Manual Meat Grinder Question
 

I found a brand new cast-iron manual meat grinder in the "ethnic" aisle in
my supermarket. It was displayed with those big aluminum "calderon" pots,
the tostones presses, tortilla presses, coffee socks, etc.

I didn't notice the brand, but it has a price of about $18.

That seemed very reasonable--almost "too" inexpensive.

I've been thinking about getting one of these for a long time. The price
fits right into my budget but I'm afraid that something so cheap won't be
well-made.

I'm so wishing that I taken the one my Mom had in the drawer for years.
Unfortunately, I did not take it when I first moved out of the house, I
didn't know I wanted it back then! And it wound up in a box in the basement
that got wet...became a rusted mess and I couldn't salvage it.

I am uncomfortable buying one of these second hand, not knowing who used it
before me and the cleanliness being questionable. Besides, the new ones are
tinned (or otherwise coated) so they are less likely to rust, which I like.

How much do these things go for? Is about $20 a great deal, or is that so
cheap that the quality would be suspect?

Have never bought one of these before, don't plan to buy more than one, so i
want it to be a decently durable one.

Thanks for you advice.

Sheryl Rosen wrote:
> I found a brand new cast-iron manual meat grinder in the "ethnic" aisle in
> my supermarket. It was displayed with those big aluminum "calderon" pots,
> the tostones presses, tortilla presses, coffee socks, etc.
>
> I didn't notice the brand, but it has a price of about $18.
>
> That seemed very reasonable--almost "too" inexpensive.
>
> I've been thinking about getting one of these for a long time. The price
> fits right into my budget but I'm afraid that something so cheap won't be
> well-made.
>
> I'm so wishing that I taken the one my Mom had in the drawer for years.
> Unfortunately, I did not take it when I first moved out of the house, I
> didn't know I wanted it back then! And it wound up in a box in the basement
> that got wet...became a rusted mess and I couldn't salvage it.
>
> I am uncomfortable buying one of these second hand, not knowing who used it
> before me and the cleanliness being questionable. Besides, the new ones are
> tinned (or otherwise coated) so they are less likely to rust, which I like.
>
> How much do these things go for? Is about $20 a great deal, or is that so
> cheap that the quality would be suspect?
>
> Have never bought one of these before, don't plan to buy more than one, so i
> want it to be a decently durable one.
>
> Thanks for you advice.
>


What markings does it have on it? Is it tin-plated, or chromed?

Hopefully it's not a "Universal #2 Food Chopper". (I bought one out of
curiosity, and it's worthless.)

You want a #10 or a #12. Number 8 is OK, but #5 is too small. Anything
smaller will be a non-standard size and you won't be able to get knives
and plates for it, plus anything smaller will be pitifully slow.

Do you still have the rusty old one, or did you throw it out?

Bob

Sheryl Rosen wrote:
> I found a brand new cast-iron manual meat grinder in the "ethnic" aisle in
> my supermarket. It was displayed with those big aluminum "calderon" pots,
> the tostones presses, tortilla presses, coffee socks, etc.
>
> I didn't notice the brand, but it has a price of about $18.
>
> That seemed very reasonable--almost "too" inexpensive.
>
> I've been thinking about getting one of these for a long time. The price
> fits right into my budget but I'm afraid that something so cheap won't be
> well-made.
>
> I'm so wishing that I taken the one my Mom had in the drawer for years.
> Unfortunately, I did not take it when I first moved out of the house, I
> didn't know I wanted it back then! And it wound up in a box in the basement
> that got wet...became a rusted mess and I couldn't salvage it.
>
> I am uncomfortable buying one of these second hand, not knowing who used it
> before me and the cleanliness being questionable. Besides, the new ones are
> tinned (or otherwise coated) so they are less likely to rust, which I like.
>
> How much do these things go for? Is about $20 a great deal, or is that so
> cheap that the quality would be suspect?
>
> Have never bought one of these before, don't plan to buy more than one, so i
> want it to be a decently durable one.
>
> Thanks for you advice.
>


What markings does it have on it? Is it tin-plated, or chromed?

Hopefully it's not a "Universal #2 Food Chopper". (I bought one out of
curiosity, and it's worthless.)

You want a #10 or a #12. Number 8 is OK, but #5 is too small. Anything
smaller will be a non-standard size and you won't be able to get knives
and plates for it, plus anything smaller will be pitifully slow.

Do you still have the rusty old one, or did you throw it out?

