The sharpening period directly depends on the operation of the device and the amount of twisted meat or other products. If you use the meat grinder several times every week, then the knife is enough for about 1.5-2 months. While the blades are new, they can last 3 or 4 months. Then, no matter how reliable the knife is, it becomes dull and requires sharpening.
As soon as the meat became difficult to pass through the grate, and when the meat grinder was loaded, you could hear the screw spinning idle, the blades became unusable. The device is disassembled, washed and dried well. Only then can its blades be sharpened. Along with the knife, the grate is always sharpened.
Attention!
The speed of cutting meat depends on how tightly the knife fits tightly to the grate. The tighter they are pressed against each other, the faster the stuffing turns out.
Knife sharpening rules
If you follow a few simple rules, then at home sharpening will not take much time and will be of high quality:
- sharpening is performed only on a surface with a fine abrasive. Large particles scratch metal surface and form notches and irregularities that are categorically unacceptable;
- when sharpening the grating, sharpen the side that is adjacent to the knife;
- The surface area of the material to be sharpened must be more sizes knife and disk.
Usually, a couple of minutes is enough to return the objects to their former sharpness and start using the meat grinder.
Sharpening methods
There are 3 ways to sharpen the product. They differ in the type of mechanical action. You can sharpen your knife with:
- sandpaper;
- grindstone;
- grinding machine.
The method is chosen based on availability. In terms of efficiency, they are equivalent: after any method, the disk easily fits snugly against the blade.
With sandpaper
The easiest way is sharpening with sandpaper. There is paper in every home, and sharpening on it is a pleasure, and also safe. Even an inexperienced hostess will cope. The main point is to choose a good piece of sandpaper, on which the abrasive lies in a dense layer.
The procedure is as follows:
- put sandpaper on a flat surface and fix its edges. The paper should be straightened, not have creases;
- take a knife and put it on the sandpaper. Press with your fingers from above and drive the knife along the abrasive counterclockwise. The speed of movement must be fast. Continue sharpening for 2-3 minutes;
- put the disk on the working side and do the same manipulation as with the knife;
- sharpened products are degreased and rinsed with water, then allowed to dry.
To determine how effectively the sharpening was, connect the knife to the disk. Then they press on the blade and try to move the parts. If there is no shift, then the products are well sharpened.
On the grindstone
Another useful item in the house is a grindstone. It is suitable not only for sharpening blades, but also for kitchen knives. Before use, the stone must be washed from dust and dirt, completely dry. It is advisable to wear protective gloves on your hands to avoid cuts and other injuries.
A knife is placed on the stone and they begin to make circular movements with it. Grind the knife quickly, in 2-3 minutes. After the knife, a grate is placed and rotated with quick movements for 2-3 minutes. You need to press on the part from above, then the sharpening will be of high quality. Wash the treated parts well with soap and blot moisture from them with a dry, clean towel.
On a grinder
The last method, although it is the fastest, is also the most dangerous. It is not recommended to use the machine if there is no experience with it. You can get seriously injured if you do not follow the safety precautions (goggles and gloves).
If the principle of operation of the device is clear, and in life you have already encountered it, you can start the process:
- The knife is slightly lubricated with any oil so that it slides better.
- Turn on the machine at low speed.
- Bring a knife to the rotational element and press it close.
- Continue to hold the product for 20-30 seconds, then take it to the side. The metal heats up, so the knife must be given time to cool.
- The same procedure is performed with the lattice.
When sharpening is done, and the products have cooled, they are washed with soap and dried on a towel. In well-sharpened elements, the edges become shiny, and if you look closely, a fine mesh is visible on the surface - grinding. You can immediately test the blade and grate for sharpness.
An old manual or new electric meat grinder in the house is simply a must. Cooking minced meat is a matter of a few minutes, but this requires a working meat grinder that will not let you down in the midst of work. And if the unit started to malfunction, the answer is always the same - blunt knives. So the question arises, where and how to sharpen a knife for a meat grinder, if it is necessary at the most crucial moment.
The device and principle of operation of the meat grinder
To understand how knives work and why it is necessary to constantly monitor the condition of the cutting surfaces, consider the device and the principle of operation of the unit.
