Arabic dish, which is hollow meat sausages stuffed with various fillings. The nozzle forms tubes of minced meat, which are then filled with stuffing and fried or baked. The dish for our tables is unusual, but if you put smaller fillings and close up the edges of the tubes, you will get zrazy familiar to many.

Nozzle for cutting cookies is a metal plate with holes of various shapes in a mandrel, fixed on a meat grinder instead of a perforated disk. The dough, when scrolled, is squeezed out through the hole, taking its shape. As it is squeezed out, the strip of dough is cut into uniform pieces and laid out on a baking sheet.

Sausage attachment allows you to simplify and speed up the process of stuffing homemade sausages. The nozzle is a tube on which a pre-prepared shell is put on. The end of the shell is tied, the nozzle is fixed at the outlet of the meat grinder, and the minced meat, leaving the tube, pulls the shell off it, forming a sausage. It remains only to bandage the shell at the required intervals. Some sausage attachments have a separate tray - with it, you can put pieces of meat, cheese or other ingredients inside the minced meat (and inside the sausage). The kit may include several nozzles for cooking sausages and sausages of different diameters.

Shredding attachment And grater attachments allow you to quickly and accurately chop or grate carrots, apples, cheese or other products. The preparation of salads with the help of such a nozzle will be much faster, and the dishes will look much more solemn with such cutting. A shredding nozzle is usually made in the form of a separate, often plastic, tray with a working chamber in which replaceable rotating grater cups are fixed - they are usually 3-4 in a set: one for chopping and two or three graters of different sizes. The main tray and the meat receiver are not used during the operation of such a nozzle.

Juicer Attachment, as the name suggests, is designed to produce juice. It has the shape of an elongated perforated metal cone, inside which a conical screw shaft rotates. During operation, the shaft with increasing force presses the pieces of fruit (or vegetables) to the perforated surface, squeezing the juice out of them. The spent cake is then discharged through the hole at the top of the cone. Such a juicer has many advantages over the usual centrifugal ones:

It is more convenient in work, since it does not need to be periodically cleaned from the cake;
- the juice does not heat up during the cooking process and retains more useful properties;
- the juice is not saturated with oxygen and is stored much longer.

Three holes can be distinguished in the case, having seen which you can answer the question of how to assemble a manual meat grinder.

1. Meat receiver, where the loading of products required for processing is carried out.
2. The rear large exit of the auger shaft is designed for a handle that will rotate it. To make it sit firmly, manufacturers can equip the meat grinder with a special nut. Some housewives remove it because it interferes with work. Therefore, it is sometimes absent from old meat grinders.
3. The front outlet is designed for the thin end of the shaft, on which the knife and mesh are attached.

At the bottom, the case is equipped with a special device with which the unit is tightly fixed to the kitchen table for work.

What is included in the set of parts of the kitchen unit:

1. The screw shaft is a large spiral necessary for delivering processed products to the knife.
2. A knife in the form of a disk or a four-winged propeller, properly set, is able to grind many products.
3. The grate is a flat disk with a large number of holes, which determines how well the final product will be crushed.
4. Clamping nut, screwed from above and fixing the grate and knife on the shaft.
5. Handle attached on the opposite side. It can be freely installed on the outgoing end of the screw shaft or attached to it with a special screw.

Having dealt with all the details, you can learn how to assemble a manual meat grinder.

How to properly assemble all the parts

At the beginning of the assembly, the housewives collect all the parts from the meat grinder and arrange them on the table next to them. First, they pick up an all-metal housing and insert a screw shaft into it so that its thick edge comes out from behind into a narrow hole. A handle will be attached to it. If there is a nut for attaching the handle, it must be installed immediately, firmly tightening the screw. If there is no mount, the handle is attached last.

The thin side of the screw falls on a wide round hole. It is quite long, and two parts are held on it. First, put on a knife. The installation of this part of the meat grinder is the most important point in this whole process. The knife must be installed correctly, otherwise it will not work.

On the one hand, the meat grinder knife has flat wings, on the other they are convex. The flat side should be on the front side of the meat grinder and be clearly visible, and the convex side should remain inside near the auger.

The knife in the form of a disk is installed so that its cutting edges are outside.

