Manual vs. Electric Meat Grinder [Which is Best & Why] – CGL

Meat grinders are gadgets which solve our kitchen problem. Especially when you are a meat lover. As grinding your own meat reduces the chances of buying stale meat from the. Also, it prevents the potential contamination and infection which might be caused by it.

Even the taste is better when you grind your own meat at home. And if you haven’t bought one, go ahead and get one. If you need help, check our article on the best meat grinders and how to buy a meat grinder.

Obviously, you must know that the meat grinder are of two types: Manual Meat Grinders and Electric Meat Grinders. And in this article we will discuss manual vs. electric meat grinder drawing a comparison between both of them. 

Manual vs. Electric Meat Grinder

Before we discuss the comparison between the two, let us just know why they are both different from each other.

The manual meat grinder as the name suggests is manual which means it is operated by hand. Whereas the electric meat grinder comes with an electric motor which works when switched on. 

Further, let us discuss the comparison.

Power Supply Source

As we have already said the manual meat grinder needs manual effort to operate. So you will have to exert your energy to make the grinder work. Although it needs energy, it can be used anywhere. And is not restricted to places with electrical outlets.

On the other hand, electric meat grinders have motors which operate with electricity. So here, an appropriate electrical outlet is very necessary. But its benefit is, it requires minimal effort on your side. Just for the sake of assembling that is. As it works and grind on its own.

Output Capacity

The manual meat grinders are best for home environments. As it has lower supply demand of ground meat. Because you have to grind it with your hand, it produces a small amount of meat. And also it takes a bit of time to do that.

On the contrary electric meat grinders are both suited to home and commercial environments. So the small light duty grinders with a lower power motor are good for home use. And the bigger heavy duty models are perfect for commercial use. Within a short amount of time the grinders can grind a lot of meat meeting the higher supply demands. 

Size and Weight

As you should know the manual meat grinders are usually very compact and lightweight. As a result they are pretty easy to move and store.

Whereas the electric meat grinders come in a variety of sizes. As the home use electric meat grinders are light duty, they are smaller in size. Making them easy for us to store in storage cabinets. In the same way, the commercial use meat grinders are heavy duty and bigger in size. Although they are heavier, commercial stores usually have permanent places for these grinders. Both of these are appropriate for their surroundings. 

Assembly and Operation

So the manual meat grinders are easy to assemble and easier to operate. As the only thing you have to do is chuck in the meat to the hopper and turn the hand crank. Even the assembly is pretty easy.

But the electrical grinders are a bit tougher than the manual ones to assemble. Although the operation is still pretty easy. To correctly assemble the meat follow specific instructions. 

For more help on the assembly and operation, go to our article on how does a meat grinder work. And also the one on how to use a manual meat grinder.

Price

As the manual meat grinders doesn’t have any motor in it, they are cheaper. And pretty easy for a home chef to buy.

But the electric meat grinders are a bit expensive because of its motorized mechanism. So it might not be cheap but once you invest in it, it goes for a long time.

Easy to clean

So the manual meat grinder is pretty easy to clean as it does not have any motorized part. Hence you can just disassemble it and soak all the parts in the  soap water and wash it. 

But when in the case of electrical meat grinder, it is somewhat harder to disassemble and clean. And you should pay more attention if the grinder is not detachable. Only wipe it with a cloth and clean it. For more details on cleaning check our article on how to clean a meat grinder.

Conclusion

Concludingly, we will not exactly point out the best one but we can give you recommendations. 

So if you do not mind the manual effort and are ready to invest your time, you can choose the manual meat grinder. And we recommend the LEM Products #10 Stainless Steel Clamp-on Hand Grinder.

And if you are fast paced and do not want to waste a lot of time in meat grinding alone. Then you should obviously go for an electric meat grinder.

Again choose a lightweight compact meat grinder for home use. Hence you can go for the LEM #8 Big Bite Electric Meat Grinder.

For more details on this product you can check our article LEM 8 Meat Grinder Reviews.

Likewise go for a larger heavy duty grinder model for commercial use. According to us the best one for you will the Weston (10-3201-W) Pro Series Electric Meat Grinder.

And if you still need more details on the meat grinders, go to our article on the best meat grinders.