The meat grinder consists of the following units:
- cast body (cast iron or aluminum alloy);
- cast auger (cast iron or aluminum alloy);
- movable four-bladed knife;
- fixed grate with many holes;
- large front nut;
- handle for rotating the auger (in electric meat grinders - an electric motor).
The meat is loaded into the receiving hopper, from where it is fed to a fixed grid with the help of an auger. Here, the process of cutting meat between the fixed mesh and the movable four-bladed knife takes place. Chopped meat in the form of minced meat is pressed through the mesh holes into the receiving container.
When sharpening is needed
To understand why sharpening is needed, it is necessary to understand the operation of all the details during the production of minced meat.
When buying a meat grinder, all parts are brand new, as they were not used. Therefore, the knives are perfect surface contact. This is very important during the operation of the unit. There is an ideal cut of the next portion of meat falling into working area unit.
But after some time of operation, the meat grinder starts to malfunction. If the unit is manual, then you have to make more effort to rotate the handle. With an electric drive, there are interruptions in the rotation of the auger, overheating of the electric motor and its possible breakdown.
With an ideal way out, it is enough to buy spare parts in the store and, after replacement, continue to work quietly. But this option cannot suit the hostess. After all, buying parts is not economically viable. It is necessary to figure out what is happening and how you can get out of the situation without buying new parts.
What's going on with the grinder
After buying a meat grinder in a store, you need to read the instruction manual. Almost all manufacturers assure buyers that the knives of their unit do not have a wear period and even sharpen themselves. Allegedly, during operation, the movable cutter, in close contact with the fixed mesh, slides over it and mutual self-sharpening occurs due to friction. But in reality we don't see it. Indeed, even in electric meat grinders, cutting parts are made not from high-quality steel, but from ordinary steel.
When grinding the product, tendons, all kinds of inclusions, up to small fragments of bones fall. As a result of such work, the usual blunting of the cutting parts occurs and the minced meat grinding process is disrupted. After a while, the meat grinder simply does not grind the meat, but crushes it. That's when the question arises, where to sharpen the knives for the meat grinder.
Sharpening knives for meat grinders
So that you are not tormented by the question of where you can sharpen the meat grinder knives at the time of minced meat production, try to regularly inspect the parts. To do this, simply disassemble the unit and inspect the condition of the cutting units. If the surface is covered with rust, it must be pierced to prevent destruction by corrosion. You always have a choice: where to sharpen knives for a meat grinder.
If you prefer to entrust this work to specialists, then you can contact one of the sharpening centers of specialized enterprises in your city.
Sharpening knives in the workshop
If you decide to sharpen the cutting parts in the workshop, then this must be done in advance. It is necessary to inspect the meat grinder once a month and identify all defects.
In workshops for e-sharpening, grinding machine Adems and use sharpening abrasive stones.
If you have such a machine in your home workshop or garage, then you can sharpen knives at home. Let's see how this can be done.
The machine consists of an electric drive and a horizontal faceplate. To perform this operation, you must:
- lubricate the plan washer over the entire surface with oil;
- sprinkle abrasive powder on the lubricated surface and distribute it evenly over the faceplate;
- turn on the machine and magnetic holder We install the knife with the processed surface on the faceplate, pressing it in the center.
After surface treatment, another element is placed on the machine. Thus, the horizontality of the working surfaces working in a pair of parts is achieved. The next operation is the sharpening of the edges of the movable four-blade cutter at an angle of 80 degrees on a sharpening abrasive. The final touch is the grinding of the cutting edges of the movable knife and the horizontal surface of the grate on the vulcanite stone.
Sharpening at home with sandpaper
What to do if you understand in the process of minced meat production: meat is not cut, but "chewed"?
You can sharpen knives at home. The easiest way to sharpen the cutting element is at home with your own hands. You need sandpaper for sharpening fine-grained knives. It is not advisable to use a coarse-grained skin, as this can damage the surface of the knife. After all, when sharpening knives in this way, one should not allow a lot of wear and damage to the cutting surfaces.
Sharpening is carried out on a perfectly horizontal surface. Having fixed a sheet of paper, we begin to rub it with the treated surface of the knife until we achieve cleanliness working surface. We do the same with the other knife. Having finished processing, we check the parallelism of the surfaces in the light. It would be ideal if no gap is visible between the cutter and the grate.