It is important to keep the knives that came with this particular unit, because parts from another manufacturer may not fit the structure of the all-metal body, and the grinding process will be disrupted.

A meat grinder is an electrical or mechanical device used to process food - meat and others, by grinding them. This appliance can be called an indispensable kitchen appliance that plays an important role in the process of preparing a variety of dishes.

Purpose of meat grinders

The main purpose of this kitchen appliance is to grind food. With its help, minced meat, fish or poultry is produced. In addition, this device copes well with the processing of some vegetables - both raw and after their preliminary heat treatment.

Reference! If necessary, the meat grinder allows you to crush nuts. By connecting various nozzles to the device, its functionality is significantly increased.

Electric meat grinder

Electric meat grinders are currently gaining significant demand. This is primarily due to their large number of advantages in comparison with other types of these devices. This applies to significant power, an increased level of security, as well as the absence of the need for rigid fixation on the table.

Device

In order to understand the principle of operation of an electric meat grinder, it is necessary to understand its device. This device consists of the following parts:

• case made of metal or plastic;
• lattice;
• knife for food processing;
• fixing disk;
• electric motor;
• pusher;
• minced meat receiver;
• tray;
• screw shaft.

Reference! Additionally, the components of electric meat grinders can be a variety of knives, nozzles or auxiliary devices.

Principle of operation

Well-cut foodstuffs should initially be placed in the meat bin. By means of a pusher, pieces of meat are pushed by a person into the sleeve, after which they fall on the augers. They have ribs that allow you to reduce the volume of the largest particles. After passing through this mechanism, the crushed pieces collide with the grate. Slowly pushing through the latter, they are cut with a sharp knife that slides smoothly over the surface.

Operating rules

In order for the electric meat grinder to be in good functional condition for a long time, it is necessary to adhere to some rules, such as:

1. Do not send pieces of meat along with the bones for processing.
2. All components of the device must be thoroughly washed and dried after use.
3. In constant mode, you need to monitor the sharpening of cutting elements. This will reduce the rate of engine wear.

By following the above rules, you can achieve a long and reliable use of an electric meat grinder in the kitchen.

Mechanical meat grinder

Mechanical meat grinders are currently losing their popularity a little. Their main advantage is low cost. At the same time, these devices have some disadvantages - low power and the need to fix on the edge of the table. In addition, it is worth noting the high level of danger of working with a hand-held device.

Device

The standard assembly of a mechanical meat grinder consists of 9 important elements, such as:

• metal case;
• trumpet;
• screw shaft;
• blade or disc knife;
• nozzles;
• metal grate;
• fasteners for fixing;
• pen;
• screw.

Additionally, some models of mechanical meat grinders use other parts.

Principle of operation

By scrolling the handle of the device by a person, its grinding mechanism is launched. In parallel with this, the user must feed the crushed food particles into the meat receiver, after which they fall to the shaft. The latter allows you to divide the largest pieces into smaller ones. In addition, it contributes to their advancement towards the grid. Passing through the latter, homogeneous minced meat is produced.

Operating rules

The basic rules for operating mechanical meat grinders are as follows:

1. It is necessary to monitor the sharpening of the knives used.
2. After using the appliance, all its parts must be thoroughly cleaned of food debris and dried.
3. Do not feed meat with bone fragments into the device.
4. All parts of the device must carefully adjoin to each other.

By following the above rules, it is possible to ensure long-term operation of a mechanical meat grinder for more than a dozen years.

This is a home appliance that grinds meat by squeezing it through a sieve and cutting it with special screw knives. It was invented back in the 19th century, but electric meat grinders became popular in Russia only in the 21st century. The principles of the device, operation and operating rules have not changed, but now the elements move due to the operation of the electric motor. The main selection criteria are power and performance.

Advantages of an electric meat grinder

This device has no alternatives, so the main advantages need to be analyzed in comparison with its mechanical progenitor:

• electric meat grinder works faster;
• saves human strength;
• there is no need to clean the device during operation;
• usually the devices are quite powerful, they can process tendons, cartilage, which is often beyond the power of a person;
• there is no need to fix the device to the table with a clamp.

At the same time, the system of modern meat grinders is quite safe, since the device has a narrow and long neck, into which you simply cannot put your fingers. The meat is fed to the augers using a pusher.

