The best thing that you can have in your kitchen is a best meat grinder, no matter if you’re a professional chef or a home cook who wants to finally eat healthier; a meat grinder will be a worthy investment, you can drastically improve the quality of your food as well remove various dangerous additives that are common in pre-grinded market meats.
If you are rushing for time, Our personal favorite was the STX INTERNATIONAL STX-3000 MF model. For the price, we like the high-quality features and ability to grind tougher meat and a lot of extra accessories as well. It has a great cooling system and its grinding head allows you to grind more meat at the same time
You also have the benefit of knowing exactly what you have in your meat and you have the option of making meat combinations that perhaps aren’t available in your local store.
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Top 5 Best Meat Grinder Reviews
In order to make shopping easier and faster for you, we have compiled and reviewed a list of the top 5 meat grinders currently available on the market. They will all wary in quality in price so that any reader can get one that suits them, may it be someone who wants a low-end or high-end product. Here are the reviews of the best meat grinders:
Best Overall
STX INTERNATIONAL STX-3000-MF Megaforce Patented Air Cooled
Features
- Patented Cowl air cooling system
- Circuit breaker for additional safety
- Up to 3000 watts of power
- 3 speeds for grinding
- Sausage tubes included
This grinder is definitely one of the better ones if not the best one currently available. For the price, it offers you the best features and you really feel like it has the quality found in a premium model. For the average person who needs it for home use, this grinder will be enough.
It has a cooling system that is far more efficient as it reduces the motor load, this feature makes it last far longer. There are 1200 watts of power and 3000 watts of locked motor wattage. The grinder features a #12 grinding head.
Pros
- One year of warranty included
- Perfect and affordable for home use
- #12 grinding head will handle most meat types
Cons
- Not intended to grind bones
- Far suitable for tougher meats instead of soft types like chicken
- Not recommended if you plan on grinding a lot of meat
Best Budget
LEM Products 1224 #8 Countertop Grinder
Features
- Compact and lightweight design at 11 pounds
- Includes two stainless steel plates and a grinder knife
- Medium sized aluminum meat pan included
- Motor has a power rating of 575 watts
This grinder is the ideal choice for a hunter who plans on grinding a large amount of meat over the year. But this does not mean that it can be constantly used for grinding, take care when using this grinder and make pauses between sets. It has a motor with 575 watts of power and you can expect to grind about 2 pounds of meat per minute.
It is one of the most compact and lightweight grinders on the market, it only has 9.59 pounds which makes it quite easy to transport and store. The grinder head on the other hand is a bit small, it is a #8 size which means that you won’t be able to grind a lot of meat.
Pros
- Great if you plan on using it frequently
- Compact and lightweight design makes it easier to move around
- It can process meat really fast for its small size
Cons
- Not made for non-stop use
- Don’t expect to grind bones with this grinder
- Some customers complained that it didn’t last long
Best Meat Grinder For Home Use
ALTRA Electric Food Meat Grinder
Features
- Motor wattage of up to 2000 watts
- Multiple Accessories for Various Meat and Food Grinding
- 304 Grade Stainless steel cutting blades
- Safe and Durable
This powerful meat grinder is a versatile product that runs on 2000 W. This grinder includes multi-purpose grater that easily cuts various types of meats such as medium, fine and coarse. Using this grinder, you can shred meat to prepare delicious burgers, meatloaf, and sausages.
Pros
- Far better price as opposed to its different model
- Processes meat at a faster pace
- It doesn’t have to cool off that often
Cons
- This model makes disturbing noise
- With an aluminum construction, it might be harder to clean
- Customers complained that cutter breaks often
LEM Products .75 HP Stain Less Steel Electric Meat Grinder
Features
- 75 motor with a #12 size grinder head
- Meat tray included with dimensions of 11.5″ x 8.5″ x 2.25″
- Weighs 47 pounds in total
- Stainless steel construction with heavy-duty handle
If you’re planning on processing a huge amount of meat, then this electric stainless-steel grinder is perfect for you, especially if you need to grind tougher meat.
It has an astonishing rate at which you can grind, you can grind up to 360 pounds of meat in just a single hour. In this time, you won’t experience the motor shutting down because it needs to cool off.
Almost every part of this grinder is made out of stainless steel which makes it easier to clean, but far heavier in return. There is a stainless-steel housing with metal gears and a stable handle that makes it easy to move around.
The grinder head is a #12 which means that you can put a lot of meat in it at once. This grinder is quite heavy compared to most models as it has 47 pounds.
Pros
- Stainless steel makes it elegant and far easier to clean
- Warranty for the parts is useful and isn’t that common
- Great for those who need to grind large amounts of meat
Cons
- Terrible choice if you want something portable
- One of the most expensive grinders on the market
- If you’re just starting out don’t consider this model
Weston No. 22 Commercial Meat Grinder And Sausage Stuffer, 1 HP
Features
- Air cooled and permanently lubricated 350-watt motor
- Sausage stuffing funnel included for easier production
- Compact but heavier design at 66 pounds
- Can be dissembled for cleaning and storage
If you plan on using this grinder at the comfort of your own home just for a few uses, then this is the best choice for you. This goes especially if you’re a beginner, but if you’re a professional who needs to grind a huge amount of meat then we don’t recommend it.
