When it comes to meat grinders, you can choose electric or manual grinders. If you are considering buying a manual meat grinder, it is great to understand how to use it correctly. A manual meat grinder uses a handle to move its auger to help you get the right meat size.
Using manual meat grinders is easy. Additionally, they provide versatile use in your kitchen. I will take you through some simple steps on how to use a manual meat grinder to enjoy the best ground meats.
Benefits of Using a Manual Meat Grinder
There are many benefits that you will with a manual meat grinder. Unlike an electric grinder, using a manual grinder brings the following benefits:
- Affordability
Manual grinders are relatively affordable. By this, we consider both the purchasing price, the maintenance cost, not to forget the fact that it uses manpower hence reduced electricity bill
- Durability
They are made from metal and are not as sophisticated thus in the case of any brokerage, one can access its spare parts locally and fix them, increasing its life span.
- Small Sizes
Manual grinders usually are in small sizes which brings convenience in storage and is favorable to small kitchens.
- Portability and Ease of Use
Manual grinders are easy to use anywhere because they do not have power cords. They are also easy to use hence anyone can operate them effortlessly. This also eases its cleaning.
- Wide Application
It is a multipurpose machine that can be used not only for meat grinding but also in other ingredients like vegetables and nuts as well.
- Drawback
Manual meat grinders have some drawbacks in that it uses human energy. This makes it tiresome especially when the batch of meat is large. In addition, it is not convenient with a large amount of meat or ingredients.
Step-by-Step Guide on How to Use a Manual Meat Grinder
For the experience to be successful, you will need the following items: a meat grinder, knife, meat, and a bowl. Follow these steps on how to operate a manual grinder correctly.
Step 1: Stable Position
Establish a firm ground or surface within the desired location example in your kitchen.
With the fitted clamp in the grinder, place it carefully on the surface. To confirm its stability, try rocking the already positioned grinder back and forth and ensure it does not shake.
Step 2: Meat Preparation
Prepare the meat by trimming away excess fat, tendon, and cartilage and cutting the meat into pieces. They should be narrow enough to fit into the mouth of your meat grinder.
Excess gristle will block manual grinders; by removing most of them before, you will avoid the struggle of cleaning it out of your tool after use.
Step 3: Freezing
Keep the meat pieces in the fridge or freezer until it gets half frozen. This helps it to maintain a shape while in the grinder. If you don’t freeze the meat and grinder parts, you’ll have a much harder time cleaning your meat grinder.
Additionally, ground meat can be a mushy clump compared to well-defined ground meat. The fineness of the meat that comes out however depends on the size of the plate holes.
Step 4: Place a Bowl
Take a large, clean bowl and place it under the exit end of the machine so that the ground meat can get in it. The bow should be clean and dry for health purposes. The process might be a bit long therefore meat should be maintained as cold to reduce the chances of germs and bacteria growth.
Step 5: Adjust Side Crank
The side of your grinder has a hand crank. You need to turn it in a slow and steady motion. Do this when feeding the grinder with chunks of meat. Let the blades of the grinder pull the meat in the machine. You can also use a rod or a washed carrot to push the meat through
Step 6: Clean with a Bread
Once the last piece of your meat has gone through the grinder, you may run a slice of moist bread through it. This is to clean out the last few bits that may be remaining in the machine. Remove the pieces of bread from the meat bowl and throw them away.
You may then clean the machine but this is subject to the instructions given by the manufacturer. Therefore, one should read and understand the procedure of dismantling the grinder and how to clean it.
Safety Measures to Observe When Using a Manual Meat Grinder
To begin with, never use your use fingers to push down the meat into the cavity. This is because the machine cannot distinguish your fingers from the meat and this can be dangerous as the fingers may be crushed which may bring injuries. Depending on the energy used, this may spoil the meat in the cavity as well by mixing it with human blood.
Also, the machine is fitted with sharp blades therefore one should be very careful when assembling it, using it, and also when dismantling it. Handle the machine with care when sterilizing it especially the blades.
Meat should not be left out of the fridge for too long as it will go bad. Therefore, when preparing the meat and grinding it, ensure that it does not stay past two hours outside the fridge or freezer because it will not be healthy for human consumption.
Conclusion
A manual meat grinder is a basic home appliance that a homestead should not lack. For instance, snacks like sausages can be made conveniently from home by using the meat grinder. This is with the aid of filler fun thus one can consume fresh and cheap homemade sausages. This creates room for innovation in trying new dishes.
You can use a manual meat grinder to grind other ingredients like vegetables. Not to mention its size and portability thus it can be used from any point. I hope after reading this guide, you will not have trouble operating your manual meat grinder.
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