Meat grinder device

First, it is worth understanding the general principle of the device and operation of the meat grinder, and then pay attention to its working part, where the meat is ground.

General device

The meat grinder consists of several elements:

• control unit, where the buttons and indicators are located;
• an electric motor that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy
• the working part where the meat is ground.

Meat grinder device

Meat grinder device: the body consists of a metal part (3), where the working part is located, and a plastic part (6), where the meat grinder motor is located. Behind the electric motor there are gratings (13) through which the heated air exits. At the bottom there are often rubberized feet (8) that do not allow the device to slide on the table.

On the control unit there is a button for starting work (12) and stopping it (11). Most models have an auger reverse key (10) that must be pressed when the shaft is clogged and needs to be cleaned. Also, there is often an operation indicator (9), which turns on when the device is operating.

The motor has an entry for the electrical cable (14), usually there is a ground clamp (15) nearby. The motor itself (7) converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. The gearbox (5) transmits the rotational movement from the electric motor to the shaft (4), which is directly connected to the auger.

Working part

The working part includes a meat grinder and a device for receiving meat. The meat receiver consists of a tray or cup and a pusher - a long plastic and narrow tube that needs to push the meat onto the augers. Key elements are the same for all models.

The simplest meat grinder scheme

The whole structure is in a metal case, which does not allow the product to shatter into pieces due to pressure inside the working chamber. On top is an oblong or round tray, which has a narrow opening. A plastic pusher is inserted into it, where you need to squeeze the meat onto the augers. Processed products are placed in the tray. It is usually made from stainless steel or plastic.

Oval stainless steel tray

In the tube of the meat grinder there is an auger, which is attached to the rotary shaft. When assembling the model, you need to make sure that the fastening is as reliable as possible, otherwise the electric motor will not be able to effectively control the auger during operation. For connection, a rubber bushing is used, which does not allow moisture from the working chamber to enter the gearbox. The meat grinder tube itself is made a little wider than the auger so that the meat does not come out through the blades, but at the same time the axis spins freely, not restrained by friction.

Auger with rubber end cap

The screw is one of the key parts of the meat grinder. It looks like a drill with high spiral blades. The auger is made from an alloy of various metals, which give the structure strength and at the same time resistance to air, water and other compounds. As it moves, it pushes the meat onto the knives and grate, and it also creates high enough pressure to grind and chop the cartilage.

Various knife shapes

The knife, on which the products fall from the auger, has the form of a screw with four sharp blades. He cuts and grinds the meat so that it passes through the grate better. The knife is made from an alloy of metals, as it needs to be durable and resistant to moisture. Often the blades have a special curved shape for better cutting of products. The whole design is made so that the knives self-sharpen when rubbing against the auger and serve longer.

Knives need to be sharpened periodically, otherwise they become dull and stop cutting meat.

Various grid sizes

The grille is made in the form of a thick steel plate, in which rather large holes are made. Their size determines the consistency of minced meat. The grate can have holes of various sizes:

• 3-3.5 mm - small;
• 4-5 - medium;
• 8-9 are big.

Clamp or knurled nut

The last detail is the clamp, which looks like a large rolling nut. It fixes the grate, preventing it from slipping off during operation. In addition, all other nozzles (knives, auger) often also do not have reliable fasteners, so it turns out that the clamp fixes not only the gratings, but in general the entire structure. Typically, the knurled nut is screwed in the same direction as the bladed auger rotates, so it doesn't come off due to the rotation of the internals.

Many models come with additional grills with different holes and knives of different shapes and thicknesses, as well as augers for working with vegetables and fruits.

How does a meat grinder work?

To reduce the likelihood of wear and tear, you need to chop the meat into small pieces, and remove the bones and cartilage. All this should be small enough to easily fit into the meat receiver. With a pusher we squeeze the meat inward, as a result, the product falls onto the auger.

Because of its helical structure, as it rotates, it pushes the pieces onto the blades, which cut them even finer, and then they fall on the grate. Due to the pressure created by the auger, the meat is forced through the holes and comes out as a processed homogeneous mass.

