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We just welcomed our twins, which in addition to our 3 year old now makes us a family of 5. I have spent the last few months analyzing expenses, cutting where we need to and just basically making us spend our money more efficiently.
One thing I'm looking into doing is getting a deep freezer and a Costco membership. My goal is to buy meat in bulk (mostly chicken and beef) and freezing it various forms and one of those things I'm looking to do is to grind it up for tacos, burgers etc. So, I thought a meat grinder is what I need. Then I started reading recipes online and it seems like you can grind meat in a food processor as well. However, the food processor will also have other uses - I would love to be able to make hummus, dressings, sauces, salsas etc.
So, what to do. Buy the meat grinder and use my hand blender or magic bullet to make sauces. Or forget the meat grinder all together and get a food processor. Or both?
I am posting here because I know there are a lot posts on here about saving money on food and that's really what I am looking to do. TIA.
I think a top brand heavy duty food processor with a meat grinder attachment is all you need.
Any idea how much those are? I'll search Amazon, but if I buy a top rated grinder and food processor as separate items, it's about $90. The heavy duty ones seem more expensive.
Any idea how much those are? I'll search Amazon, but if I buy a top rated grinder and food processor as separate items, it's about $90. The heavy duty ones seem more expensive.
So, you're talking about a hand grinder? It takes a fair amount of muscle to use, but it is cheaper.
Compare the motor size on the food processors you are contemplating. Personally, I think it is false economy to buy a low-powered food processor.
A meat grinder is a requirement for really processing meat. A food processor might work in a pinch on an occasional basis, but not designed for the task. The cheap cuts of meat that make things cost efficient are hard work even for a proper meat grinder. IIRC, a grinder that will do the job and not break or be too much of a pain to use costs around $130. Forget the hand carnk ones until the kids are about five years older and can be tasked at turning the crank to earn their meals. (joking).
A food processor shreds the meat. The consistence does not resemble ground beef. A sturdy KitchenAid with grinder attachment may serve you well as you can add attachments one at a time. Word of caution - use small pieces of meat (mine handles 2x2), chill the meat, work in batches. I run beef, chicken and pork.
Use a whisk for salad dressings. Processor attachment works well.
What do you plan to use the slicer for?
How much is the meat you're planning to grind? I can get ground beef cheaper than I can get the beef I would be grinding up, so for me it doesn't make financial sense to grind my own.
A food processor might have a meat grinding attachment, but I KNOW that a KitchenAid mixer definitely does. If you have one, just get the meat grinding attachment.
You will use the heck out of a food processor, regardless.
Failing that, if you can find an old fashioned meat grinder that attaches to the counter, they work good and are inexpensive.
A good meat grinder costs a substantial chunk of money and it is not worth the cost to buy it unless you are going to grind a lot of meat.
I have a meat grinder and my family uses it, but we grind a lot of meat. I make home cooked dog food and I am feeding about 28 pounds of ground meat every week. Beef is slightly cheaper than hamburger, only if you buy primal cuts. That's the 40 pound chunks. Other than that, the chunks of meat that you grind costs more than the ground beef.
I grind cheaper meats: pork, turkey, chicken because it is easier to cook dog food with ground meat than it is to cook it in large chunks and then cut it up. My grinder gets a work-out.
Here's the advantage in home ground for a family. Hamburger from the store can be made of scraps or lower grade beef. It can be fairly inexpensive or it can be quite expensive. Home ground can be top of the line, expensive quality burger if you want to make the effort.
I buy whole chunks of beef by the box, about 80 pounds of meat. I buy lean rounds (rear haunch) for the dogs and I buy USDA choice grade, certified Angus beef shoulders for my family. For the dogs, everything gets ground coarse,. For my family, the meat is very carefully cleaned to remove every drop of non-muscle. All tendons, gristle, nerves are removed. Meat is coarse ground and then put through the grinder again with a smaller blade.
The people's burger then gets weighted out into 6 ounce patties, bagged and frozen. One grinding session takes hours, but the meat lasts us for months. It is absolutely the best burger that you can eat. Just the right amount of fat for flavor, certified angus, it tastes like eating steak.
One thing that you can do with a home grinder is to buy the turkeys on sale at the holidays. Grind the breast meat and you will have the most delicious ground turkey. It doesn't resemble the ground turkey that you buy in even the slightest.
My food processor mostly gets used to grate cheese. I don't like the bags of pre-grated cheese; there is something off about the texture. So, I buy the 5 pound block of cheese, grate it with the food processor, and freeze it. I don't think there is any money savings but my family likes the texture and flavor of the block cheese better.
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