You can check the meat grinder with the help of threads inserted through the grate of the meat grinder when assembled. Turning on the electric meat grinder, the cut threads should fall on the table.
On the grindstone
You can sharpen knives using whetstones. To do this, we buy a corundum grinding stone from 40 to 60 microns in the store. We make a platform from the board to strengthen it and provide water supply during work. Having strengthened the stone on the stand, having previously moistened it with water, we begin to sharpen the movable element, making circular rotational-translational movements. In this case, a finely dispersed abrasive paste is formed, which brings the surface to grinding. Periodically rinse the cutter in water. When a shiny surface is reached, the part is considered ground.
We process the grid in the same way. At the same time, we check the fit of the knives to the clearance of the surfaces. If there is no gap between the applied working surfaces, then the result of sharpening is achieved and the meat grinder can be tested in operation.
On a grinder
The two previous methods work if the wear of the cutting parts is insignificant, you just need to make a small reconstruction of the cutting edges and contact surfaces. With more serious wear and damage, a grinder will help you.
When starting work, it is necessary to check the condition of the working disk of the machine. It should be perfectly flat and should only be used for sharpening work..
- It is necessary to apply GOI No. 4 paste on the working surface of the disc and let it dry.
- Then we turn on the machine and when the disk picks up speed, we begin to work.
- Pressing the mesh to the disk, we process until a uniformly shiny surface is obtained.
When processing a knife, it is necessary to work intermittently in order to prevent overheating of the workpiece.
Then we proceed to sharpening the four-bladed movable cutter. Here the work is carried out in stages..
Work on grinder will be efficient and fast if you know how to work and follow the safety rules.
For many years, sharpening a knife from a meat grinder was a problem for me. Rather, I was afraid to spoil it, so I preferred not to experiment at home, but to attribute it along with the usual kitchen knives master who worked for professional machine. However, then I got tired of it. And trips to the other end of the city no longer fit into the work schedule. And the toad began to choke, because for the price of a few sharpenings you could buy new knife. In general, I had to learn a new craft.
Method 1: an unusual file
First of all, I went to a hardware store and asked the seller to show all the tools for sharpening knives from a meat grinder that are available. He shrugged his shoulders, slid an indifferent glance at me and said that they didn’t have such a thing, they didn’t have it, and it’s unlikely they ever will.
I kept insisting. If there are meat grinders and knives for them on sale, then there is an item that can restore the functionality of these same knives. Let me get it even from under the counter, even from the ground, but otherwise I still won’t leave. The salesman thought for a minute, then perked up, went to some booth and returned a minute later with a file in his hand. It was he who solemnly handed me over, declaring that this file is called musat and together we will be happy forever.
That regular knives you can sharpen with a file, I heard somewhere. But the fact that it is used for sharpening knives from a meat grinder was unknown to me. However, the thing was interesting, it was inexpensive, and I would definitely find a use for it, so I decided to buy it.
As a result, I repeatedly made attempts to put the knife in order using the same musat. No positive changes were observed, rather the opposite. But ordinary knives were sharpened well, which, however, did not solve the problem with a meat grinder.
Method 2: Sandpaper
On a warm autumn day, in order to pass the time left before the appointment with the dentist, I decided to take a walk around the market. It was very conveniently located (almost next to the clinic) and there was always something to see.
So this time, walking between the rows with all sorts of things, I involuntarily overheard the conversation of the seller with the buyer, who demanded to give him emery for sharpening knives. This interested me, therefore, after waiting for the man to leave and taking advantage of the absence of other customers, I interrogated the man who was standing on the other side of the counter. Needless to say, his patience was limitless. For this reason, half an hour later, I went home with a set of 10 sheets of waterproof sandpaper for metalworking.
As the seller assured, sharpening knives with emery is as easy as shelling pears. Especially if these are knives from a meat grinder. The process of sharpening, according to him, looked like this:
- You need to put a piece of paper on a very flat, smooth surface. If it is bumpy, ribbed or something else, nothing good will come of it. Even one small grain that has fallen under a sheet of emery can ruin everything.
- Place the knife on top so that it touches the abrasive surface with its cutting edges.
- Press the knife down with your fingers and turn it counterclockwise. It is very important to do just that, and not vice versa.