Operating rules

Before starting work, you should familiarize yourself with the rules of operation:

1. Before stuffing, the meat should be cut into small slices so that they freely enter the meat receiver.
2. Even if it is written that the meat grinder can cope with small bones and cartilage, it is still better not to try to grind them, since the device in this case starts to work for wear. Which leads to too fast failure.
3. All elements must be thoroughly washed after each use of the meat grinder. To do this, the structure should be disassembled; without this, it is impossible to clean all the internal elements. Remember that the union nut also often needs to be cleaned, and not just the auger, knife and grate.
4. Knives should be sharpened regularly. Just because they are self-sharpening doesn't mean they shouldn't. Self-sharpening prolongs the time that the knife works without sharpening, but does not eliminate this need.
5. Do not put your hand into the meat receiver and try to get a bone or a large piece of meat out of there at the moment when the device is working. You can not lower the meat onto the augers with your fingers, a pusher is specially made for this.
6. The meat passes through the grate at high pressure, that is, it is pushed through the holes with new portions of the product. Therefore, after use, a few grams of minced meat always remain on the knife and cylinder. It must be removed after each use.
7. Before use, it is recommended to wipe the auger, knife and grate on the side of the knife with vegetable oil. This will reduce friction, save energy, speed up the passage of meat and increase productivity.

Assembling the meat grinder

In general, the design of the working part is simple enough to master assembly and disassembly from the first time. But you need to pay attention to some important nuances that are often forgotten. shown below in the picture, there are also shown various options for gratings.

How the various parts should be inserted

Disassembly of the meat grinder

Disassemble and clean the meat grinder after each use. To get the grate, screw knife and auger, it is usually enough to unscrew the clamp, since it is he who holds the entire structure, and the internal elements are often no longer fixed in any way. The knurled nut can be very tight, so you have to use some force to loosen it.

After removing all internal elements and detaching the tray, thoroughly wash the parts. Often all surfaces become greasy, especially if vegetable oil was used to facilitate the operation of the appliances. To remove fat, you can use alcohol, as they destroy lipids.

Assembling the meat grinder

The order is as follows:

• Before assembling, you need to make sure that all parts of the meat grinder are clean.
• The auger is installed first. Before that, you need to put a rubber plug on its back side, which will prevent the ingress of liquid from the working chamber into the device. Then you need to connect the auger to the gearbox.

Connecting the auger to the reducer sleeve

• Then the knife is mounted. It is placed in such a way that the flat part of the blades is on the side of the grate. An exception is the circular knife, it should be placed with a corrugated surface closer to the grate.

Proper knife installation

• Then the grid is installed.
• Then the clamp is twisted. Place it firmly enough so that the whole structure is fixed securely.
• At the end, the meat receiver tray is attached to the body.

How to choose a meat grinder?

Despite the simplicity of the device, choosing a meat grinder that is ideal in all respects is quite difficult, so you need to carefully understand this issue. When buying, you should pay attention to the following characteristics.

Performance

Productivity is how much minced meat a meat grinder can produce per unit of time. This indicator is affected by the power of the device, as well as the width of the working chamber. It is clear that the wider the meat grinder pipe, the more product can pass through it. But at the same time, the need for power increases, since due to the increased diameter of the screw, more energy is needed to rotate it.

Standard productivity - 1-1.5 kg / min. But there are meat grinders with indicators of 0.5 or 2.5 kg. With the same power (for example, 1900 W), the performance may vary (for example, be 1.5 or 2 kg / min). Higher rates are provided precisely by the size of the working chamber or the speed of rotation of the screw.

Power

The speed of rotation of the screw depends on this indicator, and this directly affects productivity. Also, power affects the power load that the auger blades can create. The higher these figures, the faster the meat passes through the working chamber and the easier the device copes with cartilage and tendons.

Each model has a maximum and rated power. The maximum indicators indicate what work the engine can do when working for wear, when cartilage or bones get into the auger. This criterion does not affect performance, but indicates the capabilities of the meat grinder. The nominal indicator characterizes how the device will work under standard conditions.

The maximum power of most devices ranges from 1000-2000 W, but there are meat grinders with this figure equal to 400 or 3000. If you are not going to grind cartilage and bones, then 1000 is enough for work. At the same time, you need to remember that the more powerful the meat grinder , the more noise it creates during operation.

Material

The instrument can use plastic, aluminium, stainless steel and other alloys. Metal meat grinders are heavier, but stronger and last longer. All internal working bodies of the meat grinder must be steel, while the body can also be plastic. Sometimes there are meat grinders with plastic screws. Such devices are suitable for chopping berries or fruits, but such parts often break during meat processing.