Bob

Sheryl Rosen wrote:
> I found a brand new cast-iron manual meat grinder in the "ethnic" aisle in
> my supermarket. It was displayed with those big aluminum "calderon" pots,
> the tostones presses, tortilla presses, coffee socks, etc.
>
> I didn't notice the brand, but it has a price of about $18.
>
> That seemed very reasonable--almost "too" inexpensive.
>
> I've been thinking about getting one of these for a long time. The price
> fits right into my budget but I'm afraid that something so cheap won't be
> well-made.
>
> I'm so wishing that I taken the one my Mom had in the drawer for years.
> Unfortunately, I did not take it when I first moved out of the house, I
> didn't know I wanted it back then! And it wound up in a box in the basement
> that got wet...became a rusted mess and I couldn't salvage it.
>
> I am uncomfortable buying one of these second hand, not knowing who used it
> before me and the cleanliness being questionable. Besides, the new ones are
> tinned (or otherwise coated) so they are less likely to rust, which I like.
>
> How much do these things go for? Is about $20 a great deal, or is that so
> cheap that the quality would be suspect?
>
> Have never bought one of these before, don't plan to buy more than one, so i
> want it to be a decently durable one.
>
> Thanks for you advice.
>


What markings does it have on it? Is it tin-plated, or chromed?

Hopefully it's not a "Universal #2 Food Chopper". (I bought one out of
curiosity, and it's worthless.)

You want a #10 or a #12. Number 8 is OK, but #5 is too small. Anything
smaller will be a non-standard size and you won't be able to get knives
and plates for it, plus anything smaller will be pitifully slow.

Do you still have the rusty old one, or did you throw it out?

Bob

> Sheryl Rosen writes:
>
>I found a brand new cast-iron manual meat grinder in the "ethnic" aisle in
>my supermarket. It was displayed with those big aluminum "calderon" pots,
>the tostones presses, tortilla presses, coffee socks, etc.
>
>I didn't notice the brand, but it has a price of about $18.
>
>That seemed very reasonable--almost "too" inexpensive.
>
>I've been thinking about getting one of these for a long time. The price
>fits right into my budget but I'm afraid that something so cheap won't be
>well-made.
>
>I'm so wishing that I taken the one my Mom had in the drawer for years.
>Unfortunately, I did not take it when I first moved out of the house, I
>didn't know I wanted it back then! And it wound up in a box in the basement
>that got wet...became a rusted mess and I couldn't salvage it.
>
>I am uncomfortable buying one of these second hand, not knowing who used it
>before me and the cleanliness being questionable. Besides, the new ones are
>tinned (or otherwise coated) so they are less likely to rust, which I like.
>
>How much do these things go for? Is about $20 a great deal, or is that so
>cheap that the quality would be suspect?
>
>Have never bought one of these before, don't plan to buy more than one, so i
>want it to be a decently durable one.
>
>Thanks for you advice.

There's really no way to know without actually seeing it but at that $18 price
I seriously doubt it is even close to a quality hand meat grinder... and in
fact may not be a meat grinder at all... often the type of grinders sold at
Latino markets are specifically for grinding corn and other grains. I were you
I'd invest in an electric grinder, it'll probably last you the rest of your
life, and since it will work so effortlessly and flawlessly you'll actually use
it.


