How to Buy the Right Meat Grinder

Today we continue our series on buying restaurant equipment, focusing on the commercial meat grinder.  As always, please feel free to leave questions or to request future machines for us to cover in the comments section.

Choose the right grinder and it will be capable of churning out perfectly ground meat as fast as you need it.  The first thing you may notice when buying grinders is the diversity in their sizes.  Commercial grinders range from fairly small models, such as the Omcan PGN1000 (0.5 hp), to the very large.  The largest size grinder we stock is the Tor Rey M32 (3 hp), a high capacity grinder designed primarily for butchers.  Of course, the size grinder you buy will largely determine the volume of meat you can grind per minute.  The amount you need ground is the very best determinant of which grinder is best for you, and is more indicative of a perfect fit than even horsepower.  The consistency of your products should also affect the size you choose, though.  If you are grinding large volumes soaked beans or nuts, you will need a stronger and larger grinder to effectively manage the density of your food content.

You should also make sure to check the throat width and tray size of grinders you are buying if you know that you have larger pieces of meat or will want more space to feed it into the grinder.

All meat grinders come with plates and knives to cut the meat.  Most grinders are designed for either size 12 or 22 plates and knives; however, some very large grinders take even larger sizes.  It is a good idea to have replacement plates and knives available for when yours become dull.  We recommend replacing them together, rather than as each wears out. This is because the plates actually act as knives themselves.  If you carefully feel the holes on a new plate, you will discover that they are actually quite sharp!  It turns out that these wear down at about the same rate as knives - it's just less easy to tell.  If you replace your knife but your plates are dull, the knife is doing extra work and will itself wear down more quickly.  Additionally, your meat will not grind as perfectly.  Thus, replacing them together ensures that both are working perfectly and saves you money and frustration. 

Buying the right meat grinder and properly maintaining it will save you time and money while enabling you to easily produce delicious burgers, falafel, foie gras, or whatever other ground food is your restaurant's specialty!