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About:
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Successfully making sausages, bacon, cured meats, or any other type of charcuterie, requires very specific tools and equipment. Meat grinders are specialized machines designed for the sole purpose of breaking pieces of meat and fat into smaller pieces by forcing them through a metal plate containing several small holes. Not all meat grinders are equal, and several factors differentiate them, including the following:
Power source (electric or manual)
Speed of grinding
Volume of grinding
Size of the grinder
Construction of the grinder
All grinders can be broken down into the same core parts, and understanding what each part does will help you decide which grinder is right for you. These parts are shown in the following figure and include the following:
Body and hopper. The body and hopper is generally one solid piece and houses all of the moving parts (excluding the motor).
Worm (auger). The worm is inserted into the motor through the body. This is the screw-like part that draws meat down the hopper and through the body toward the knife.
The knife is a cutting implement with four blades and looks like a propeller on a plane. The knife fits onto the end of the worm and spins at the same rate. As the meat passes down the body via the worm, it is first cut by the knife as it is forced through the plate.
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