The best burgers are the ones you’ve made yourself. We’re talking about grinding your own meat. The most obvious advantage is that you get to make sure that you eat healthy. Freshly ground meat is a lot better than any prepackaged stuff you can get in your local supermarket or butcher. You know the quality of the meat that goes in your burger. You also don’t have to worry about contamination due to a grinder that hasn’t been properly cleaned. That’s not all though. Not only will you be able to have total control over the quality of your burgers, you’ll be able to do a bit of experimenting. Which cuts make the best burgers? What combination of fat and lean meat taste best for you? The decision on how your burgers taste will be all up to you. In addition, there’s the cool factor. You can’t deny that making your burgers from scratch is undeniably cool. It lends a level of authenticity to cooking outdoors. Plus, it’s actually a lot cheaper to grind your own meat than buying pre-made stuff in the market.
Of course, grinding your own meat requires you to have your own meat grinder. Meat grinders, just like most things in the market, come in various types and sizes. There are electric ones, manual ones, and stand attachment grinders. So, how do you know which meat grinder is best for you? Well, we’ve picked out the top 5 in the market and written a buying guide just for you!
STX Turboforce II”Platinum” w/Foot Pedal Heavy Duty Electric Meat Grinder & Sausage Stuffer
When it comes to meat grinders, the STX Turboforce II “Platinum Edition” Quad Air Cooled Electric Meat Grinder is the best of the best. The Rolls Royce of meat grinders. It might be a bit much for the average home cook. But it’s well worth the money if you want reliability, power, and ease of use, especially if you plan on grinding meats for hordes of people. This model is an electric meat grinder that features 2000 watts of power and 3 stainless steel cutting blades that will grind even the toughest cuts of meat. The grinder also comes with a set of 3 sausage tubes, 1 burger-slider patty press, a pair of meat shredder claws, and 6 different grinding plates which provides you with incredible versatility. More importantly, this baby comes with a high capacity meat tray allowing you to grind 3 lbs of meat at a time AND a foot pedal that enables you to operate the machine “hands-free.”
LEM Products 17801 Big Bite #12 .75HP Stainless Steel Electric Meat Grinder
The LEM Electric Meat Grinder is made of stainless steel with a modernized brushed steel finish to keep your greasy fingerprints from messing the look of your machine. It features 0.75 horsepower for all your heavy duty grinding needs. You’re able to grind large amounts of meat (up to 6 whole lbs per minute) quickly and efficiently. The motor is permanently lubricated for smoother grinding. It’s also a lot quieter than we expected. The auger is wider than usual which makes grinding large pieces of meat that much easier. The machine comes with three stainless steel grinding plates, one stuffing plate, and three stuffing tubes. There’s also an added tray in the body for storing a knife and plate. Plus, there’s rifling pattern in the head which pushes the meat forward without too much interaction from you. Moreover, LEM provides lifetime customer support for their products. The meat grinder itself comes with a 5-year warranty. The only drawback is that there’s no reverse button in case the grinder jams.
The Powerful STX Turboforce Classic 3000 Series Electric Meat Grinder & Sausage Stuffer:
Another STX meat grinder, the Turboforce 3000 Series “Classic Edition” Meat Grinder & Sausage Stuffer is another powerful machine for home cooks who plan on doing some heavy duty grinding. This baby comes with a locked motor wattage of 3000 watts and can grind between 180 to 240 lbs of meat per hour. It features 3 speed settings – high, low, and reverse. There’s a stop and reset switch for safety purposes. The machine comes with several accessories including 3 tempered steel grinding plates, a beaner plate, 3 sausage stuffing tubes, a Kubbe attachment, 2 free meat claws, and a burger-slider patty press. You can use this grinder to make both fine and coarse grinds. However, unlike the Platinum Edition, this machine does not have a foot pedal for hands-free use. Also, it doesn’t process large chunks of meat as well as the STX 4000. Then again, it’s almost half the price of the STX 4000, so it’s well worth the money if you want power, reliability, and a lot of ground meat without any of the extra bells and whistles.
Electric Meat Grinder, 2000W(Max),Sausage Maker, Meat Mincer with 3 Grinding Plates and Sausage Stuffing Tubes Kit for Home Use
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly meat grinder, the Homdox Electric Meat Grinder might be perfect for you. This is a simple machine that’s easy to use and extremely safe for beginners. All the blades are fully enclosed to prevent injury. It comes with a meat pusher to keep your fingers out of the feeder. This meat grinder is pretty versatile for the price. It comes with 3 different cutting plates – coarse, medium, and fine grinds. Other accessories include 1 cutting blade, 1 sausage attachment, and 1 kubbe attachment. There’s a powerful suction base to keep your meat grinder in place while it’s on. There are 4 buttons to operate the machine including a “reverse” button in case something gets stuck. Plus, this meat grinder comes with a 30-day money back guarantee, a lifetime support guarantee, and a 12-month replacement warranty. All of that for less than a hundred dollars. It’s a steal!
