Kitchen Aid mixer meat grinder

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With Ebay and Craigslist, there is zero downside to buying quality tools to try a hobby. If you don't like it, you can always sell a QUALITY tool in a couple days for good return of your investment, easy. Selling cheap stuff is much harder.
 
With Ebay and Craigslist, there is zero downside to buying quality tools to try a hobby. If you don't like it, you can always sell a QUALITY tool in a couple days for good return of your investment, easy. Selling cheap stuff is much harder.

Good ain't cheap and cheap ain't good ...
 
MY KA was cheap - my sister gave it to me. Everyone that has ever eaten the Italian sausages I made with it (a Rytek Kutas recipe from the original sausage maker book) wanted more!
 
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That’s the tricky part. How far do you go at first?
Often, folks starting newish hobbies enter too low on the ladder, the effort or results are disappointing, and they quit … never really unlocking/experience the real joy/benefit of it.
If you start out with junk, you will have a bad experience whether it be sausage making, wood working, welding, etc. You also don't have to run out of the gate with the biggest baddest grinder, either. Middle of the road major brand name (makes finding parts easier if you need any) will get you going without frustration. Same with stuffers. The LEM 5lb is more than sufficient to start with, and parts are readily available should you need them.
 
I completely agree with DougE DougE Here. I love that LEM 5lb stuffer. HOWEVER, in this one case where we are talking about KitchenAid usage specifically, there is a batch size issue that wasn't immediately apparent to me, but was important.

Here it is: most recipes are given in 5lb or 1kg increments. But 1kg is too small for the effort, so I scale up to 2 kg, so 4.4 lbs. WITH KITCHENAID. Because the KA 6.5qt mixer can mix 6 lbs meat in bowl, and the more common 4.5qt standard mixer can do about 4.5 lbs...maaaybe 5 if you're careful. Makes it easy to do and clean up. So you tend to do 4.5 to 5.5 lb batches after liquid is added, if using KA. The liquid additions always make it more than expected...

But that LEM 5lb stuffer doesn't really hold 5lbs. Even 4.5 squeeched out top without good seal sometimes. THEREFORE, I like to recommend the 7lb single speed stuffer from Walton’s, for KA startups. And yeah, mostly cuz I'm too lazy to stuff in 2 batches... but sticking whole recipe in there at once without issue or trying to keep it from squeezing out top, is way nicer. Same price and quality.

If you're sure you won't do actual 5lb or even 2kg batches, maxing out at 4 to 4.5 lbs, then that LEM is great, but might as well go juuust a bit bigger to easily fit 5lb or 2-3kg batches in one stuff :)
just my laziness here, but may apply to others too! ;)

Oh, and lastly, the LEM 5lb has been on backorder for 4 months now, not expected in until 1May 2023! So it's not really even a player right now :(
5ea323b6f0f1c510902754__64400.1644856745.jpg
 
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I completely agree with DougE DougE Here. I love that LEM 5lb stuffer. HOWEVER, in this one case where we are talking about KitchenAid usage specifically, there is a batch size issue that wasn't immediately apparent to me, but was important.

Here it is: most recipes are given in 5lb or 1kg increments. But 1kg is too small for the effort, so I scale up to 2 kg, so 4.4 lbs. WITH KITCHENAID. Because the KA 6.5qt mixer can mix 6 lbs meat in bowl, and the more common 4.5qt standard mixer can do about 4.5 lbs...maaaybe 5 if you're careful. Makes it easy to do and clean up. So you tend to do 4.5 to 5.5 lb batches after liquid is added, if using KA. The liquid additions always make it more than expected...

But that LEM 5lb stuffer doesn't really hold 5lbs. Even 4.5 squeeched out top without good seal sometimes. THEREFORE, I like to recommend the 7lb single speed stuffer from Walton’s, for KA startups. And yeah, mostly cuz I'm too lazy to stuff in 2 batches... but sticking whole recipe in there at once without issue or trying to keep it from squeezing out top, is way nicer. Same price and quality.

