Meat grinders - LEM 575 vs Chef's Choice Kitchenaid

[mummel]

Does them LEM #8 575W grind meat a lot easier/faster/better than the Kichenaid meat grinder attachment?

 

[oregon smoker]

in my experience if in the same spot you are in like I was I went for the kitchen aid combo, grinder / stuffer. it didn't take long before I realized I was putting a hurting (as well as slow) and wished I had paid more attention and just started with the stand alone grinder. I did not think I was going to grind all that much at first and before you know it you are grinding everything (some call it an addiction) after you taste fresh homemade you will not go back to processed (store bought) Night and Day. you will need the grinder head and also the stuffing horn unless all you make is bulk. your choice but if you ask many of us, we have gone down the same path....you eventually end up with a large collection of toys. in my opinion buy the stand alone , cheaper and more versatile in the long run.

Tom

 

[mummel]

 
in my experience if in the same spot you are in like I was I went for the kitchen aid combo, grinder / stuffer. it didn't take long before I realized I was putting a hurting (as well as slow) and wished I had paid more attention and just started with the stand alone grinder. I did not think I was going to grind all that much at first and before you know it you are grinding everything (some call it an addiction) after you taste fresh homemade you will not go back to processed (store bought) Night and Day. you will need the grinder head and also the stuffing horn unless all you make is bulk. your choice but if you ask many of us, we have gone down the same path....you eventually end up with a large collection of toys. in my opinion buy the stand alone , cheaper and more versatile in the long run.

Tom

Thanks for the info.  I have a LEM 5lb stuffer on the way.  So it looks like I should just get the LEM #8 too and not look back.  I hope the LEM lasts. 

 

[mummel]

About your burgers, ground beef is like $4.20 / lb.  I dont know of many beef cuts that are regularly below that price.  What do you use for burgers?

Pork sausages are like $6 / lb so I am really looking forward to grinding a $1.80 / lb pork butt + 40c / lb casings.  Or some 99c / lb chicken + 40c / lb casings.  But what about beef?  It seems like ground beef is already some the of cheapest beef out there and Costco has great quality. 

Man, check this chart.  Ground beef has doubled in price:

latest_numbers_APU0200703112_2005_2015_all_period_

• mummel
• Jul 8, 2015

 

[chef jimmyj]

 
Still trying to decide on a grinder.  Looks like its a LEM vs a Kitchener, unless there are better recommendations?

LEM #8 575W ($96):

1113.jpg

• mummel
• Jul 5, 2015

Kitchener #12 350W ($90):

151342_700x700.jpg

• mummel
• Jul 5, 2015

WARNING WILL ROBINSON!>>>>I was where you are at a couple years ago. I have a '97 Kitchenaid with Grinder. It is ok for small amounts but the grind consistency can vary. There is always some Gray meat, metal wearing, coming out  in the beginning and I do lube the blade and plate before starting. Back in the early days the KA grinder attachment was made of aluminum by Hobart and was extremely nice and 100X better than the Plastic current KA grinder. If you absolutely want to use the KA, then spend the extra $ for the Chef's Choice metal grinder attachment.  
As far as the two above, two years ago LEM was automatically sending an extra plastic drive gear for the above grinder as they frequently broke. At the time the Kitchener #12 was ALL Metal gears and was the far better choice. I have not checked lately but hope nothing has changed as I would like to purchase the Kitchener...JJ

 

[mummel]

The Chef's Choice KA attachment is $95 so if I am going to spend that kind of coin, I would rather get the LEM #8 for the exact same price and save the motor on my Kitchenaid.  The Kitchener #12 seems decent but it's been discussed above.  Has carbon steel blades and plastic gears etc.  TY for your thoughts.  Seems like I should definitely get a standalone grinder. 

 

[tropics]

I got the Kitchener for Fathers Day only use it once,I think it is great.

Richie

 

[oregon smoker]

 
About your burgers, ground beef is like $4.20 / lb.  I dont know of many beef cuts that are regularly below that price.  What do you use for burgers?

