Is a Budget Meat Grinder Really Worth the Hype?

I've always wondered how people managed without a meat grinder - my mom would sigh whenever she came over and started cooking with one.

But I've been living without one for years, and this year I decided to stock up on some ajika, but standing there for hours with a hand grater wasn't exactly my idea of fun.

So, I finally came of age and bought a meat grinder.

I chose one of the most budget-friendly options, since I'll only be using it occasionally.

I tested it out and I'm ready to share my thoughts: is a budget meat grinder worth it?

So, the PMG 1872 meat grinder from Polaris.

Price. 3412 rubles (currently priced at 4990 rubles on the official website, but there are discounts for club members and online payments)

Where I bought it. [link]

Manufacturer. Russia.

Why this one?

I have a small kitchen, just 6 square meters, so the appliance needs to be compact and not too heavy.

This meat grinder, although budget-friendly, met all my requirements.

And with the discount and free delivery, I thought it was a great deal.

In the end, the price on the official website was actually lower than the competitors.

I'm not sure if Polaris always offers free delivery and how often it happens.

The courier delivered it on time, a few days after I made the purchase.

The packaging was intact, and everything arrived in one piece.

I got a package from Polaris with a meat grinder that I'm totally stoked about, and now I've got some faith in the brand.Will this budget-friendly meat grinder deliver? We'll see.

Description

The Polaris PMG 1872 meat grinder is made from top-notch, BPA-free plastic and stainless steel.

It doesn't contain any nasty components and won't react with harsh chemicals.

It's powered by a standard household outlet, connected via a power cord.

To extend its lifespan, it's got overheating and overloading protection.

There are also dedicated storage compartments for the accessories and cord.

It's a beast when it comes to performance - up to 2 kg of ground meat per minute.

It's got reverse functionality, PROtect+ tech, and an extra engine overload protector.

The non-slip feet are a nice touch, and it's got a 1800W motor.

Assembly was a breeze - there's a detailed manual that walks you through everything.I'm not exactly tech-savvy, but even I managed to figure it out.

The only tricky part is snapping in the removable working block, which has a dedicated button for it.

Everything else is pretty standard meat grinder fare.What's in the box?

2 high-quality steel grids (5 mm, 7 mm);

- a high-quality plastic meat tray;

- a plastic pusher;

- a sausage-making attachment;

- a kofta-making attachment.

I have to admit, I'd never even heard of a kebbe before.It turns out they're these Middle Eastern sausage-like things with a filling inside.

I'm not sure I'd ever get around to using them - you need to get a bit of practice to fill the tubes with the right amount of filling before the meat starts to stick together.

It's definitely easier with two people.

But, hey, most modern meat grinders come with these attachments, so...

As for sausages and hot dogs, this attachment might actually come in handy.Store-bought sausages are just gross, though.

I used to buy Belarusian ones, but even those aren't as great as they used to be.

Of course, to make your own sausages and hot dogs, you'll need to buy some collagen casings or intestines.

The stainless steel components look pretty solid, but the plastic body feels a bit flimsy.

We'll see how it holds up in use, I suppose.

The meat grinder also comes with non-slip feet and a 'reverse' function - which is handy for...

Meat grinder in action

I decided to put my new helper to the test by making ajika.Since I'd never used an electric meat grinder before, I was relying on my grandma's old-fashioned one - a simple iron one.

I thought I'd just chop up the ingredients, and with a bit of elbow grease, I'd be able to grind 3 kg of tomatoes in 2 minutes.

Yeah, right! I chopped the tomatoes in half, but the meat grinder couldn't handle such big chunks.

The manual says that the meat should be cut into 2x2x6 cm pieces.

So, I had to chop my tomatoes down to size.

I had to chop the chicken into tiny pieces too, so nothing would get stuck.

(By the way, the meat has to be completely defrosted.)

The result was a juicy mince - although I didn't time how long it took to grind 2 kg of it.

The manufacturer claims that the meat grinder should be able to grind 2 kg of mince in a minute.

One thing I learned is that the meat grinder doesn't like it when there's too much stuff in the hopper at once.

It's better to add ingredients gradually, rather than shoveling them in like I used to with my old Soviet meat grinder.

Some product limitations:

Don't try to grind ginger or other tough products in this meat grinder.

They won't get chopped up properly.

Soak dried fruits and roots before grinding them.

That's about it for the downsides - it grinds everything quickly and finely, and I didn't even use the smallest grinding plate.

Although I did choose the largest one.

Cleaning and washing the parts is a breeze, even the narrow hopper of the working block.

You don't have to spend ages cleaning out leftover bits.

So, is the budget meat grinder worth it?

The manual says:

Don't work the meat grinder for more than 3 minutes at a time.

After every 3 minutes, take a 10-minute break to let the motor cool down.

I've found that I need to stop the thing every three minutes to let it cool down - otherwise, it starts overheating and gives off this nasty plastic smell.

More powerful meat grinders can run for 10-15-20 minutes without stopping, and pros can go up to 50 minutes.

Three minutes of work isn't a huge deal if you're just making a small batch of meat or veggies.

I mean, it should be able to handle up to 2 kg of meat per minute, so that's still a decent amount of stuff you can process in three minutes.

But if you're making something for a big family, taking a 10-minute break every three minutes isn't exactly saving you time, is it?

That's kind of the point of buying a device like this.

The first time I used it to grind up some tomatoes, I ran into the overheating issue because I was messing around with it and couldn't get it to stop in three minutes.

And overheating can cause damage, as we all know.

Next time, I tried to be more careful, but I still didn't know about the three-minute limit.

If I had known, I might have gone for a more powerful model.

Moral of the story: read reviews before buying!

The Polaris PMG 1872 electric meat grinder:

+ budget-friendly price

+ grinds stuff super fast

+ has a 'reverse' function

+ comes with a few attachments

- three-minute continuous running time

All in all, it's a decent meat grinder that gets the job done, but the three-minute limit is a bit of a pain.

If you need to process a lot of stuff, you'll be stopping and starting all the time.

If I had known about this limitation beforehand, I might have gone for a more powerful model.

That's all from me.

Happy shopping!