Animal Based Life

Do you love the taste of a medium-rare hamburger?  I know I do.  Ensure that deliciousness by taking a delve into why you should grind your own hamburger meat.

How many restaurants have you been to where they won’t cook a burger any less than medium?  Or a restaurant where they won’t cook a burger with any pink in it?  Those restaurants are out there.

Why don’t they want to cook a burger with pink or even red in it?

Harmful bacteria

Restaurants don’t want their customers to risk getting bacteria such as E. coli.  E. coli can be found in ground beef that is not cooked to the doneness of 160 degrees F.

E. coli enters the beef through bacteria that’s found in cow intestines and can contaminate certain cuts of meat during the slaughter process.

There’s a reason you don’t tend to find any such warnings on steak.  Steaks are always a particular cut of beef and from a single cow.

Alternatively, storebought ground beef comes from many different cows, which increases the risk of infection.  One bad cow can infect the beef of many different cows in the grinding process.

For steak, the slaughter process would expose only the edges of the meat to bacteria and can cook away almost immediately.

Grinding your own meat will greatly reduce the chance of getting ill, and is going to be the best way to ensure you don’t get sick eating a medium-rare burger.

Of course, you must be very diligent in cleaning your own equipment if you do decide to grind your own meat, or else the purpose here is defeated.

Buying your own meat grinder

There are two types of meat grinders for home use: electric and manual.

Of course, manual grinders are going to be less expensive and can be a lot of work.  Electric is easy and does most of the work for you, but as you’d imagine it’s more costly.

Electric grinders also are inherently less reliable, as there are electrical parts that can fail in addition to mechanical parts.

Manual grinder

Amazon’s best choice for a manual grinder is the Simple Being Manual Meat Grinder Set w/Stainless Steel Blades.

150 customers have reviewed this grinder, giving it an average of four out of five stars.

It is mainly a meat grinder, but it also can grind various fruits, vegetables, garlic, and even nuts.

Unlike many manual grinders that come with a clamp that holds it to the kitchen counter, this one comes with a wide suction cup base allowing good contact with fewer pieces and steps.

For cleaning, which is a crucial part of owning a grinder, the Simple Being grinder is fully dishwasher-safe.

Electric Grinder

If you’re opting for more convenience, Amazon’s best choice is the Upgrade Electric Meat Grinder.

113 purchasers of this grinder gave it an average of 4.6 out of five stars.

With the convenience of electric, the Upgrade brand grinder can grind up to two pounds of beef per minute, and comes with three different plates for how coarse or fine you want your ground beef.  The grinder is also stainless steel, warding off rust and corrosion while letting it reside in your kitchen.

In addition to the grinding aspect, there are additional attachments enabling you to make your own sausage!

Worried about clogging up the unit while learning how to use it on the fly?  Don’t worry.  It comes with a reverse gear that enables you to back out the meat until you can start over again.

Not all of the parts are dishwasher safe, so you’ll need to clean them all by hand.  The good news here is the parts are all easy to remove and reassemble.

For more options on manual or electric grinders, Amazon offers a ton more options at many price points and features.  Choosing the one perfect for you and your household will not be a problem.

Other benefits to grinding

I went over good grinders in both electric and manual types.  I went over the health aspect of grinding your own meat.

Another good aspect of doing it yourself is it’s cheaper.  You can grind your own hamburger meat for less per pound than just buying pre-packaged ground beef.

For added savings, check your store for BOGO deals and go early in the mornings when your store has meat heavily marked down.  Aldi runs considerable meat specials on Wednesdays, but go early because they run out fast.  Whole cuts of meat go on sale way more often than pre-packaged ground beef, and at greater discounts.

Another benefit is you get to control the fat content.  Some people like to trim off the excess fat for a leaner burger.  Others, like me, like a fattier burger, so I’ll trim very little to none of the fat off.  Particularly on pork, I advocate leaving all the fat on.

Check out this post from No Spoon Necessary for brilliant techniques on how to grind your meat and how to store it afterward.

One more benefit

Besides the benefits of food safety, cost, and control of your cut of beef, one last benefit for me is just a simple sense of accomplishment.  Sometimes, it just feels lazy to me to go buy pre-packaged stuff.  Grinding your own meat is one more way to feel like you were really, truly, involved in the preparation of a great meal.

We all want a good meal to be delicious and an accomplishment worth doing.  Grinding your own meat can do just that for you.

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Do you grind your own hamburger meat?  Do you have a particular meat grinder you like to use?  Please let us know in the comment box below.  Thanks for reading!

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