How To Sharpen Meat Grinder Knives At Home + Video

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

How to sharpen meat grinder knives correctly: life hacks for household

A meat grinder is an indispensable thing in the kitchen. With its help, each housewife will be able to cook a huge number of minced meat and vegetables dishes. Despite the fact that other versatile appliances have already appeared in the modern kitchen, such as a blender or a food processor, the meat grinder still confidently competes with them. However, the blades of the device become dull after prolonged use, and the question of how to properly sharpen the knives of a meat grinder one day becomes relevant.

Content

• 1 Why grinder knives need to be sharpened
• 2 Nuances of correct sharpening

• 3 3 ways to sharpen meat grinder knives at home

  • 3.1 On a grindstone

    3.1.1 Video: how to sharpen meat grinder knives using a grindstone

  • 3.2 On the machine

    3.2.1 Video: An example of cutting blades on a machine

  • 3.3 Sandpaper

    3.3.1 Video: master class on sharpening with sandpaper

Why grinder knives need to be sharpened

Depending on the frequency of use of a meat grinder, its blades lose their sharpness. This can occur due to the formation of small chips and depressions in the place where the movable and stationary cutting elements touch.

Knives in a meat grinder must be sharpened at regular intervals.

Basically, the device works with a relatively soft product - meat. But small bones or tendons, when grinding, fall on the cutting edge of the blade, which leads to a gradual loss of sharpness. At the initial stage, you may find that the meat grinder began to "chew" the meat, and soon after that it completely ceases to grind it.

Also, with improper care, the metal from which the knives are made begins to oxidize and rust. It also negatively affects their severity.

Today, manufacturers produce all the components for small household appliances in sufficient quantities. You can easily buy a new sharp knife for a meat grinder, especially an electric one. But this will require additional costs, in addition, often the problem is revealed at the moment when the cooking process has already begun.

Cutting elements for electric and mechanical meat grinders have approximately the same shape and metal alloy composition. The only difference is that in a mechanical device the knives are rotated manually, while in automated devices there is a built-in motor that performs a similar function. Therefore, you can sharpen the blades in the same ways.

The nuances of correct sharpening

Grinding of products in a meat grinder is provided with 2 knives:

• fixed knife-mesh;
• four-blade cutter.

The second knife is a rotating part, thanks to which the main chopping takes place. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to the sharpening of all its sides.

Fundamental rules:

1. If sharpening will be done with a sharpening stone, take a metal ruler and make sure its surface is perfectly horizontal.
2. If sandpaper is used as an abrasive, then it is better to fix it on the working surface. It will not be superfluous to place any flat removable surface under it, for example, glass, to protect the table from scratches during operation.
3. Pre-treat the knives with vegetable oil and let sit for 5 minutes. Do the same with the tool with which you will be sharpening. This is necessary so that a gentle abrasive paste can form during sharpening. It will also help to minimize scratches and splinters on the knives.
4. To ensure even metal removal, try to press the center of the knife against the sharpening surface.
5. The mesh knife also dulls during operation, so it also needs to be sharpened.

3 ways to sharpen meat grinder knives at home

Regardless of which method you choose for sharpening, you need to prepare the necessary materials with which the work will be done. The correct organization of the process will allow you to sharpen knives quickly, efficiently and not damage them. You can return the blades to their previous sharpness yourself, having at home one of the sharpening tools and about 30 minutes of time.

There are several ways to sharpen meat grinder knives:

• on a grinding machine;
• using a grindstone;
• sandpaper.

All these methods do not require special skills and expensive devices. You can buy everything you need at hardware stores.

On a grindstone

If you have absolutely no experience in sharpening meat grinder knives, buy a corundum whetstone from a specialized store. The best option would be if its diameter is about 180 mm, and the grain size is from 40 to 60 microns.

Sharpening stone - a simple and affordable tool for sharpening knives

The process itself has the following features:

1. Sharpening should be done under a weak stream of water. To do this, place a stone in a sink and moisten it liberally. The water will act as a lubricant and cool the metal.
2. Secure the whetstone to the work surface. To do this, you can put a rag under it.
3. Take the cutter and place it with the blade against the stone.
4. Perform circular movements clockwise with even pressure on the knife.
5. Continue sharpening until the surface of the element is completely shiny.
6. After the sharpening of the rotating knife is finished, do the same with the grid knife. To do this, place it on the stone with the side adjacent to the first knife.
7. After sharpening both knives, check the fit. To do this, fold them together with their respective sides and look at the gap. No gaps should be visible.
8. Finally, rinse the knives under a stream of warm water to rinse off the abrasive.
9. Assemble the meat grinder and try it out.

Video: how to sharpen meat grinder knives using a grindstone

On the machine

This is a very simple and quick way to sharpen your knives yourself. Sharpening is done using a rotating grinding disc. Before starting work, an abrasive goi paste is applied to its surface, which, when dried, creates a rough surface on the disc due to the content of small particles in its composition.

A little skill is required to work on a grinding machine

Sharpening of the mesh knife on the machine is done as follows:

1. Apply abrasive paste to the surface of the easel wheel and wait until it dries. Only then will the device be ready for use.
2. Switch on the machine. The disc will start spinning.
3. Gently press the mesh knife against the disc surface. Try to distribute the pressure evenly.

Sharpening the cutter with a machine can be difficult if you have no experience with the machine. It must be carried out in 2 stages:

1. First, sharpen each of the 4 knife blades by leaning them against the rotating blade at an 80 ° angle.
2. The second step will be to grind off the resulting burrs. To do this, perform actions similar to sharpening a mesh knife.

Video: an example of processing blades on a machine

Sandpaper

One of the easiest and most affordable ways is to use sandpaper. She will certainly be found in your home. As a last resort, you can buy it at a hardware store or hardware store. The cost of this tool is several times less than the cost of a grindstone or machine.

Do not use paper with a coarse grain size for sharpening the knives of the meat grinder.

So, the sharpening process is carried out in the following sequence:

1. Place a sheet of sandpaper horizontally on the desktop. For convenience, it is desirable to provide him with additional fixation.
2. Rub the knife in a clockwise circular motion until the blades are shiny and sharp.
3. Do the same with the mesh.

Video: master class on sharpening with sandpaper

The process of sharpening meat grinder knives at home is quite feasible even for people without special experience and skills. All you need is a sharpening tool and some free time. If you notice a deterioration in the sharpness of the blades in the device, do not hesitate to process them.