- After a while, the edges will begin to shine. When their entire surface becomes silver-shiny, the sharpening process can be considered complete.
However, that's not all. In order for the meat grinder to work no worse than the jaws of the megalodon, it is necessary to tidy up the metal mesh (a circle with holes) through which the minced meat passes. Manipulations with it are carried out the same as with a knife, but it is desirable to bring it to an even shine on both sides. By the way, you can rotate the grid in any direction, and not strictly counterclockwise.
Since this method is suitable for both electric meat grinder, and for manual, I decided to first test it on knives from a cheaper fixture. I did everything as the seller advised, assembled the meat grinder, pulled out the meat bought on occasion from the refrigerator and was really surprised - the old meat grinder was grinding beef as if it were apples. And this is despite the fact that she had her own knives - 1958 of release.
Conducting a second experiment, now with the participation of a knife from a modern and fairly expensive meat grinder, was no longer scary. And again, the result is amazing! In the future, I used this method exclusively for 5 or 6 years, and even now it remains my favorite.
Method 3: abrasive wheel
If not for another accident, I would hardly have learned about this method from someone. Firstly, because I was no longer interested in such information, and secondly, because, it seems to me, few people use it.
Late one evening, I was doing nothing more than canning tomatoes. When the hands on the clock showed five minutes to eleven, it turned out that the salt had run out in the house. The last store closed an hour ago, and there was only one way out - to go for salt to a midnight neighbor.
Being invited to the kitchen, I noticed a strange set on the table - among the spare parts from the disassembled meat grinder, there was something of the same shape as the mesh, but without holes through which the minced meat passes. I can’t contain my curiosity, so I immediately asked about the name and purpose of this item. They turned out to be special abrasive wheel for sharpening a knife from a meat grinder. It's easy to use:
- It is enough to assemble the meat grinder by folding the parts in the usual manner, however, instead of the grid, install this same circle and tighten the union nut (the one that holds the grid, knife and auger together) so that the handle turns with effort.
- Turn the handle in the opposite direction (counterclockwise) until the cutting edges of the knife are smooth and shiny.
It is not easy to get such an abrasive wheel for sharpening knives from a meat grinder. You will have to walk around the flea markets or ask around the familiar grandparents if they have an extra one lying around. I was lucky to find it on the bulletin board and buy it for a few pennies - 40 rubles. Now I use it most often, which is very convenient.
In my "piggy bank of experience" so far there are only two ways to sharpen a knife from a meat grinder. I can recommend them with a clear conscience to anyone who needs such a recommendation. However, I think there are other, no less interesting and effective options. Tell us how you cope with this task - do you use the services of professionals or have you purchased a device that can be used at home?
The elements in the meat grinder must be maintained in working condition, otherwise, instead of high-quality minced meat, you will get a mushy, unappetizing mass. To prevent this from happening, you need to sharpen the meat grinder knife in a timely manner. You can do this at home. The main thing is to choose a suitable device for sharpening and consistently perform the procedure. Let's figure out how to properly sharpen a knife from a meat grinder.
Features of sharpening a knife from a meat grinder
Not only a cross-shaped knife can become blunt in a meat grinder, but also a disk that represents a circle with multiple holes. You need to sharpen both objects, otherwise, over time, the fastening of the cross-shaped knife to the disk weakens. This negatively affects the quality of meat, fish or other product processing.
If the blades become dull, the cross-shaped knife will develop depressions and bumps. Therefore, when sharpening a knife from a meat grinder, it is important to achieve not sharpness, but flat surface. For sharpening, they take devices with fine grain to ensure that the knife fits snugly against the sharpening device, which speeds up and improves sharpening efficiency.
Sharpening a knife from a meat grinder is done only manually, without electric tools. Otherwise, you can overheat the metal and ruin the meat grinder. After such a procedure, it will cut very badly. In exceptional cases, a grinder and a rotating abrasive disc are used. But here it is imperative to observe safety precautions and take breaks in work so that the blade does not overheat and cool down.
Read the instructions before sharpening. The point is that in different models meat grinders different types of knives. And for different types you need to choose the right sharpening tool. For sharpening use wooden block and sandpaper, whetstone or abrasive wheel, classic whetstone.