If you're sure you won't do actual 5lb or even 2kg batches, maxing out at 4 to 4.5 lbs, then that LEM is great, but might as well go juuust a bit bigger to easily fit 5lb or 2-3kg batches in one stuff :)
just my laziness here, but may apply to others too! ;)
View attachment 653545


BUT.... That is one of the stuffers we are trying to steer clear from because of the waste (up to 1lb) in the elbow out the bottom... its not that big of a deal to back the plunger out at about the half way point to put the rest of the meat in the 5lb'r
 
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BUT.... That is one of the stuffers we are trying to steer clear from because of the waste (up to 1lb) in the elbow out the bottom... its not that big of a deal to back the plunger out at about the half way point to put the rest of the meat in the 5lb'r
Exactly what I do.
 
That’s the tricky part. How far do you go at first?
You go to the butcher shop and buy a couple pounds of ground pork . Mix up a basic breakfast sausage and cook some patties .
It boils down to if you want to do it or not .
I said I stopped twice , but that had nothing to do with the equipment . Had to do with my knowledge of the process .
Yes it's more enjoyable with " good stuff " , but that doesn't make you a sausage maker .
 
It arrived today!!!!!! It is massively heavy duty. Not that I would, but you could beat someone to death with the feeder / grinder tube. I won't get to try it out until the 23rd. I am out of town with work until then.
 

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I just ordered some stuffer tubes from them today. The only stainless tubes for an Enterprise I could find. If they are as well made as that grinder looks to be I'll be very happy.

I'm surprised no one else makes a quality grinder for a KitchenAid actually. It's really just a scaled down version of the Hobart mixer attachments, and those aren't difficult to find
 
It looks very well made. I would just be careful not to overheat the KA.
The directions say to hand tighten only and don't over tighten because of the strain on the mixer.
 
It looks very well made. I would just be careful not to overheat the KA.
that is exactly why I gave up on the KA grinder attachment after one use, the meat was cold/firm to start with, but not really frozen and it was a terrible PITA, and it really heated up the wifes mixer, I decided right there to look into a dedicated grinder and have never looked back after buying the 1HP cabelas #22 grinder.

I will say though that I kept the KA grinder attachment around and actually found a use for it. Every holiday my wife says we will bring the mashed taters, so she boils them, and I run them warm/hot through the KA grinder and it works awesome! ( just watch out for air pockets as they come out of the grinder head, it kinda sends little white blobs of lava flying at times.)
 
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I think the kitchenaid grinder attachment is fine and I used it for years. Granted, I'm a very casual sausage hobbyist and I only make 4 or 5 batches of sausage a year and those are generally 4 to 7 pounds. I moved up to the #8 LEM big bite and I love it. I think it makes a better product, but kitchenaid did pretty damn good for getting into the hobby with much less of an investment. Some of you will even laugh at the #8. A stuffer on the other hand is a must.
 
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That's the same grinder attachment I use.
It's excellent.
I use it with a KA artisan mixer.
The meat is partially frozen.
I typically do 5 pounds at a time.
Several times a year.
Going on 8 years.
The mixer still works great, and it gets a lot of use for breads and cakes too.

I would transition to a dedicated grinder if I was grinding more and/or more frequently. Or, if I killed the mixer.

I use to use this for stuffing too. It worked fine, but there were some frustrations. I eventually got a 5 pound lem stuffer though, and it does make a huge difference.

I'd recommend getting an extra blade, and differnt sized grid plates.

Enjoy it!

Edit:
One thing I forgot to mention. Grease the threads before each use. Lard, vegetable oil is what usually use.
 
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Well - my plastic kitchen aid grinder attachment that I have had for I cannot remember how many years or how many sausages it has ground (on a casual basis), finally gave up the ghost and exploded while grinding the trim from one of the prime boneless chuck shoulder roasts I cooked - the grinder housing cracked and was pushed right off the metal collar. I guess I got over-zealous and just put too much of too large chunks in...

I was seriously looking at this stainless steel attachment in this thread but for the once or twice every 5-years that I actually grind 5-lbs or 10-lbs of sausage or hamburger I bought the Kitchen Aid metal grinder attachment from Amazon for a bit less money.

We'll see how it goes.
 
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