Pork sausages are like $6 / lb so I am really looking forward to grinding a $1.80 / lb pork butt + 40c / lb casings.  Or some 99c / lb chicken + 40c / lb casings.  But what about beef?  It seems like ground beef is already some the of cheapest beef out there and Costco has great quality. 

Man, check this chart.  Ground beef has doubled in price:

latest_numbers_APU0200703112_2005_2015_all_period_

• mummel
• Jul 8, 2015

try chuck, with a touch of trimming you should be about a 80/20 mix

Tom

 

[dexterbakus]

i read some reviews about electric meat grinder and manual meat grinder, so LEM 575 is a best choice for you, for more helpful here : LEM Products 575 Watt #8

 

[oregon smoker]

in m my opinion when it comes to grinders find the one that suits your needs best then move up to the next model up if available (chances are you will grow into it before you know it). i started with the kitchen aid set up (due to low cost getting in, we already had the mixer) but it proved to be such a slow process that just processing 5-20lbs was an all day chore so it wasnt fun. now i have a Weston #22 what an improvement (to say the least) what was taking hours (most the day)  to do we now have it done and in the casings in 1/4 of the time. if i had one con to the grinder is i find it is always a race to keep the shoot fed, it grinds faster than you can feed it. not a bad complaint tho....

you wont go wrong with the LEM equiptment , many here speak highly of theirs, i was looking at them but they are not sold locally and the Weston was ( if you call a 55 mile round trip local LOL) here we do...

Good luck on your decision 

Keep on Smokin

Tom

 

[johnnyb54]

I recently started making my own sausage and I use the Kitchenair #12. I did start out with the Kitchen-Aid grinder and I quickly got rid of that. Total waste of my time and money. The Kitchenair is currently on sale for $99.99

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200451267_200451267

When you go to checkout use keycode 238554 to drop it another $10. Currently shipping is free so for $89.99 you are way ahead of the game. Good luck with whatever you decide. Happy Labor Day!

 

[LanceR]

I would say that either the stand-alone electric grinder or a manual grinder will do just fine for the quantities you describe.  If I were starting over I'd opt for a stuffer and manual grinder if that's all the budget allowed as you can grind a lot of meat in a hurry with the bigger manual grinders but stuffing sausages, particularly smaller casings, is a lot easier and neater with a stuffer than with a grinder.

I agree with those who have said that there's a good chance that you'll end up grinding more than you think you will right now.  It's like the old saying "When the only tool you have is a hammer everyting looks like a nail."  Not so long ago we used to make venison burger and most of our sausage at the end of deer season.  Now we make a wider variety of sausages and make it year round.  We're fortunate to have neighbors who make sausage and a number of the folks at my sportsman's club make sausage and cure meats so I got to try a number of different machines before buying. 

Lance

 

[mummel]

Not sure if I updated this thread!  I ended up getting the LEM 575.  Its great, it really is.  I dont even put my meat strips in the freezer.  It takes whatever I throw at it and the chute is always open.  I cant fill it fast enough.  The only issue I had was when I tried to run my ground beef through the grinder a 2nd time to help mix the spices in.  Thats was a clusterfck.  It formed a vacuum and took forever.  But there is no need to do this.  All I do is buy ground beef from the store, grind my own pork, and mix the two together with some spice.  Works great. 

If only I could get my casings less chewy!!

 

[oregon smoker]

Mummel,

what size plate are you useing?

i grind my fat seperately at 4.5mm !/8 +or- then grind meat/sesoning with the course plate while mixing in the fat then i seperate the pile in to1/3-1/2 and grind smaller then mix the two , we like the difference in texture.

just my two thoughts,

Tom

 

[mummel]

I use the largest size plate for my pork with one pass.  The ground beef I use as is when bought from the store.

 

[kashrippy]

i read some reviews about electric meat grinder and manual meat grinder, so LEM 575 is a best choice for you, for more helpful here : LEM Products 575 Watt #8

The LEM 575 says it can grind up to 3 lbs per minute. I haven't found the specs for the KitchenAid, do you know how much it can process per minute?

Power comparison aside, I think the 575 is quite a good choice since it's a stand-alone grinder and usually is more efficient for grinding than a stand mixer attachment. But if you already have a KitchenAid, then adding an attachment is cheaper.

Cheers