Kitchener Elite Electric Meat Grinder & Sausage Stuffer #12 3/4 HP 720 LBS Per/Hr 550 Watts Super Heavy Duty
This electric meat grinder from Kitchener is another heavy duty machine that will help you create freshly made burgers any time you’ve got a hankering for it. The grinder has a 3/4HP 550 watt motor that’s capable of grinding 240 to 1080 lbs of meat per hour (around 12 lbs per minute). The machine features cutlery, a feeding tray, neck, and body all made of commercial grade stainless steel. Like many of our other picks, this one also comes with quite a number of stainless steel accessories to make your meat grinding more versatile. These include a large meat pan, auger, cutting knife, grinding and stuffing plates, 4 stuffing tubes, and a meat stomper. All the parts of the grinder can easily be removed for cleaning and are dishwasher-safe. There’s even a storage box where you can keep all the accessories when not in use. However, it is pretty heavy and takes up quite a bit of space on your counter as well as storage in your cabinets.
Meat Grinder Buying Guide
So, you’re looking to buy a meat grinder of your very own. Well, we’ve got your back. As we’ve already mentioned, meat grinders come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. To help you make the right decision, we’ve compiled all the important information on meat grinders in one quick buying guide.
Types of Meat Grinders
Electric Grinders
As the name implies, these meat grinders don’t require much effort from you. They run on electricity which makes them great at efficiently grinding a lot of meat in a short period of time. Moreover, making sausages is much easier with this type of machine as you can “pause” the process whenever you need to.
If you like grinding lots of meat, around 30 pounds or more, an electric grinder is what you’ll need. Hunters especially will appreciate being able to grind deer without exhausting their muscles doing it all by hand. Another huge advantage of electric grinders is that you can produce grinds with different textures using the various plates that often come with the machine.
However, electric grinders are expensive, especially compared to manual grinders. They’re also usually bigger and heavier, taking up a lot of space on your countertop.
Manual Grinders
Obviously, this type of grinder requires lots of human interaction. It’s definitely not the type of meat grinder you’ll want if you plan on churning out lots of ground meat. It’s best for casual home cooks who only plan on creating delicious burgers every now and then.
The best thing about manual grinders is the fact that they’re generally less expensive compared to other types of grinders. They can be used anywhere and anytime. Plus, they’re a lot easier to maintain and repair.
Stand Attachments
For home cooks who already have a Cuisinart stand mixer or one from KitchenAid, then you won’t need to get an actual meat grinder. You can get a stand attachment grinder and save lots of space on your countertop. Plus, you won’t need to invest as much money. However, the grind quality usually isn’t at par with an actual electric grinder. In addition, it’s not a meat grinder that can process lots of meat at a time.
What to Look for in a Meat Grinder
How much meat do you plan on grinding?
When you’re picking out your meat grinder, you need to consider how much meat you want to grind at a time. For example, if you only want to create fresh burgers from scratch once in a while, you can opt for a budget-friendly manual grinder or a stand attachment. If you plan on grinding several pounds of meat at a time, an electric grinder works best. You also need to consider what kind of meat you want to grind. Some meat grinders can grind even the toughest of meats, but that requires quite a bit of power as well as a bigger feed tray.
How much power do you need?
Speaking of power, this is one consideration you need to factor in when choosing an electric grinder. If you need strong grinding capability, you’ll need to look for a motor that has higher wattage and horsepower.
How easy is it to cleaning?
After all that work grinding meat, you probably don’t have a lot of energy left to clean up your mess. Fortunately, some meat grinders are pretty easy to clean. Some have easily detachable parts that are dishwasher-safe. Whichever machine you end up choosing, make sure that regular cleaning and maintenance doesn’t take too long. Remember, you’ll need to do this after every grinding session.
What are the features and attachments you’re looking for?
Meat grinders can be very versatile, depending on the features and attachments that come with them. Some grinders come with different grinding plates that allow you to create different textures and grind sizes. They can also come with sausage tubes which are perfect if you want to be able to do a bit of sausage making as well.
Other features you might want to look for are the reverse function and speed settings. The reverse function enables you to clear the grinder when something gets stuck in the feed tube. For added safety, you might want to look for a grinder that includes a circuit breaker. Speed settings allow you to work through different types of meat. For example, thick meats require a lower speed of grinding. The high speed setting is perfect if you want to process a large amount of meat quickly.
Great Model To Have A Look
Hauture Electric Meat Grinder, 2000W Meat Mincer with 3 Grinding Plates and Sausage Stuffing Tubes for Home Use &Commercial, Stainless Steel
- 👍POWERFUL MEAT GRINDER --- Meat grinder electric heavy duty rated power up to 400W and the max power reach to 2000W output power makes it easy for you to deal with any meat, helps you grind large batches of meat in less time, save your time for prepare food. Preserve fresh meat quality and better taste.
- 👍3-IN-1 MULTI-FUNTIONS ---- Heavy duty meat grinder heavy duty has 3 Stainless Steel & different cutting plates, coarse(6.8 mm), medium(5 mm), fine(2.7 mm); set of sausage stuffing tubes and kubbe set. Not only can be used for meat pies, burgers, meatballs, sausages, potatoes, spices and more, meet your multiple cooking needs.