Before the procedure, carefully disassemble the meat grinder, pull out the cross-shaped knife and the disc with holes, rinse and dry the parts thoroughly. Prepare your sharpening tool. By the way, sometimes a special bar is included with a meat grinder.
If there is no such bar, you can buy a standard grindstone or use another tool. Let's take a closer look at how to sharpen a meat grinder knife at home, depending on the type of grinder.
Grindstone
Use a fine-grained whetstone with a surface area larger than that of the knife. Put the stone on the wood cutting board or other flat and hard surface. Then place the knife on the stone with the surface that is adjacent to the disk.
Start moving the cutting piece in a circular motion and gradually accelerate. During the sharpening process, apply light pressure on the part and increase the processing speed to improve the efficiency and quality of the procedure.
If the knives become too dull, put on gloves and hold the cutting tool in your hand. With your other hand, press the stone to the surface of the object and begin to make circular movements. Repeat the procedure several times with short breaks after heating the knife. When heating, do not cool the blade, let it cool naturally.
We repeat once again that sharpening can only be carried out with the help of hand tools. Never use an electric sharpener! However, an electric sharpener is perfect for different types.
A bar complete with a meat grinder and a homemade bar
Modern kits already contain a special sharpening bar, which is optimally suited to the type of metal of meat grinder knives. This method is available to both a man and a fragile woman. Before the procedure, read the instructions for the device and follow the instructions.
As a rule, a whetstone is put on instead of a disc with holes and the meat grinder is scrolled as usual. In this case, you need to turn the handle evenly, slowly increasing the speed. To sharpen the disk, a second bar is provided, which is put on instead of a cross-shaped knife and then the handle begins to rotate. If traces begin to appear on the bar, then the disk is already sufficiently sharpened.
You can make your own whetstone. This is the easiest and most affordable sharpening method, but it is only suitable for knives that are slightly dull. A very dull blade will not save him. For the procedure, take fine-grained sandpaper and wrap a wooden block or other hard and even object.
It is important that the bar has a flat and solid surface! Wrap the bar with sandpaper and fasten securely so that the structure does not fall apart in the process. Gently start rubbing the blade against the surface of the sandpaper. Continue the process until you get the desired result.
Bulgarian and grinding wheel
When using a grinder, be sure to follow the precautions and safety precautions. Lubricate the blade with sunflower oil beforehand and put on gloves. To work, put the cutting part on the pin and secure, then sharpen the blade with a grinder at a right angle.
And so that the knife does not overheat, take breaks periodically. To increase the efficiency and safety of the procedure, you can use additional Velcro attachments for grinders.
When using an abrasive disc or grinding wheel, skill and experience are required, as well as safety precautions. Before the procedure, put on protective gloves, remove cutting objects and lubricate with sunflower oil. Then start the circle and press the blade against the rotating disk. Take breaks periodically to allow the metal to cool.
How to check the quality of sharpening
After completing the procedure, rinse the tool and meat grinder in warm water, dry thoroughly under natural conditions. Then check the quality of sharpening. To do this, attach the blades of the cutting elements to a flat surface, press lightly and try to move.
If it is difficult to move the product, the knives are sharpened well. Also, check the color of the working surface of the cutting parts. With quality and correct sharpening the edge of the blade will be light and evenly colored. The presence of even the smallest dark dots or blotches indicates that the knife is poorly sharpened, and the processing must be repeated.
The meat grinder is an indispensable mechanism for the kitchen. With its help, it is easy to grind almost any food from which you can cook. delicious dishes. In some cases, the meat grinder may even be more necessary than a blender or food processor.
Meat grinder blades become dull over time and need to be sharpened.
But over time, even the highest quality mechanism ceases to please us with its serviceability. This problem does not bypass the meat grinder, in particular, its knives. As a rule, after a sufficiently long use, even the most expensive parts become dull. This is due to the fact that a small depression is formed in the place where the grate is pressed against the knife. And in some cases, it becomes dull on its own if the quality of the blade is not high enough.
Characteristics of knives and the principle of operation
Before proceeding to consider the process of how to sharpen a meat grinder knife, it is advisable to dwell in more detail on the principle of its operation. Without this knowledge, you are unlikely to be able to sharpen the mechanism well with your own hands.
