Is it financially worth it to buy a meat grinder

[Dreaming of Chickens]

I've been thinking about the fact that a chuck roast is usually at least a dollar less expensive per lbs than ground chuck and that it might be worth buying a meat grinder and grinding it myself. I was wondering how many of you do this or have done it and if you think it is worth the time to do the grinding and the expense of the grinder. I would be buying a manual grinder. Also, I see the less expensive ones are tinned (I don't know what that means. I'm guessing they are made out of tin) and the more expensive are stainless steel or cast iron. I don't mind spending more money on the cast iron or stainless if it is worth it. Thoughts???

 

[k15n1]

It's made from steel and plated with tin to prevent corrosion. Tin is soft and too expensive to make something out of. I'd be willing to buy one that is tinned, or made from cast aluminum. Otherwise, high-grade stainless is probably the best. Most expensive, too.

 

[Joel_BC]

One thing I'll say is that I've seen a lot of the manual, long-handled meat grinders for sale at secondhand stores and pawn shops. Do some research first. If you have a look at new ones in a retail store, and ask a few questions while you're "window shopping", then you'll be better informed. Meaning you could go to a secondhand store and know what you're looking at.

I know of both secondhand stores and pawn shops that get a lot of their inventory from abandoned storage lockers... the locker renters have stopped making payments for the locker that's been holding all the stuff they have in storage. And therefore perfectly good usable equipment is bought by secondhand-store owners for resale.

All that's needed is for the smart shopper to buy the item, take it home, give it a good washing in hot detergent water and it's then ready for use.

If you buy a grinder this way, you might easily save 20-50%. Makes things reasonable.

 

[moolie]

We bought ours used from an antique mall, washed it in hot soapy water, boiled it in a large pot just to be sure it was clean, and then washed it again in hot soapy water and rinsed well. It's worked well for us over the year or so that we've had it, we only paid $38 so well worth the cost

 

[cheepo]

I only have the kitchen aid meat ginder attachment....
and I have to say it works great...(even though is only plastic..(.other that the insert parts))
it is incredibly handy...
and has been used many times especially for on sale items...

 

[Denim Deb]

I have the one that came w/my mixer many years ago. I have not used it in years, but will be doing so soon. I'm to the point that if I can get the meat for cheap, I'd rather grind my own. There's less chance of any type of bacteria in meat you grind yourself.

 

[ORChick]

I have four . I have the attachment for my 30+ year old Oster kitchen center; it works just fine, but I wanted a hand crank. I've been looking in secondhand stores for years - with a perfectly good (though electric) grinder I was not prepared to buy a new manual one. The first one I got (by no means the first one I saw) turned out to be missing a part, which I hadn't noticed before purchase. Oh well, $5 wasted, unless I choose to buy the missing part. Second one is an interesting little thing - $8, but too small to be really useful. One of its grinding plates has grooves like a millstone, so this one can double as a grain mill! But, again, small, and hard to turn. It looks nice in my Country Kitchen though. A couple of years ago I found the final purchase at a rummage sale - $10 for a heavy duty, 4 legged, heavyweight grinder, with all its pieces! I probably should buy a new blade and grinding plates, as I don't think the ones that came with it are a sharp as they could be, but I haven't got around to it yet. If you google "sausage making" you'll find several companies that sell replacement parts, and you can also get a good idea of the types and sizes available.
I find it (them) very handy. As you say, sometimes/often a piece of meat is cheaper than ground meat, and grinding your own also lets you know just what it is you are getting - no mystery meats thrown into the large grinder at the butcher's. And then there are sausages! It is also useful for other grinding, not just meat. In some old cookbooks it is called a food grinder, not a meat grinder. I use it to chop up cranberries for my special relish. A lot of things that we might use a food processor for now used to be done with the food grinder.
A bit of trivia - in German the device is called a Fleischwolf - a meat wolf

 

[Denim Deb]

I have the Oster too! But, mine isn't quite 30 years old, it's 29 years. It was a present from my SILs and MIL. I don't recall now if it was a shower gift, or a wedding present. But, whichever it was, it is still, my favorite and most useful present.

Oh, and I'm planning on making my own sausage. Quite often, I can pick up pork for well under $2.00 a lb. That's much cheaper than I can buy sausage for. And, while I may not stuff it, that's fine. I prefer loose sausage anyway.

 

[snapshot]

I got mine off ebay new a few years ago for about $30 total. If you get one at a thrift shop for $3 or $5 then you can practice and see if you will use it. I do like and use mine from time to time. My brother in law has an antique press type sausage stuffer that we get when we move. He says we can buy casings in any store here.

 

[Wannabefree]

I only use mine when deer is coming in, but it has been very very well worth it! I got mine for about $30 shipping and all from Ebay as well. I have thought about premaking chicken patties by grinding and mixing them with batter too. I am going to try that next time we have birds ready to slaughter.