---= BOYCOTT FRANCE (belgium) GERMANY--SPAIN =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
*********
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."
Sheldon
````````````

Sheryl Rosen wrote:

> I found a brand new cast-iron manual meat grinder in the "ethnic" aisle
> in my supermarket. It was displayed with those big aluminum "calderon"
> pots, the tostones presses, tortilla presses, coffee socks, etc.
>
> I didn't notice the brand, but it has a price of about $18.

I'll bet it was made in Mexico, hence it's "ethnic" association.
They make some pretty decent cast iron in Mexico.
My mom just gave me her Corona wheat grinder,
made in Mexico, heavily tinned. It's pretty rugged.
You might see it on eBay in the near future.

> That seemed very reasonable--almost "too" inexpensive.

My wheat grinder is rather crudely cast. But we're
not talking about a camera. It works just fine.

> I've been thinking about getting one of these for a long time. The
> price fits right into my budget but I'm afraid that something so
> cheap won't be well-made.

If $18 means the kids don't get immunized this year,
you'd better not chance it. I would guess you'll never
break it or wear it out, though.

On the other hand, my mom also gave her cheap plastic
manual meat grinder which was purchased new about
35 years ago. Although some of the parts are barely
holding together, it still does a good job in small quantities.
I used to make pesto with it, and recently I ran a couple
pounds of dried apricots through it. (The blades and
plates are steel.)

> I'm so wishing that I taken the one my Mom had in the
> drawer for years. Unfortunately, I did not take it when
> I first moved out of the house, I didn't know I wanted it
> back then! And it wound up in a box in the basement
> that got wet...became a rusted mess and I couldn't salvage it.
>
> I am uncomfortable buying one of these second hand,
> not knowing who used it before me and the cleanliness
> being questionable.

Yeah, nobody ever figured out what happened to my
first wife. :-)

> Besides, the new ones are tinned (or otherwise coated)
> so they are less likely to rust, which I like.
>
> How much do these things go for? Is about $20 a great deal,
> or is that so cheap that the quality would be suspect?

Not if it comes from Mexico. A meat grinder isn't exactly
rocket science. (Rockets we get from China. :-)

> Have never bought one of these before, don't plan to buy
> more than one, so i want it to be a decently durable one.

If it's cast iron from Mexico, I don't think you'll be disappointed.
The kids can get those shots next year. :-)

in article , zxcvbob at
wrote on 9/27/04 9:31 PM:

>> How much do these things go for? Is about $20 a great deal, or is that so
>> cheap that the quality would be suspect?
>>
>> Have never bought one of these before, don't plan to buy more than one, so i
>> want it to be a decently durable one.
>>
>> Thanks for you advice.
>>
>
>
> What markings does it have on it? Is it tin-plated, or chromed?
>
> Hopefully it's not a "Universal #2 Food Chopper". (I bought one out of
> curiosity, and it's worthless.)
>
> You want a #10 or a #12. Number 8 is OK, but #5 is too small. Anything
> smaller will be a non-standard size and you won't be able to get knives
> and plates for it, plus anything smaller will be pitifully slow.
>
> Do you still have the rusty old one, or did you throw it out?
>
> Bob

No, I tossed it.

I'm thinking it's tin-plated, rather than chrome. It's not shiny enough to
be chrome, I don't think.

I'll look at it again, I'm in the supermarket all the time. No hurry to buy
it, just something I saw and thought "ohhh I want that!"

in article , Mark Thorson at
wrote on 9/27/04 9:54 PM:

> If $18 means the kids don't get immunized this year,
> you'd better not chance it. I would guess you'll never
> break it or wear it out, though.
>

Nahhhh, my cat's shots cost wayyyy more than $18, unfortunately.
She's getting older, she's at least 9, and I am uncomfortable giving her
rabies immunizations every year when she never ever comes into contact with
other animals, except at the vet's office once a year for her shots. But
it's been about 18 months since her last one, so maybe I'll take her in a
few weeks. She went to the vet for an abcess in her little mouth back in
March, and she got her checkup except for her shots, so she's healthy (knock
on wood).

I'll check out the grinder again when I go back to the market and see if I
can find out if it's tinned or chromed, and if it's made in Mexico or not.

Sheryl Rosen wrote:
> in article , zxcvbob at
> wrote on 9/27/04 9:31 PM:
>
>
>>>How much do these things go for? Is about $20 a great deal, or is that so
>>>cheap that the quality would be suspect?
>>>
>>>Have never bought one of these before, don't plan to buy more than one, so i
>>>want it to be a decently durable one.
>>>
>>>Thanks for you advice.
>>>
>>
>>
>>What markings does it have on it? Is it tin-plated, or chromed?
>>
>>Hopefully it's not a "Universal #2 Food Chopper". (I bought one out of
>>curiosity, and it's worthless.)
>>
>>You want a #10 or a #12. Number 8 is OK, but #5 is too small. Anything
>>smaller will be a non-standard size and you won't be able to get knives
>>and plates for it, plus anything smaller will be pitifully slow.
>>
>>Do you still have the rusty old one, or did you throw it out?
>>
>>Bob
>
>
> No, I tossed it.
>
> I'm thinking it's tin-plated, rather than chrome. It's not shiny enough to
> be chrome, I don't think.


Tin is much better than chrome. Chrome is not all *that* shiny if it is
just chromed over a rough casting (some Chinese stuff is like that.)

> I'll look at it again, I'm in the supermarket all the time. No hurry to buy
> it, just something I saw and thought "ohhh I want that!"
>

It probably won't have much markings on it, but it should have a number
5, 8, 10, 12, 22, or 32 prominent in the casting; probably on the side
of the hopper/throat/whatever-you-call-it.

Best regards,
Bob