This is the time during the year that I’m not only anxiously waiting to get out on the water, but I’m doing my final preparations for various fishing trips. Along with the researching and booking of trips, comes the planning and prep, of not only my fishing gear, but of the food I’ll be taking along with me.
Fishing 10+ hours a day for 7 days can be taxing, so it’s important to be mindful of staying hydrated, and well-nourished. I’ve always enjoyed providing a variety of great meals while on my trips, so we don’t have to settle for Kraft Dinner (not that I have anything against Kraft Dinner mind you). Over the winter I purchased my first ever Stand Mixer from KitchenAid, and it’s been a great tool for cooking for the family, but I learned it can do more than help with my baking. Watching some videos, I realized there was a host of attachments you could purchase, greatly expanding it’s capabilities. The one that instantly caught my eye was the Food Grinder attachment.
I was excited about the prospect of being able to choose my own cuts of meat, in the ratios wanted, to produce my own ground beef for use in burgers, meatloaf, meatballs, pasta sauce – you name it. I’d be able to buy in bulk when on sale, and when coupled with my FoodSaver, I’d be able to freeze the meats and keep them in great condition until needed. In particular, I was envisioning how great the meals would taste when I’m off on remote trips. So I reached out the the folks at KitchenAid, who were kind enough to loan me a unit to try out. This then, is my written and video experience.
First off, I watched a bunch of videos and read a few reviews before I started, so I wasn’t in the dark. I purchased a few different meats that were on sale. I grabbed a chuck roast, a sirloin roast, and actually used a bit of tenderloin from a large price I was portioning out. In each case I trimmed off any silver skin, sinew (anything that would be tough both on the grinder and in your mouth), as well as any excess fat. I didn’t remove all the fat, but I did make it pretty lean. Next, I sliced the meat up into chunks or strips that would fit into the opening of the grinder. Finally, I placed the meat on a tray in the freezer to firm up, as I learned that was a key step to getting a good grind.
The video below should do a great job of showing the actual process of grinding the meat. It was easy, it was fast, and what a difference compared to what I buy in the store. The meat “crumbled” as opposed to being packed together in the store. When I made burgers the first night, we all commented on not only the taste of the burger, but that they were more moist than normal and that they were far less tough to chew, and we didn’t cook them any different. I also cooked up some of the ground meat to use in a pasta sauce, it I hardly had to work to break the meat up as it cooked, and it almost dissolved as we were eating it.
Like many people, we try to either save money on the food budget, or get better quality for the same price, and the food grinder is great for both. We can either look for meats on sale, or pay what we normally would, but get a far better result. The two thing I placed the highest value on though, was the fact that I knew exactly what was going into our bodies, and I enjoyed the overall process of grinding my own meat.
Shortly after returning the unit that was loaned to me, I was at my local store purchasing my very own unit. If you own a stand mixer, you’ve already made the large investment in that unit. I was able to get my attachment for $80 Canadian, and I have a $30 mail in rebate to send in! Enjoy the video, and I’d love to hear what you are using your grinder for.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to scott@canadianfisherman.ca. As always, don’t forget to sign up and have my most recent post sent right to you!