It is quite efficient at grinding, even when it comes to tougher types of meat. You can even make raw pet food with this grinder.
The grinder head is quite large, it is a #32 size which means that it is extra wide and has an offset throat. You will be able to grind a lot of meat at a time with this head size. The motor is air-cooled and permanently lubricated which means that it won’t shut down after heavy use.
Pros
- Great if you’re going to grind a lot of meat at the same time
- Cutting head is extremely efficient, can even cut bones
- Hand guard included which adds safety during use
Cons
- At 66 pounds, it is quite heavy which might be a problem
- Some users complained about the sausage stuffer
Things To Consider When Buying A Meat Grinder
Before ordering the most expensive meat grinder on the market, a wise choice would be to explore exactly which characteristics you should look out for in a meat grinder. This way you can make your own decision when choosing between two models which make shopping far easier. Here are some of the most important characteristics that you should consider
Price Of The Meat Grinder
It is perfectly acceptable that you don’t want to spend too much when buying a meat grinder, luckily for you, there is a great variation when it comes to the price, but the same can be said for the quality. Most meat grinders will be available under the $100 price point, but some professional ones might be a lot more expensive.
If you’re looking for more features or better characteristics, you might want to pay just $50 more, at this price point a lot more quality grinder can be found. On the other hand, there are even more expensive grinders that can cost more than $350, these are usually considered to be industrial grade. Unless you can on using it in a restaurant’s kitchen, there is no point in buying a grinder that expensive.
How Much Meat Do You Plan To Grind
Smaller form factor grinders are most of the time made for those who plan on grinding meat perhaps every weekend. The general rule stays there most of the time, if the grinder is bigger it can process a lot more meat, the same goes for vice versa.
If you’re buying a manual meat grinder then there is nothing to worry about, except your endurance. But on the other hand, if you’re planning on buying an electric meat grinder then you will have to deal with the motor cooling down. Larger grinders have bigger motors that are easier to cool down, because of that you can process more meat.
Weight
If it has 50 pounds or more, it can be a bit of an issue if you play on storing your grinder after use, moving it every single time after you’re done with it might make you consider to buy a grinder that isn’t heavy.
Construction takes a big part in how heavy a grinder is, for an example, a stainless-steel grinder will make it immensely heavier compared to aluminum or steel grinders.
Which Meat Do You Plan To Grind
Some types of meats are harder to grind and may need a far better construction. If you’re just a home cook who will grind meat like beef, chicken or pork, then there is nothing to worry about. But when it comes to other types then you may need to buy a heavy-duty grinder.
For tougher meats like wild boar and the like, you will need to stretch your budget. Some people even make raw pet food and tend to grind bones; in this case, you may need larger industrial grinders.
Extra Accessories That You Should Buy
Apart from characteristics like construction, weight, and rate at which you can grind meat, another important aspect of both manual and electric grinders are accessories. Most of these extra accessories can be bought later, but some brands may not sell them except if you buy them together with the grinder.
Here are some of the most important accessories that you should consider buying:
Sausage Attachments
Some of the most important accessories for the best meat grinders are sausage attachments. If you plan on grinding your own meat, then you will surely make sausages at some point.
This attachment can be bought off later on, but the best option is to buy a grinder that comes with a sausage attachment since it will be 100% compatible. Note that when it comes to sausages, it is important to have your grinder made out of stainless steel, it will greatly reduce cleaning time.
Meat Tray
Meat trays usually come with your grinder in most models, but you may not find this accessory in cheaper models. Meat trays are essentially trays that hold the meat in place right before you start pushing it in the grinding tube. This is common with electric grinders and some expensive models, but it isn’t that common with manual models.
Buying a meat tray will make your job far easier and faster, we definitely recommend you buying one. Note that most trays are not expensive at all.
Grinder Plates
This is another important accessory which you must have in most cases. Grinder plates are great because with them you can decide how thick you want the grind to be. Some grinders will already have them but you may only find one or two of them. More expensive models on the other hand might offer you a greater variety.
In both cases, having more of them is always better and you’ll find out that they aren’t expensive either. Having both a meat tray and grinder plates will make grinding meat a less painful experience.
Conclusion
The selection of the best meat grinders is quite large; everyone will find a model that is suitable for them at every single price point. After the $100 price point, most of the grinders will provide you high quality, but if you want a premium design that can grind more meat, then you should spend a few hundred dollars more.
Our personal favorite was the STX INTERNATIONAL STX-3000 MF model. For the price, you will get a lot of high-quality features and a lot of extra accessories as well. It has a great cooling system and its grinding head can take a lot of meat at the same time.