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Are you still purchasing ground meat from the grocery store? Although this is a convenient way to make wholesome, family dishes like spaghetti with meatballs, meatloaf with mashed potatoes, or homemade sausage, it’s not the cheapest nor the healthiest option. On top of that, you have no control over the fat content or how finely the meat has been ground. These are some of the reasons that drive people toward buying a home meat grinder.
However, choosing a meat grinder is not an easy task. There are a lot of factors you need to consider in order to find the best meat grinder for your specific needs. Meat grinders vary in type, price, power, speed, and accessories, which is why we created a detailed buying guide where you can learn how to choose the best meat grinder.
But first, take a look at the meat grinders we trust and believe are the best products available on the market today. Aside from detailed product descriptions, we also categorized and compared four different meat grinders, so that everyone can find their perfect match.
The Best Meat Grinders
Best Overall: STX Turboforce Classic 3000 Series Electric Meat Grinder
STX Turboforce Classic 3000 is our choice as the best meat grinder. The unit is great for heavy-duty work as it has an incredibly powerful motor. It’s efficient, versatile, and large enough to meet the needs of an average family as well as commercial use. We love it because it’s not too expensive, yet it offers amazing quality, making it suitable for beginners as well as professionals.
Pros:
The device is manufactured with food-grade cast aluminum and tempered/hardened steel, which makes the STX Turboforce Classic 3000 a very durable and reliable item.
When it comes to the motor power, unlike the LEM Products (250 watts) and Weston (550 watts) model, the STX Turboforce Classic 3000 has an incredible 1200-watt running capacity. This means that the unit is capable of heavy-duty work and can grind all kinds of meat effortlessly.
The unit is size 12, which means it’s one of the largest meat grinders available on the market. Just for reference, typically, electric meat grinders are #6 to #8 and they’re still more than what an average family needs.
The STX Turboforce Classic 3000 has three different speed options, so you can completely control the grinding process and the results. On high speed, the unit can grind up to 360 pounds of meat per hour. Additionally, it has a reverse speed option, just in case you sense something is wrong, so you don’t have to take out the meat manually.
Included in the STX Turboforce Classic 3000 package deal are three (304-grade stainless steel) cutting blades, three grinding plates, three sausage stuffing tubes (1/2″, 5/8″ & 3/4″), one kubbe/kibbeh making attachment, one meat pusher, two meat shredder claws, and a 3-in-1 burger-slider maker.
When it comes to the warranty, the STX Turboforce Classic 3000 offers a 3-year deal, plus a no-hassle 30-day free return policy.
Cons:
Depending on your cooking expertise and creativity, you may need to buy additional parts separately. For example, people who use the meat grinder for stuffing sausages frequently may need the “beaner plate”. Think about your needs before buying the meat grinder and consider whether you’ll need extensions.
Another remark is toward the small motor. Some customers have noticed that the motor is small which means it might heat easily when used for longer periods of time.
The STX Turboforce Classic 3000 can’t grind animal tendons, so you’ll need to thoroughly clean the meat before grinding.
The Verdict:
Grinding all kinds of meat to a perfect mash quickly and effortlessly is what makes the STX Turboforce Classic 3000 meat grinder stand out from the crowd. The unit is truly a workhorse, designed to handle large portions of meat. On top of that, it’s durable, versatile, and it comes with a more than fair price. The STX Turboforce Classic 3000 is a great choice for most people.
Best Quality: LEM Products W779A Stainless Steel #8-Meat Grinder
When quality is the top priority, the LEM Products W779A #8 meat grinder comes out as the winner. The model is very durable, efficient, quiet, yet more than capable of handling heavy-duty work. The LEM Products W779A #8 is an obvious choice for professionals, as well as large families.
Pros:
The LEM Products W779A #8 meat grinder operates very efficiently with little power. The motor is only 250 watts, although it shouldn’t be underestimated. This means that you’ll get lower bills and save some extra money on electricity. Not to mention, the motor is very quiet.
The high capacity is another advantage of the LEM Products W779A #8 meat grinder. The unit can handle around seven pounds of meat per minute, which equals 420 pounds of meat per hour – 60 pounds more than the STX Turboforce Classic 3000.
