Meat Mincer/sausage maker

[JimmerG]

So here's the plan - I want to get a meat mincer to make my own mince, and have a bash at some bangers.

I like the look of the old fashioned cast models that are generally available for about £20. However they do seem to get mixed reviews - ie. not working at all, being very hard work, forever going rusty, or jamming.

Does anyone have any experience with these? - might I be better off going for a more modern looking plastic one - or do I really need to spend a fortune on an electric version. Bearing in mind - if I'm honest I'll be lucky to use this thing a couple of times a month.

Thanks


James

[coreopsis]

Funny enough I was looking at one last night.
We used to have one when I was a kid.Yes,it jammed sometimes(with meat),if you cut the meat into chunks and don't pack it too tight then it should be fine.We used it for poppy seed filling,cheese,sauerkraut,meat,crushing rolls into breadcrumbs and can't remember what else.Yes,it can be hard work.
If you think about manual mincer,forget about plastic.The one we used to have had to be washed after use and dried with kitchen towel-no leaving it to dry itself,otherwise it went rusty
Good thing to have,I'd like to have it again that's why I had a look last night at amazon.I thought about this one:
Tellier, No.10 Meat Mincer With Clamp - Manual - New Style: Amazon.co.uk: Kitchen & Home

Or have a look at easier option which is electric meat mincer.

[Brengirl]

Sorry to bring doom and gloom but I have had and used both items. I bought from our street market a large old victorian iron table mincer. Very heavy and cumbersome. We made our own mince and sausages for a while. It was hard work and it wasn't very long before I bought an electric one. Breville Wirrol Thompson. This was noisy and also hard work. The sinew in the raw meat soon clogged up the works and I was constantly having to unassemble the thing to clean it out. In a moment of sheer frustration I delivered it to the local recycle centre complete with receipt and guarantee.
I am now back to square one so if you do find a solution to your needs please let me know.

[coreopsis]

Brengirl,I think it depends on the type and the load.I remember having one when I was a kid,it was used heavily especially at Christmas time.I was able to operate it when I was about 8yo.Yes,it jammed sometimes but one of my parents always cleared it giving me some advice.There was no choice at the time to have anything else,but I don't remember it being sooooo bad.

[Brengirl]

I did in fact prefer the hand one. It was the electric one that gave me more problems in the end. If I ever go back down this road again I would stick to a modern cast iron model. I believe they now have a cutter blade that makes life easier.

[coreopsis]

I find it strange that now having so many electric kitchen gadgets available,I'm looking at cast iron meat mincer and slicing mandoline to make sauerkraut and slice 6kg tomatoes for green tomato salad next year(instead of chopping them with knife)
Mind you,I was always"weird" according to my more "modern" friends

[Bren In Pots]

James have a look at the sausagemaking.org website.
There's lots of info including reviews on different sausage makers.

[SarzWix]

We bought the mincer/sausage-making attachment to go on our Kenwood Chef and it works marvellously well. It never jammed once even on a day-long sausage making extravaganza, although we did occasionally put some bread through to clear it.

[JimmerG]

Good thing to have,I'd like to have it again that's why I had a look last night at amazon.I thought about this one:
Tellier, No.10 Meat Mincer With Clamp - Manual - New Style: Amazon.co.uk: Kitchen & Home

Or have a look at easier option which is electric meat mincer.

Thanks coreopsis - that looks like an absolute beast of a mincer, I reckon that'll do the job, seems to be one of the few with soley positive reviews.... am I right in thinking that sausage making attachments are simply a funnel type fitting that simply fits over the face of the steel plate with the holes in?

[coreopsis]

Jimmer,this is just the mincer,nothing else.I have never made sausages so can't tell you anything about the attachments.Ask some people on the forum who are making their own stuff or have a look at the website above-the one Bren In Pots suggested.Good luck