Any meat grinder works on two knives. The first one is stationary. It is a circle according to the diameter of the meat grinder opening, inside of which there are a lot of small holes. During the operation of the device, this knife remains motionless. The second is a spare part of a slightly smaller diameter, having blades (usually 4 of them). During operation, these blades rotate, due to which food is crushed.
So, the one that rotates ensures the quality of cutting food into small pieces. And the stationary mechanism ensures the passage of these pieces through the holes, which makes it possible for them to be crushed even more and turn into a single mass.
Therefore, first of all, it is necessary to pay attention to the sharpening of individual blades of blades of the second type, since without sufficient sharpness the products will not be crushed, which means they will not be able to normally pass through the holes of the first type knife.
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Basic sharpening methods
Sharpening a knife sandpaper or grindstone.
How right? Before any method of sharpening, it is necessary to properly prepare the knives. This is necessary for best quality work, and so that the sharpening tool does not deteriorate immediately. Therefore, before the process, you need to lubricate the blades with ordinary sunflower oil and let it dry slightly for 5 minutes. The same must be done with the sharpening tool. This procedure will additionally protect the knife from the formation of splinters due to the possible incorrect rotation of the blades during operation.
Let's move on to the main process - sharpening knives for a meat grinder. You can do this in several ways. So that you can choose the most suitable and convenient method, we will consider them all in more detail.
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Sharpening on a special machine
The first most convenient method is to use a special machine that is designed to sharpen blades for a meat grinder. This mechanism has a very smooth abrasive surface, which in its appearance is very similar to an ordinary disk. How to sharpen a knife on a smooth disk?
The thing is that before sharpening, a paste specially designed for this purpose is applied to this disc, which contains the smallest abrasive particles. It dries fairly quickly, after which the disc becomes rough and ready for sharpening work.
Then you need to turn on the machine - the circle will begin to rotate. You need to take a knife and gently press it with the blades. At the same time, sharpening is carried out in several stages with interruptions, so that the metal has time to cool enough and not overheat.
But this method has two main disadvantages. The first is the difficulty of sharpening in the absence of skills. As a rule, people who have never worked with meat grinder knives before will not be able to right angle sharpen them on such a machine. Plus, it can be unsafe. Therefore, for such work, you need to seek help from a specialist.
The second inconvenience is the cost of the machine. A design of this type costs a lot of money, while it is not so easy to purchase it in a regular store. household appliances. Therefore, before dwelling on this method of sharpening, think about whether you need to spend money on a machine just for this.
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Using a whetstone
The disc knife needs periodic sharpening, for this it is driven in sandpaper or a grindstone.
The second method is the use of an ordinary grindstone. Here you can try sharpening in two ways. The first comes down to the fact that you will need to move the stone, and with the second, the emphasis when moving is on the meat grinder knife. Let's consider both methods.
The first way is by rotating the knife. To do this, you need to take a grindstone, the surface area of \u200b\u200bwhich is 2-3 times larger diameter knife. In this case, the fraction should be very small. Otherwise, it will take a very long time to sharpen, or the work will not turn out to be of sufficient quality.
Place the knife in the middle of the whetstone so that the blades fit snugly against its surface. Next, holding it in the middle with your finger, make circular movements with the knife. You need to try to press hard on it, gradually increasing the speed of rotation.
During the sharpening process, check the uniformity of the blades from time to time. When they all become equally uniform without visible irregularities and notches, sharpening can be considered finished. Consider also the moment that this method of sharpening is ideal for blades that are not too dull. But it is absolutely useless in severely neglected cases.
The second method is by rotating the stone. This is a more radical method that will make it possible to undermine even a very stupid mechanism. The sharpening stone must also be used with a fine grain fraction. The sharpening force will be achieved due to friction on the surface. The size of the stone can be taken equal to the size of the knife.
So, you need to put on a mitten on your hand to protect yourself and take a knife with this hand. A stone is taken in the other hand, tightly pressed against the knife and moves in a circle. It will even be much more effective, if possible, to fix the knife so as not to hold it yourself, and then sharpen it with a piece of stone.
After the end of the procedure, you need to let the knife cool slightly, and then rinse under running water. cold water to remove unwanted metal residue. Sharpening can be considered finished. With this method, due to the stronger adhesion of materials, cardinal sharpening occurs.