The quality of the unit is certified by ETL, which means this product passed all safety standards.
You’ll get the LEM Products W779A meat grinder along with one meat stomper, one stainless steel knife, one stainless steel stuffing plate, two stainless steel plates (Coarse, Fine), and three stuffing tubes. Plus, you get a very useful storage tray for all the knives and plates.
Finally, the most impressive feature is the 5-year warranty, which is probably one of the longest warranties in the industry.
Cons:
The metal gears and bearings add to the product’s quality, but they also make the meat grinder heavy and hard to move. If you don’t have a permanent place for this appliance, moving it before and after grinding can be quite frustrating.
The Verdict:
High-quality, heavy, efficient, quiet, and durable are the key characteristics of the LEM Products W779A meat grinder and the reason why we believe it’s the highest quality meat grinder available on the market. It’s a great product for hunters, large families, restaurants, and other types of commercial use.
Best on a Budget: LEM Products #10 Stainless Steel Clamp-on Hand Grinder
Our budget pick is also the only manual meat grinder featured on our list. The LEM Products #10 clamp-on hand grinder is a very durable, strong, and versatile meat grinder, great for people who don’t mind putting in a little muscle work. The clamp-on is flexible, so the unit is suited for all kinds of kitchen counters.
Pros:
Although manual, The LEM Products #10 meat grinder is a heavy-duty unit made to last. The whole device is made of stainless steel, while the end of the handle is covered with softwood, so you can have a comfortable grip.
Additionally, the handle is well designed so it turns smoothly. This feature allows for a very pleasant grinding experience.
The LEM Products #10 meat grinder is a clamp-on type of grinder, which means it attaches and locks to the kitchen corner so you can get more stability. The mounting clamp on this model is very wide (1 1/4″ thickness) so it can fit almost any counter.
With the meat grinder, you’ll get two stainless steel plates (coarse 3/8″ and fine 3/16″), one stainless steel knife, one stuffing star, and three stuffing tubes (1/2″, 3/4″ & 7/8″).
Cons:
Since the meat grinder is manual, it’s not suited for people who have a weak grip. If you’re suffering from arthritis, for example, it’s best to choose an electric type meat grinder.
Although the housing is made of stainless steel, the blade and the grate are not and they need to be hand dried and lightly oiled to prevent rusting.
The Verdict:
If you don’t mind grinding meat manually, the LEM Products #10 hand grinder is one of the best choices. The unit is made of stainless steel, features a versatile mounting clamp, and comes with a great set of accessories, which can help you make the perfect burgers, sausages, or simple ground meat meals.
Best For Commercial Use: No products found.
No products found.We understand that professionals might need a more powerful, faster, and convenient meat grinder that can meet the standards of busy kitchens in restaurants. This is why we included the Weston (08-1201-W) Pro Series model in our best meat grinder for commercial use.
Pros:
The Weston (08-1201-W) Pro Series is very durable as it’s well-built and has a sturdy construction. It’s made of stainless steel and has precision-engineered steel gears. The motor is permanently lubricated and the unit features an air cooling system so that it doesn’t overheat.
The steel gears allow the device to operate very quietly, which is an amazing feature considering most meat grinders are very noisy.
The unit has a 550 watts motor, which means it won’t spend much electricity, yet it’s capable of grinding more than 18 pounds of meat per minute, or approximately 540-pound of meat per hour – more than all of the other recommendations.
The Weston (08-1201-W) Pro Series is designed to have a very wide throat so you can pour large pieces of meat very easily and all at once, which makes the device incredibly fast. By the time you place all of your meat in the machine, the grinding process will be done.
Along with the meat grinder, you’ll also get two stainless steel plates for coarse (7 mm) and fine (4.5 mm) grinds, stainless steel knife, sausage stuffing kit including adapter, spacer, and four different sized funnels.
It’s good to know that you can disassemble the device so you easily and thoroughly clean it after using it.
Cons:
Unfortunately, we’ve noticed that the main grievance against this product is the customer service and not the device itself. Be careful about which seller you’re buying from and whether all of the documentation regarding the warranty is in place to prevent problems in the future.
