Pre-cleaning grinder plates with compressed air.

[DougE]

I can't be the first to have come up with the idea, and actually I thought of it quite awhile back, but never did it until after today's grinding session. Usually I just soak the plate(s) awhile, then vigorously swish them around in a sink of soapy water to get the crud out of the holes, but today I finally tried taking a blowgun on the compressor to blow the crud out of the plate before washing. It works like a charm, especially on the plates with small holes. This will become my standard plate pre-clean from now on as it makes cleanup much easier.

 

[pc farmer]

Yeah. Swishing is my go to. Gotta try the air

 

[DougE]

Yeah. Swishing is my go to. Gotta try the air

It's way easier than swishing and way faster.

 

[Rafter H BBQ]

I can't be the first to have come up with the idea, and actually I thought of it quite awhile back, but never did it until after today's grinding session. Usually I just soak the plate(s) awhile, then vigorously swish them around in a sink of soapy water to get the crud out of the holes, but today I finally tried taking a blowgun on the compressor to blow the crud out of the plate before washing. It works like a charm, especially on the plates with small holes. This will become my standard plate pre-clean from now on as it makes cleanup much easier.

Not sure if I’d have thought of that Doug, but sounds like a great method! Will definitely try this… Thank You!

I love making sausage, snack sticks, etc… but clean up can be a PITA… This may be the game changer!

 

[DougE]

Not sure if I’d have thought of that Doug, but sounds like a great method! Will definitely try this… Thank You!

I love making sausage, snack sticks, etc… but clean up can be a PITA… This may be the game changer!

Cleanup takes way more time than the grinding, mixing and stuffing so I'm all for any way to speed cleanup along.

 

[Rafter H BBQ]

Cleanup takes way more time than the grinding, mixing and stuffing so I'm all for any way to speed cleanup along.

Agree! And absolutely man… looking forward to trying this method next go round! Thanks again Doug!

 

[sawhorseray]

Sounds like adding a new step that isn't necessary, been using soap and water for over 20 years. After not being able to sleep after reading this I think in the future I just might boil the plate, blade, and a couple of threaded parts in a pot of water, no compressor here. RAY

 

[DougE]

Sounds like adding a new step that isn't necessary, been using soap and water for over 20 years. Have you made yourself or others sick from improper cleaning? I never heard of Rytec Kutas having to resort to anything like this, sounds like a foolish waste of time and effort. Sorry, maybe it's just me, don't get much cleaner than clean. RAY

It isn't about getting them cleaner; it's about making the cleaning process easier by blowing the debris out of the holes before washing the plates. No big deal since there is compressed air right outside the door from where I make sausage.

 

[Rafter H BBQ]

Sounds like adding a new step that isn't necessary, been using soap and water for over 20 years. Have you made yourself or others sick from improper cleaning? I never heard of Rytec Kutas having to resort to anything like this, sounds like a foolish waste of time and effort. Sorry, maybe it's just me, don't get much cleaner than clean. RAY

Hey buddy, so my interpretation of this method Doug is saying is just the initial cleaning… to get the parts that maybe hard to scrub… and then doing the soap and water method!

@DougE am I right?!?

 

[DougE]

Hey buddy, so my interpretation of this method Doug is saying is just the initial cleaning… to get the parts that maybe hard to scrub… and then doing the soap and water method!

@DougE am I right?!?

Absolutely! My thread title included "pre-clean" because that's what it is. A simple way to make easy work of washing the plates. As an added bonus, all the crud isn't going into your drain pipes.

 

[lamar]

this method works well. I've been using my air compresser on my plates a couple of years.

 

[flatbroke]

Women’s work. My wife cleans them. Edit… don’t get twisted up. It’s a joke. I like the air idea

 

[smokin peachey]

I usually hold the plate up against the water spigot and the water pressure pushes the meat out. I’ve used compressed air before but figured using hot water helped making them cleaner.

 

[flatbroke]

I usually hold the plate up against the water spigot and the water pressure pushes the meat out. I’ve used compressed air before but figured using hot water helped making them cleaner.

My wife actually uses the small bottle brush scrubber for the holes lol

 

[SmokinEdge]

Nothing wrong using air, especially on those small plates like 1/8”. I don’t have air anywhere close to my kitchen. So when I finish grinding I put the meat tub in the freezer then immediately rinse the grinder parts with hot water to get the meat and fat off then soap and rinse. Cleans easily when fresh, longer it sets the more effort it takes, IMO.

 

[chopsaw]

longer it sets the more effort it takes,

Yup . I have a system that makes it easy ,
Step 1 clean , step 2 clean and so on . I have good water pressure , so the spray nozzle cleans out what's left in the plates .
I hold mix overnight , so I try to scrap down the sides or the fleck's of sausage dry like glue to the bowls .

 

[JckDanls 07]

Always the way I've done mine... I also blow again after washing in hot soapy water... Since I wash up in theh utility sink in theh garage.. the air hose is right there and always on..

Word of caution... use a paper towel in your hand to catch the meat being blowed out...

 

[DougE]

Word of caution... use a paper towel in your hand to catch the meat being blowed out...

Heck, I just opened the front barn door and let it fly lol.