Meat grinder options for gefilte fish

[DanM]

I am considering making my own gefilte fish this Passover and will need a meat grinder. I have three options, a hand crank model, a powered model and a Kitchenaid attachment. I don't need anything fancy as this will be the only use for the grinder. What type should I get?  Any advice would be appreciated.  

[scubadoo97]

I've made gefilte fish using a food pro. Don't you think you could find more uses for a grinder? You won't need much effort in grinding fish so the cheapest grinder you can find

[gfweb]

I was just looking at KA grinder attachments. Lots of negative reviews re lubricant getting into the food.

[Edward J]

Been using a K.A grinder for many years now, I don't know of any lubricant that comes with it.  There is a bronze bushing where the auger meets the housing, but that's about it.

 

Cheapest option is buying a hand cranked item, you'll find hand cranked grinders at every hardware store and flea market.  For some reason the K.A grinder atattchment is well over $80.00 anywhere here in Canada, but everywhere in Wash.State it's $50.00 US.  They do come in handy.,

[Smithy]

I have a KA grinder attachment and, like Edward J, haven't seen any lubricant issues and can't think where they'd come from. Having said that, I'll also say that after a few tries at sausage making with it we decided to go for more power and a better feed system, and bought a dedicated grinder. I'm sorry not to be able to be more specific about the feed system and power; it's been too long since we switched; the point is that I haven't bothered with the KA grinder attachment since getting a better, dedicated grinder.

For something as delicate as fish, the KA would probably do fine, but so would a hand-crank model. In your situation I'd probably take the less expensive, more easily stored option, and get the hand-crank grinder. Logistics and convenience are also a factor to consider: unless your stand mixer lives on the counter, you'll have to get it out and set it up for use. A hand-crank grinder is easier to set up in that case, and at least as easy to clean.

[MSRadell]

Like the other posters are mentioned we've never seen any lubrication getting into the meat using a KA grinding attachment.  Nothing is lubricated and everything comes completely apart for cleaning.  I'm not sure where you read the reviews that talked about that problem but I think they were really off-base.

[scubadoo97]

The "gray ooze" has been noted by many users. I have seen it in my meat when using my KA grinder. There are opinions as to what it is. Every thing from lubricant to fat mixed with metal fines as been mentioned. KA says there is no lubricants used in their grinder

[Edward J]

No, there aren't.  Not even with the big meat grinders for the 30 qt and up grinders.

 

There are only 5 parts (well, 6 if you count the feed stomper)  They are:

 

The main body.  This has a bronze bushing or washer molded into it. Other than that, it's all plastic.

 

The auger, or worm.  The end is s/s, and this fits inside of the K.A. hub

 

The knife,  or blade.  S/S

 

The die  S/S

 

And the cowling or cover that screws onto the housing.  All plastic.

[scubadoo97]

As I mentioned there are no lubricants used in the grinder

Your opinion on what the gray ooze is?

A lot if people report it. I've seen it

[Edward J]

Fat, or fat and moisture trapped between the bronze bushing and the auger.  The only way to avoid this is to tighten up the cowling/cover so the gap between the two moving pieces is minimized. 

 

It's 10 times worse with the larger machines.

[fvandrog]

As I mentioned there are no lubricants used in the grinder

Your opinion on what the gray ooze is?

A lot if people report it. I've seen it

 

Me too, but not with my KA grinder but with one of the larger grinders. Like Edward J mentions, try tightening as well as possible.

[scubadoo97]

Not with my Tasin just the KA grinder attachment. I rarely use it and it does a poor job compared to the Tasin. The KA is plastic and though I tighten it down hard is be afraid of cracking the plastic if it was any harder

[weedy]

anybody try the Chef's Choice metal grinder kit for the Kitchen Aid?

 

http://www.amazon.com/Chefs-Choice-7965001-Attachment-KitchenAid/dp/B00BVC0LC8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1396414670&sr=8-3&keywords=kitchen+aid+grinder

[fvandrog]

anybody try the Chef's Choice metal grinder kit for the Kitchen Aid?

 

http://www.amazon.com/Chefs-Choice-7965001-Attachment-KitchenAid/dp/B00BVC0LC8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1396414670&sr=8-3&keywords=kitchen+aid+grinder

 

Nope, it is interesting though, since I wasn't aware there were any third party implements for KA stand-mixers available. I see there's a bunch of stuffing tubes to go with this grinder as well (looking closer, the term available seems somewhat exaggerated ).

 

Now I have to look around for other third party implements, and risk spending some money on things I could probably do very well without.

[JohnT]

I am considering making my own gefilte fish this Passover and will need a meat grinder. I have three options, a hand crank model, a powered model and a Kitchenaid attachment. I don't need anything fancy as this will be the only use for the grinder. What type should I get?  Any advice would be appreciated.

DanM, I really would not wast the money on purchasing a grinder for making even a large batch of gefilte fish unless you want to do other grinding at a later stage. The use for a food processor will do fine for doing the vegetables and fish if you just pulse it to get the correct constancy. Grinding the fish will produce too much mush - using a fork to break up the fish will give you a good texture and not a paste. John.

[DanM]

I hope to make an effort at making gefilte fish next week. I will need to grind/mince a couple pounds of fish. There are two routes. I can buy a meat grinder, which will give the fish a consistent finish texture. The other method is to use my food processor, but I risk turning the fish to mush and have an inconsistent product. 

 

Thoughts?

 

Dan

[Pam R]

We use a food processor. You kind of want the fish to be mush when it's raw.

[Alex]

The recipe I recently posted here says either is fine, just be careful to not puree the fish. I've always used a food processor (pulsing and scraping) and it's turned out fine each time. The 15 minutes in the KitchenAid helps to break down any remaining larger pieces.

[Shel_B]

We use a food processor. You kind of want the fish to be mush when it's raw.

 

OMG! ... my grandmas would turn over in their graves if they read that ... MUSH!?