The Verdict:
More powerful than all of our recommendations and faster than your ability to put meat in the grinder, the Weston (08-1201-W) Pro Series is the professional’s choice. It’ll be a good addition to any kitchen as its very quiet and easy-to-clean and store. Also, chefs won’t have problems transporting it from one spot to another, as the model comes with strong transport handles.
No products found.
Conclusion:
Our pick as the best meat grinder overall is the powerful STX Turboforce Classic 3000. The unit comes from a reputable brand and offers a 3-year warranty with a no-hassle 30-day return policy. But, we assure you, returning it will never cross your mind if you decide to buy this model. It’s great for heavy-duty work, it’s versatile, and offers a lot of control so you can get a perfect ground meat consistency. This meat grinder is the smart choice for a lot of people.
However, if you want a fancier, higher-end meat grinder that will last you for years to come, we recommend the LEM Products W779A #8 meat grinder. Aside from its efficiency, high capacity, and advanced features, the unit offers a 5-year warranty that will please meat-lovers, hunters, and professional chefs alike.
The only manual meat grinder that made our list is the LEM Products #10 clamp-on meat grinder. Its strong construction, flexible clamp, and comfortable grip handle for smooth grinding experience have made the unit our top budget-choice. The unit also comes with an array of accessories, so if you don’t mind the muscle-work, you can grind pretty much anything you like.
Finally, the Weston Pro Series model is our recommendation for the best meat grinder for commercial use. Of course, meat enthusiasts can use it at home, but this high-powered machine can easily handle large amounts of meat that can feed a crowd. It’s very fast, quiet, and efficient. Plus, it comes with a 2-year warranty.
Everything You Need To Know About Meat Grinders
Reasons For Using A Meat Grinder At Home
Mincing meat might seem like a time-intensive chore, but it’s one that will improve the quality of your dishes and potentially help you save money in the long run. Many times, the ground meat in our local grocery store can be made from the leftovers of the animal after all of the prime cuts have been taken. When you own this kitchen appliance, you can control the quality of the meat you’re grinding, which will help you make healthier and more delicious meals.
If you’re making some specific dishes that require some fat or lard, a meat grinder can also help you control the actual amount of fat that you include. You can add or remove fat as necessary to create the right conditions for cooking based on your specific needs. In many typical store-bought sausages, for example, the fat content in the meat can exceed 50%. On the other hand, you can create your own products with 80% less fat.
Meat grinders at home are also a very safe option for handling raw meat. There is a dramatic reduction of potential food allergens, including gluten, that can contaminate the meat. You’ll also reduce the risks of an E. Coli contamination in the meat because there is less risk of cross-contamination in a home kitchen compared to a grocery butcher station.
Grinding your own meat is also a way to make sure that you’re getting a fresh product. It isn’t uncommon for ground meat to come from products that have passed their sell-by date or have been flash-frozen to preserve quality. There’s even the risk that your grocery ground meat could actually come from reprocessed meat byproducts that have been re-purposed for food – the “pink slime” meat that is a very controversial topic.
Meat Grinder Type
The usual debate about this useful kitchen appliance is whether or not one should invest in an electric meat grinder. A lot of this depends on how much you anticipate using the grinder. If you think you’ll be having a ground dish once a week at most, then you’re likely better off with a hand-cranked grinder to meet your needs. If you anticipate using your grinder more than this, then an electric grinder will save you a lot of time and hassle.
Safety is also a major concern with this appliance as it can easily grind up a finger if it gets stuck inside the machine. Instead of feeding meat by hand, use some sort of press to push the meat through. With manual meat grinders, you control the mechanism, so just be sure to keep your fingers at a safe distance at all times.
Cleaning And Maintaining The Meat Grinder
The cleaning process is a very important aspect of meat grinders because you’re working with raw meat. The machine must be cleaned after every use to prevent contamination and reduce the risks of food-borne illnesses. Take apart your entire grinder to make sure you’ve removed all of the raw products. Look for an appliance that is easy to take apart and clean to reduce the amount of time spent in cleaning and maintaining the grinder.
How To Use Meat Grinders?
