Manual meat grinders offer a plethora of cooking benefits. These equipments are durable and comparatively inexpensive and they do a great job in creating freshly-ground meat with the best consistency. These meat grinders are perfect for those who do not mind putting in a bit more muscle work and those who are on a tight budget.

While most manual meat grinders have reliable and wear and tear-resistant construction, they are still in need of care and attention. You’d want to know how to maintain and clean them properly to stretch their life and make sure that they work for many more years to come.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to clean your manual meat grinder :

• Step 1: Get a piece of loaf bread and run it through the meat grinder. This will help get rid of meat and fat residues that may be stuck inside the machine. This will also help get rid of some of the grease left behind by a very oily batch of meat. Discard the ground bread.

• Step 2: Disassemble the parts carefully. Remove the cutting plates and the tray. If possible, remove the screw connecting the washable parts together. It should be easy to put them back again once the cleaning process is done. Set the screws on a paper towel so you won’t lose them.

• Step 3: In a big dishwashing bowl, mix warm water with liquid dish soap. Put all the parts in the mixture and allow them to soak for 15 minutes. This will help get rid of the grease on the blades.

• Step 4: Get a sponge and wash the parts. Be careful when you are running the sponge on the parts as the blades can be really sharp. Use a bottle brush to clean feeding tubes. If you need to clean the small holes of a cutting plate, try using a toothpick and poke the holes to get rid of lingering debris.

• Step 5: Wash all the parts off with clean water. Make sure the soapy mixture is fully removed from the parts.

• Step 6: Use a towel to dry all the parts. Do not store or re-assemble the manual meat grinder while the parts are still dry. This can cause corrosion as there are some blades that are only made from cast iron and not stainless steel.

• Step 7: After towel-drying the parts, allow them to dry on your counter. Make sure the dampness is completely gone before re-assembling your meat grinder and storing it.