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Hi guys

I'd like to get some opinions on hand cranked meat grinders vs the Kitchen Aid grinder attachment (assuming one already owns a Kitchen Aid mixer), for fairly heavy home use.

Apart from the obvious "elbow grease" factor what are the main differences between the two? What pros and cons do each have? Which would you consider the more worthy investment, or alternatively is it worth getting a completely different stand alone electric grinder?

Thanks for any help / suggestions

The KitchenAid attachment is a custom size, with only the plates that come with the unit, and the motor on the mixer isn't designed for "fairly heavy use" as a meat grinder. For occasional use for small batches of meat, it is OK.

Manual grinders come in several different, standard sizes with a broad selection of plates from various butcher and meat processing supply shops. They are easy to maintain and will definitely do the job for relative small investment. A #10/12 manual grinder will allow you to process meat for as long as your shoulders and arms can stand it. A #22 or #32 can also be adapted by kit to run with an electric motor and pulley.

If you want an electric grinder, you are talking about more of an investment that a manual grinder would require. A well-considered purchase might last you years of service, where a cheap knock-off might break in short order. Avoid the small, underpowered household units and go with a more robust #12 with a strong motor and good torque. There are many threads on discussions of selecting manual and electric grinders, here, so feel free to search and browse.

I almost burned out my KitchenAid from 5-10# batches which is what lead me to Vagrey's recommendation of a #12 grinder.

If you decide to try your hand by just justing your KA for now I know that Chefs Choice makes a grinder that fits the KA. It comes with three plates, more info here: http://www.chefschoice.com/page2e_m799.html. If you end up with the KA made grinder unit I've seen some alternate plates available to purchase from independent machinists on ebay.