Knives are always made of metal. The most preferred are ferritic stainless steels, which are highly resistant to corrosion and aggressive compounds. Martensitic alloys with corrosion resistance and mechanical strength are also suitable. Remember that knives need to be sharpened periodically, so they must be made of stainless steel.

Reducer

Often the gears of the gearbox are made of plastic, as it is cheaper, and the device fulfills the warranty period. In addition, the meat grinder from this becomes easier. But at the same time, there are cases when the gears in the gearbox break from increased load. If possible, you need to choose devices with metal gears or high-strength plastics.

You also need to pay attention to the sleeve-sleeve to which the auger of the meat grinder is connected. Through this element, the liquid component of the processed product often penetrates into the Chinese device. It is necessary to properly disassemble the device and evaluate the tightness from the inside, but this can only be done at home.

Reverse

The reverse button causes the auger to rotate in the opposite direction. This feature allows you to remove the veins and bones that, during operation, led to the device stopping. When reversing, the auger pushes the processed mass in the opposite direction. In the absence of such an opportunity, you will have to disassemble the device at each blockage, stopping the grinding of meat during assembly and disassembly.

Number of speeds

For most housewives, two speeds are enough. The first is needed for grinding meat and other viscous or durable products. The second is used for squeezing juice from vegetables and fruits. Sometimes manufacturers make 3 speeds, but remember that maximum speed is not always required. In addition, the faster the auger rotates, the more noise the meat grinder produces.

Time of continuous work

The time during which the meat grinder can work without interruption depends on the speed of the auger. The engine must be turned off so that it cools down and does not overheat. Make sure that the device, even at the highest speed, can work for 10-15 minutes without the need to turn it off. Usually, the time of continuous operation depends on the presence of fans in the design or the volume of the case.

Motor protection

Various options are used to protect the motor from overheating. On some, an electric thermal fuse is placed, which breaks the electrical circuit when it overheats. On other devices, a fuse sleeve is mounted, which mechanically blocks the auger. Any of these elements protect against overheating equally. When choosing a meat grinder, you need to pay attention to the resistance of the fuse to shock and vibration.

Popular Models

You can find a good meat grinder at the best price. An overview of several popular models is given below. The table compares the cost and main characteristics.

Name	Power nominal	Maximum power	overheat protection	Performance	Price
Zelmer 687.5	500	1300	+	1.5 kg	3800
Bosch MFW 66020	600 W	1500	–	3 kg	6200
Panasonic MK G1800PWTQ	300 W	1800	+	1.6 kg	15000
Axion M 31.02	230	1500	–	1.7 kg	3400

The table shows that although performance and power affect the price, there is no direct proportional relationship.

A meat grinder is the best way to grind meat and other foods. In other words, cut them into tiny pieces.
Probably, in every house there are metal devices inherited from our grandmothers, with the help of which they “twisted” minced meat, having made remarkable physical efforts for this. With the advent of new technologies, this difficult everyday task has turned into an exciting procedure for grinding a variety of products to implement the most interesting recipes. This does not require male power, and time is saved.

Despite the fact that there are many models of household meat grinders offered by manufacturers, there are only two main types of such devices for grinding food: mechanical and electric.

Mechanical meat grinder

This type is the most basic design of a minced meat device, invented as early as the beginning of the nineteenth century. It is distinguished by its simplicity and accessibility, and functions only when controlled manually using a special handle.

Distinctive features:

• Mechanical devices are smaller than electrical devices and can grind a small amount of food at a time.
• Simple, standard, easy-to-operate design consists of parts made of epoxy coated cast iron, tin or stainless steel.
• This is a good option for people who are on a budget, have a small family and plan to mince only a small amount of meat.

Electric meat grinder

The electric meat grinder has a great advantage in terms of labor utilization. It does not need any human assistance and can process a large number of products at the same time.

Distinctive features:

• The tough parts of raw meat that a manual machine cannot handle can be easily minced in such a machine.
• It not only works with a high processing speed, but also cuts a large amount of meat in a short period of time. Consumers who prefer precision and speed in their kitchen are in favor of such a device.
• Electric shredders come with a variety of settings to choose from. You can choose very finely or coarsely chopped meat depending on your preference.
• The stainless steel grates, together with the four-blade knife, make this electric machine particularly efficient.

