4 Best Meat Grinders for Home Cooks

Ground meat is used in a multitude of recipes, from burgers to sausages and in stews or casseroles. It is very convenient to use store-bought ground meat, but grinding your own means you know exactly the meat you’re getting there is no mix of products.

Either manual or automatic, meat grinders are affordable with complete control to make your own blends from any cut of meat. You decide the quality of meat, the amount of fat to add, and how fine or coarsely grind. 

There are a lot of decent meat grinders on the market, and we have selected a few for a range of budgets.

List of best meat grinders

• Best electric – AAOBOSI Electric Meat Grinder – 3000W Max – Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Meat Mincer
• Best manual – Huanyu Manual Meat Grinder Sausage Stuffer
• Best budget – Kitchen Basics 3 N 1 Manual Meat and Vegetable Grinder Mincer, 3 Size Sausage Stuffer
• Best attachment – KitchenAid KSMMGA Metal Food Grinder Attachment

Things to consider before buying 

A good meat grinder should be easy to set up, use, and clean. Most come with the same features, and they need to be sturdy enough to deal with the amount of meat ground.

Manual or motorised

Manual, hand-cranked meat grinders are usually less expensive. As they don’t hold electric parts or a motor they tend to be smaller. However, a sturdy manual grinder should still allow you to grind at a consistent speed with a minimum of manual power. If you cook with ground meat often, we recommend getting a motorised model. There is little to no manual power needed to produce large amounts of consistently ground meat.

Blades

Whatever you buy, sharp blades or plates are very important. Avoid plastic and dull blades as they will pull rather than grind the meat resulting in a paste. Stainless steel is the best option and even though slightly more expensive will last longer. Besides having a sturdy model, always grind meat when it’s well chilled as it will be easier to grind.

Features

Some grinders come with different plates and have different sizes for grinding meat. Consider the recipes you will make the most and whether you need extra features or different sized grinding plates.

Overview of best meat grinders

Best electric – AAOBOSI Electric Meat Grinder – 3000W Max – Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Meat Mincer

With 3000 Watts of peak output power and 800 Watts rated power this is the most powerful grinder on the market for home use. A full metal gearbox and metal gears grind up to 2 pounds of meat per minute which is fast, convenient and economical if you need to grind larger batches at one time.

Three various stainless steel cutting plates are included for coarse, medium, and fine grinding of meat, as well as 3 sizes of sausage stuffing tubes with an adapter and 1 kubbe attachment. 

A single On/Off button makes it easy to handle this model. In case of jamming, the ‘reverse’ button will rotate the auger in the opposite direction emptying the head quickly. Some Amazon buyers state that the machine might heat up when grinding large amounts at one time but a built-in circuit breaker will prevent the motor burnout. This model is not dishwasher safe but cleaning is easy in warm water but always dry the parts immediately after washing. There is a 30-day money-back guarantee, 12-month replacement warranty and lifetime service support.

Read also : Best chef knives for all chopping needs

Best manual – Huanyu Manual Meat Grinder Sausage Stuffer

Although manual, this model is on the expensive side, but is a very sturdy, durable meat grinder. The body and all metal parts are a one piece casting and made of stainless steel which is completely dishwasher safe and 100% safe against oxidation, blackening or rusting. A double fixation with a bottom strong suction cup and a stainless steel table clamp prevent the machine from moving during use. 

All kinds of meat can be ground as well as vegetables with low moisture. This multi-purpose model is convenient and practical and will also make sausages. The best part of this manual model is the lack of noise during grinding. A one-year warranty service is guaranteed with damaged parts being replaced free of charge.

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Best budget – Kitchen Basics 3 N 1 Manual Meat and Vegetable Grinder Mincer, 3 Size Sausage Stuffer

If you are only grinding meat sporadically or in small batches, this manual budget model is perfect! Although the body is made of plastic, the blades are made of sharp stainless steel which are, besides grinding meat, also strong enough to crush nuts or other hard ingredients with a choice of fine or coarse grinding plates.

A sausage funnel (3 sizes included) is delivered with the machine to make delicious homemade sausages. You can even try to make pasta and create rigatoni or spaghetti with the elements included in this package. This model is easy to use and clean with the detachable parts being dishwasher safe.

Read also : Best spice grinders

Best attachment – KitchenAid KSMMGA Metal Food Grinder Attachment

If you already have a stand mixer, a food grinder attachment is a good solution. We all know the famous KitchenAid stand mixer and as with other attachments, they also have a great meat grinder. The power of the motor runs the metal food grinder attachment which is an optional piece and can only be bought separately. There is a choice between fine, medium and coarse grinding plates as well as two sausage stuffer tubes. A large enough food tray allows you to prepare enough ingredients in one batch without going forward and back, cutting down on food preparation time. It is recommended to pre-chill the grinder in the refrigerator or freezer to maintain a cold grinding temperature for a neat and clean grind without clogging the machine.

This specific model includes 1 metal food grinder, 1 removable food tray, 1 fine grinding plate, 1 medium grinding plate, 1 coarse grinding plate, 1 cleaning brush, 1 food pusher, 2 sausage stuffer tubes, and 1 sausage stuffer plate. Please note that there are also smaller plastic attachments for KitchenAid that come at a lower price. 

Benefits of home meat grinders

Home meat grinders offer many benefits for individuals and families that eat a lot of meat. They are versatile and can be used for different types of meat, and they help the food budget, as using one makes the purchase of meat more economical and affordable.

In most cases, investing in a good home grinder will pay for itself in no time at all.

Here are 10 advantages of owning and using a home meat grinder

1. Freshness and Quality Control

Grinding meat at home ensures you know exactly what’s going into your food. You can be confident that there are no additives, fillers, or questionable ingredients.

2. Taste

Freshly ground meat often tastes much better than pre-packaged ground meat.

3. Custom Seasoning

You can season the meat as you grind it, ensuring the flavors are well-integrated into the meat. This is useful for making sausages or other seasoned meat products. Plus, you get exactly the taste you prefer.

4. Texture

You can control the texture of the meat, which can make a difference in dishes like burgers, sausages, and meatballs. you can customize the grind (coarse, medium, fine) to your preference. Store-bought ground meat can sometimes be too finely ground or overly processed.

5. Flexibility

With most home meat grinders, you can try out different types of meat. These might include beef, pork, chicken, turkey, and fish. This lets you make custom blends, like a pork-beef mix for sausages or a beef-chicken blend for lighter burgers.

6. Cost Savings

Buying whole cuts of meat and grinding them at home can be cheaper than purchasing pre-ground meat, especially when you buy meat in bulk or on sale.

7. Safety

Ground meat can be a source of foodborne illnesses if not handled or stored properly. When you grind your own meat, you reduce the number of hands and processes it goes through, potentially reducing the risk of contamination.

8. Less Waste

When you have leftover cuts of meat, you can easily grind them up and put them in the freezer. This is also a great way to use up tougher cuts of meat that might not be as enjoyable when cooked in other ways.

9. Sustainability

If you hunt or raise your own livestock, a meat grinder allows you to process and utilize more parts of the animal, leading to less waste and a more sustainable approach to meat consumption.

10. Attachments

Many meat grinders come with attachments to make sausages, pasta, and other foods. This can encourage you to try new recipes.

As you can see, there are plenty of benefits to owning and using the best home meat grinders. One thing to remember, though, is that it is important to clean them after every use. Also, it helps to check the manual for any storing or usage tips.