Did you just buy a hand meat grinder and you are struggling with how to put it together? Don’t worry I am here to help you out on it.
There are two types of meat grinders, the manual meat grinder, and the electric meat grinder. We both are going to see how to assemble the two types of meat grinders but our primary focus on this very article is on the manual meat grinder since I already have a written article on how to assemble a meat grinder whose focus was mainly on electric meat grinders.
Pending the commencement of the arrangement of the meat grinder ensure that the entire components of the meat grinders are complete and securely tight.
Also, have it in mind that most of the meat grinders are differ in configurations depending on the company they are made from. However, I have selected a means to set up the manual meat grinder in a way common to all the brands.
A manual meat grinder is the counterpart of an electric meat grinder. This requires manual effort to get meat ground by rolling the hand crank that is attached to it in a 360-degree direction.
It is a bit complicated to arrange compared to the electric meat grinder but there is no need to panic, you can always get it done efficiently following my instructions.
Table of Contents
The Smart Steps on Put a Hand Meat Grinder Together
Step 1: Identify the Essential Components of the hand meat grinder
The entire components of a meat grinder are essential to me. And with fact, you can also testify that for a meat grinder to work perfectly, the whole of the components must be available. A good meat grinder comes with the following components:
- The main body.
- The handle
- The grinding plate.
- The meat cutter
- Screw or Auger
- Locking ring.
- Cross knife.
Step 2: Clean up the hand meat grinder
Sanitize the entire component you just identified by washing, cleaning, and then air dry them accordingly.
Step 3: Place the Handle
The handle of your manual grinder should be placed on the main body. Insert the handle into the machine slot and fix it with the feeding screw.
Ensure that the handle is well-fixed so that it moves freely and doesn’t rub or overslip. If you notice any of the stated errors, try to position the handle very well before you move to the next step.
Step 4: Fix the Auger into the Grinding Hole
The machine comes with its auger; you have to fix it too. The auger is a screw such as the part that should be inserted in the main body. Ensure that the auger doesn’t move.
Step 5: Assemble the blades based on coarseness of grind
The next step is for you to assemble the blades. The proper fixing of the auger will determine the firmness of the blades and plates.
Insert the meat cutter into the auger. Ensure that this is firmly positioned before adding your blade based on the coarseness of your grind, and you’ll be fine.
Normally, there are 3 types of plates for a meat grinder: fine, coarse, and medium. You can select any of your choices depending on the meat texture you desire.
First, fix the blades into the auger and then restore the plates. This allows the meat to pass through the blade and comes out of the blades and auger.
Step 6: Mount the Assembled Grinder on a firm rigid surface
This is the last step in assembling your manual meat grinder. Place your meat grinder on a compartment that is stable, and then secure its position using wedges.
The step is a bit simple, so once you have assembled your meat grinder and the mounting is done, you can start grinding meat and other ingredients using your manual grinder.
Is a Manual Meat Grinder worth It
I will make justice with this subtopic by ensuring that I compared the manual meat grinder and the electric meat grinder. This will determine if a manual meat grinder actually worth it or not.
Ordinarily, a manual meat grinder is worth it, if you don’t have the means to secure an electric meat grinder.
Manual Meat Grinder or Electric Meat Grinder
Sometimes, you find it difficult to select between the manual and electric meat grinders, especially when you are full of life and believe you can handle any of them if you are to go for one.
There is always a reason why people go for a meat grinder – either electric or manual, but with a conviction, you may want to go for the best.
The Good of Using a Manual Meat Grinder
You may want to know what is good about the manual meat grinder. Some people may see a manual meat grinder as a bad purchase just as most people see it as the best purchase because they love doing it the traditional way due to the simplicity of operation and safety.
One other factor that makes a meat grinder the choice of some people is that it comes in simple design and size. The manual meat grinders don’t come with motor or electronic components; this makes the manual meat grinder smaller in size and height. The tallness is always under a foot and weighs a few pounds.
They are among the smallest kitchen appliances you can purchase in the market plus the usefulness you can gain out of them.
The good news about manual meat grinders is that you are free from the risk of attaching them to an electric component which may be dangerous sometimes.
Again, since you don’t need a power outlet to get a manual meat grinder working, you can operate them at any time, whether in the money or in the middle of the night due to extremely reduced noise.
The cheaper price of a meat grinder is another advantage it has over the electric meat grinder. Since a manual meat grinder can get your work done, you may want to go for it over the electric counterpart.
The Bad Side of Using a Manual Meat Grinder
A manual meat grinder may be cheaper, smaller, and simple, but in this modern-day, the same simplicity makes a manual meat grinder drawback. The lack of a motor in a manual meat grinder can subject the user to unnecessary difficulty.
Imagine when you have to grind a lot of meat or you have to be quick in getting a meal ready, how do you do? This is exactly what makes a manual meat grinder bad to use either in a large family setting or commercially.
Another setback of a manual meat grinder is that it gets you tired quickly especially when you are to grind meat that still has some bone content in it since it requires that you turn the crank to power the grinding device. What if you don’t have the hand strength to grind properly.
How to Maintain your Manual Meat Grinder
Your meat grinder, both the manual and electric have to be maintained. This is the only way through which you can make them last. I have some steps for you to maintain your meat grinders so keep reading to learn them.
Instant Cleaning
The instant cleaning of your meat grinder means you should clean it immediately after you are done grinding. Failure to do this allows the accumulation of residue in the machine and as a result will make it malfunction.
Clean with a piece of Bread
To remove grease from your meat grinder, feed it with a piece of bread. The work of the piece of bread is to hopefully absorb the grease from the machine.
Dissemble the Meat Grinder
If you really care about your meat grinder, don’t hesitate to disassemble it once in a while to get more dirt out of it so that it can function properly.
Place the parts in a clean warm soapy water
Place the dissembled parts in warm soapy water and wash thoroughly.
Wash the dissembled parts with warm soapy water
The next step is to wash the parts with soapy water.
Allow the parts to dry completely
The last step is to allow the parts to dry.
Conclusion
There is a need to learn how to assemble and disassemble your manual meat grinder. The most important thing is to learn how to assemble the meat grinder since, without it, you cannot proceed with grinding your purchased meat at home or restaurants.