General principle of operation

The meat grinder has a funnel at the top of the feed hopper through which you add chopped cubes of meat or whatever you want to grind into the meat hopper. From the funnel, the food is transferred to the screw conveyor. This is achieved by a manually operated twisting mechanism or an electric motor. The auger, constantly rotating, steadily pushes the meat down the shaft towards the knife. At the same time, large pieces are cut into smaller pieces with the help of ribs on the screw.

The knife and grate are what produce the final shredding. The knife is a small cross-shaped piece of metal with sharp blades on each blade that rotates against a grid, also called a die. It is a round metal plate with holes cut into it. As the auger continuously pushes the meat towards this grate, the blades of the knife, sliding along its flat surface, grind the meat into mincemeat. Its texture depends on the size of the holes in the grating. The smaller they are, the smaller the stuffing will be.

The disk cover, screwed to the body, securely presses all parts to each other, and maintains the integrity of the structure.

Differences

In addition to the fundamental difference in the method of control: with the help of a handle that sets in motion all the components and parts of the device, or an electric motor, the main types of devices for grinding products have some more design features.

Mechanical

Must be attached to some fixed flat surface, such as the edge of a countertop. This is done by means of feet with rubber pads at the bottom of the case and a screw clamp. With this clamp, the legs are tightly screwed to the edge of the tabletop, which ensures that the device is securely fixed during operation.

Electrical

• They have a fairly massive body, inside which there is an electric motor, and rubberized legs from below. This ensures the static immobility of the device.
• There is an on/off button on the case.
• At the top of the meat receiver there is a tray on which you can store pieces of prepared products before pushing them with a pusher into the hopper. The larger this tray, the more convenient it is to grind large batches of products.

How to choose

Before you start choosing a meat grinder, answer yourself a few questions:

• What type of meat will you mince.
• How much meat do you want to process per hour.
• How often will you use it.

By answering these questions, you will get a clear idea of ​​​​a device that will meet the necessary criteria:

Engine

The power of the engine determines the performance of the mechanism, that is, the amount of food that can be chopped per hour. Usually two power levels are indicated - nominal and maximum. Normal operation requires rated power ranging from 400W to 1000W.

However, in case of extreme loads, for example, when processing accidentally fallen cartilage or bones, maximum engine power is required. It can range from 1500 to 3000 watts. This mode of operation should not exceed a strictly defined amount of time (usually no more than 60 seconds). If this condition is not observed, there is a risk of rapid wear and damage to the motor.

Meat grinders with the most powerful engine can grind up to 3-4 kg of meat in 1 minute, less powerful - 1-2 kg. The best choice for an average family would be a meat grinder with a power of 1000-1500 W and a capacity of 1.5-1.8 kg of minced meat per minute.

Motor protection function

If some solid particles, such as bones or tendons, are hit, even the most powerful motor can overheat. In modern models, there are two ways to protect against breakage or combustion:

• Blocking of the engine by means of a safety heat element. In the event of an emergency (when a certain temperature threshold is crossed), this sleeve bursts. The motor is blocked and the mains is disconnected. To resume operation, it is necessary to replace the plastic safety sleeve, which is often supplied in the kit.
• Another way to protect the engine from combustion is a bimetallic plate under the power button. When the engine overheats, the bimetallic plate snaps off the power button and the power supply stops, the engine stops. Further resumption of work is possible after cooling.
  The presence of such simple functions will give additional reliability to the engine, and can significantly extend its service life.

Construction material

All devices are made of different materials. Most often it is plastic, metal alloy or stainless steel. A meat grinder with a metal or steel body is more durable and durable. And, if the material of manufacture is not so important for the case, then the internal parts must be made of stainless steel. Only such can withstand heavy loads during the operation of the device.

Additional accessories

All people like to get additional pleasure from the purchase. If we talk about a meat grinder, then the first auxiliary equipment may be additional grates that allow you to adjust the texture of the minced meat. Most of them have only two grates (for coarse and fine chopping), but there are some that come with attachments that have different openings for cooking sausages, dough tubes, or different ways of cutting vegetables.