Meat grinders are an essential component of restaurants everywhere. Grinding your own meat not only lends itself to a better flavor and texture, but also helps minimize contamination from outside sources. If you already have a commercial meat grinder here are some tips on how to care for meat prepping equipment.
How to Care for Meat Prepping Equipment
Knowing how to operate your meat grinder is only step one, you need to know how best to maintain it as well. The main components that you need to be aware of are:
- The pusher and hopper. This is the main piece where you add the unground meat. The pusher is used to press down on the meat moving it into the tube so that it is ground. This allows for the process to run as smoothly as possible without anything becoming jammed.
- The blade and the plate. These are the main components that are responsible for grinding the meat. The blade minces and grinds the meat, and the plate, which has a series of holes cut into it, is what the meat is then pushed through to give you the type of grind you need.
- The screw. The screw is the part of the machine that is responsible for pushing meat through and into the blades.
- The cover. The cover keeps the blades and plate securely in place while the machine is in use.
Depending on the make and model of the machine you are using, you may want to spend time familiarizing yourself with these parts as they relate to what you have. Understanding these components is the first step towards understanding how to care for meat prepping equipment.
Tips For Prepping Meat
Here are some things to keep in mind when utilizing your meat grinder. Following these steps can keep your machine working better for longer, in addition to keeping your meat high quality.
- Keep it cold. Always use cold meat in your grinder. The warmer the meat is the more it was smear and lose fat content. Not only that but this can dry out your meat and give it an unappetizing consistency. Keep your meat cold, and consider placing the grinder itself in a freezer unit before use, this will ensure the highest quality grind.
- Trimming the meat. Smearing can also be caused by bits of sinew that get caught in the machine. Ensuring that the meat is properly trimmed can help prevent this issue.
- Keep a shape blade. The blade is arguable the most important part of your machine, and keeping it sharp ensures your electric meat grinder can function optimally. If the blade gets dull it will smear your meat, and you’ll need to have them sharpened. (Additionally, you can buy replacement blades to have on hand just in case.) Even heavy duty meat grinder blades can need a sharpening every year or so depending on use. Keep an eye out so that you don’t run into any issues.
- Clean the plate. Not cleaning your blades and plate is a good way to grow sickening bacteria. Wash the plate in hot water and towel dry it after you have finished using it. This will prevent any contamination, and will keep your meat coming out smoothly.
- Salting. Salting your meat before grinding will impact the final product. If you’re making sausages it’s appropriate to salt before grinding, but for hamburger meat it’s a no go. Always salt burger meat after forming the patties.
Conclusion
Knowing how to care for meat prepping equipment ensures that all of your meat retains a good quality and consistency. Always remember to take apart and clean your blades and plate after use, and you can even push through a paper towel to remove any stuck meat in the tube. Keeping everything as clean as possible helps prevent illness, and keeps your industrial meat grinder running well for longer.