Use firm cuts of meat. The firmer the meat is, the better your grinding experience will be. With poultry, use the darker meats instead of breast meat for grinding. Firm seafood, like swordfish or tuna, can hold up to the grinding process. Short ribs, butt roasts, and chuck are also perfect for grinding.
Use quality flavoring ingredients. Because you’re using a meat grinder for a fresh ground product, you’ll get better flavoring results from fresh herbs and spices than you will from dried, prepackaged items. If you do need to use pre-made flavors, go for short shelf-life items like minced garlic, capers, chives, or parsley.
Chill your meat and your grinder. To get the cleanest cut possible, you need to put your choice of meat into the freezer before beginning. It shouldn’t be frozen, but it should feel firm to the touch. It generally takes about 15 minutes to chill the meat that you’ve cut into 1-inch square cubes. Make sure the grinder is not heated before starting to grind.
What Are the Advantages of Meat Grinders?
The primary advantage of having this appliance in your kitchen is the ability to create higher-quality meals for a lower price. Whole cuts of meat are often a better value at the grocery store than low-fat ground meats, which means you can even improve your diet through the use of a quality meat grinder.
The best meat grinders will also give you the advantage of flavor variety. Animal protein absorbs herbs, spices, and flavors during the cooking process, but not after it has been completed. You can combine fresh herbs, a little salt, or your favorite marinade with the meat as it is ground to create flavorful dishes that are difficult to replicate from already ground meat products.
The final advantage of using a good meat grinder is that you can use it to make your own sausages and other minced meat dishes like burgers. Just get some meat tubing from your favorite supplier, find some amazing sausage recipes, and then begin the grinding process. Both electrical and hand-cranked options will give you the flexibility that you need to create virtually anything in the kitchen.
How To Find the Best Meat Grinder?
Now that you know more about meat grinders, here are the most important factors you should always consider before making a buying decision.
Power And Capacity
Meat grinders can largely vary in power, mostly because they’re suited for different purposes. For example, low-duty meat grinders require very little power, however, commercial use meat grinders need to be powerful enough to handle all kinds of meat in a quick and efficient way. The same goes for capacity, which measures how much meat per hour the meat grinder can handle. Large families or businesses can benefit from a high power and capacity meat grinder, while the average home-cook might be overwhelmed with such a device and will benefit more from a simpler model.
Sturdiness and Blade Quality
The materials and craftsmanship of the meat grinder should be your primary consideration. You’ll need an appliance that won’t tarnish, discolor, or leave plating materials in your meat as you’re grinding it. The craftsmanship also includes the quality of the blades that are being used to grind the meat, as stronger, sharper blades will give you a finer mincing cut for better overall cooking. This is why we recommended stainless steel products.
Ergonomics
How you stabilize the meat grinder should also be a consideration. Most hand-cranked grinders will affix tightly to the counter via a vice or clamping method, although entry-level models sometimes just sit on a level surface and you must control the stability. Electric meat grinders are the easiest to use as you simply feed the meat through the grinder, letting the appliance do all of the work for you. If you’re using a cranking grinder, look for a quality handle that won’t deform when you have a tough cut to grind.
Price
Meat grinders come in two basic forms: a manual grinder and an electric grinder. The manual grinders are typically the budget-friendly option as you can often get a heavy-duty grinder on a website like Amazon for less than $100.
On the other hand, high-quality electric grinders may cost anywhere from $200 to $500 and more, since they have multiple grinding speeds and blades. So, consider how much you want to spend on a meat grinder and how will that price determine the other functionalities that you need from your new meat grinder.
Before You Go
Hopefully, you’ll find our comprehensive reviews and detailed buying guide useful in your search for the best meat grinder. You might already have your eye on a certain product from our recommendations, but in case you’re still in doubt, feel free to follow the links and learn about prices, product specifications, and customer reviews for each recommendation.
You can also check out our blog for many more product reviews and product guides essential for any kitchen. You can even find delicious recipes to test with your new meat grinder.
Want to see our favorite meat grinders one more time before you go? Here they are!
Amazon product information last updated on March 24, 2022. Images, prices and links from Amazon Product Advertising API.