- 👍SAFETY & HEALTH ---- The parts touched with food are made of food grade material it passed the ETL approval, BPA free. Designed to be user-friendly and extremely secure. The blade is completely enclosed, effectively eliminating any possibility of injury. Includes a meat pusher for pushing meat into the grinder to protect your hands.
- 👍EASY TO OPERATE ---- Meat grinder electric comes with 4 buttons, ‘ON’ is to turn it on, Press the "R" button function to remove meat that gets stuck while grinding, "O"is turn it off. Features a super-powerful suction base to keep meat grinder firmly. Note: Please contact us if you have any questions. Please make sure that the meat can be started before putting in the meat. If it is stuck in the middle, please press the"R"button to try.
- 👍EASY TO CLEAN ---- All components of our meat grinder are easy to install and remove, and lock into place for sturdy operation. ❗❗❗Note: Never wash with water over 50° Celsius (122° F), [ TIP: Can't be washed in the dishwasher. Wipe dry with a rag after washing for a longer service life.]. Customer support -If you have any questions, please take a photo and contact us.
Chefman Choice Cut Electric Meat Grinder 3 Stainless Steel Grinding Plates
- SPICE UP YOUR PROTEIN: Create delicious, custom sausages, ground meat blends, or seasoning mixes right at home with this heavy-duty tool. Perfect for making bratwurst, Italian sausages, meatballs, bologna, and even breadcrumbs.
- MEET YOUR MEAT MAKER: With a variety of attachments, you can make anything from hamburgers and hot dogs to meatloaf and chili. Accessories include 3 stainless steel grinding plates, 3 sausage stuffing funnels, a meat loading tray, a kibbeh attachment, and a food pusher to guide food down the chute. The 2-in-1 collection tray doubles as lid for accessory storage.
- FRESH FLAVOR EVEN FASTER: This meat grinder has a powerful 700-Watt motor that grinds 3. 5 pounds of beef, lamb, chicken, pork, and more per minute so you can create fresh protein blends even faster. The reverse function prevents clogging so you can keep grinding without any interruptions. For more tender results, some meats can be ground twice. However, fatty meats should only be ground once.
- SAFE AND EASY TO CLEAN: Durable suction cups lock the unit into place for sturdy operation. Designed with a dual on/off switch for added safety. Removable parts are easy to clean; the food pusher, collection tray, sausage, and kibbeh attachments are dishwasher safe at a maximum temperature of 131°F.
- RESOURCES: cETL approved with advanced safety technology for long lasting durability, & 1-year hassle-free assurance provided by Chefman, so you can purchase worry-free - we've got your back! For information on how to use your product, scroll down for a PDF User Guide and Quickstart Guide. 700 Watts/120 Volts – RJ46
Eastman Outdoors Professional Electric Meat Grinder 1 HP Stainless Steel
- Heavy-duty 745. 5-watt, 1 Horse Power Motor. Attractive, Stainless Steel design for easy clean-up. Compact and portable, requires little storage space
- Intergraded push-button switch panel is easy to use and wipes clean with little effort
- Three Cutting plates for fine, medium and coarse grinds. Stainless steel cutting blade and plates are dishwasher safe
- Three Plastic tubes for filling sausage and containers plus a sturdy plastic stomper with a removable lid to provide handy storage for blade, plates and tubes
- Powerful 1 hip motor grinds 5 pounds of meat per minute. Everything you need to begin processing meat at home
SuperHandy Ultra Stainless Steel Elite Series Meat Grinders (SS #12 720LBS/HR MEAT GRINDER)
- SPECS - Our #12 Meat Grinder has a 3/4HP 550 Watt Electric 120VAC 60HZ motor, grinding upto 720lbs per hour (12-lbs per minute); Motor has 1 Speed Forward Grind/Sausage Stuff mode; Integrated Circuit Breaker for your safety and protection of the motor
- SUPERIOR DESIGN - Steel gear driven mechanism make for maintenance free air cooled motor to provide an incredibly powerful grinding capability that is has a smooth quiet operation
- QUALITY MATERIALS - Our Grinders are built with long-lasting SUS304 stainless steel gears, housing, grinder head/neck, auger, cutting knife/blade and plates, that are all rust proof, anti-corrosion and meat contact safe, all to extended service life
- ACCESSORIES - Stainless steel; large capacity meat pan (13" x 9" x 2-3/8"), neck, auger, cutting knife, grinding plates; coarse (3/8"), fine (3/16"), stuffing plate; 4 stuffing tubes (3/8", 1/2", 3/4", 1-1/8"), meat stomper and a nifty storage compartment
- PROPER USE - When operating keep fingers/hands away from feeding area and use the stomper to compress meat down the feeding pan/neck; Capable of grinding tiny/small chicken or fish bones but NOT red meat or chicken bones
Cuisinart MG-100 Electric Meat Grinder, Stainless Steel
- Grinds a wide variety of meats, including beef, chicken, turkey, venison and more. Cord length : 34 Inches
- Powerful 300-watt motor grinds up to 3 pounds of meat per minute
- Features two metal cutting plates for varying degrees of thickness: medium and coarse
- Includes two sausage attachments for making breakfast links and regular sausages
- Reverse function releases clogged foods to ensure smooth operation