How to Clean an Old Meat Grinder? [Explained]

Meat grinders are an excellent addition to your kitchen, making freshly ground meat available at your fingertips!

Like most appliances around your house, meat grinders require extra care and love from time to time. 

Meat grinders are mostly a one-time investment. As long as you treat it well, chances are it will last you a long time.

If you have an old meat grinder in your household, you’re probably wondering about its upkeep. 

How to clean an old meat grinder?

Cleaning an old meat grinder is a simple process. All you need to know is how to do it right. You can clean old meat grinders by disassembling the parts and soaking them in a soap and vinegar solution. 

It is essential to clean your old meat grinder to prevent germs from manifesting. Dirty meat grinders can contaminate the grounded meat. 

Don’t worry; we are here to help you. Continue reading our post for a step-by-step guide to cleaning your old meat grinder!

How to Clean Old Meat Grinder – Stepwise Guide!

It is crucial to regularly clean your meat grinder to prevent bacterial growth or dirt accumulation.

Like any appliance, maintaining your meat grinder must be a priority to ensure a safe and healthy kitchen environment. 

We have listed 6 steps for you to follow, to make cleaning old meat grinders a walk in the park!

Step #1: Remove residue

The first step is thoroughly cleaning out meat residues from the grinder. It is natural for some pieces of meat to get stuck in parts of your grinder.

So, you can use forks or other pointed objects to pick them out. Please make sure you’ve not missed any spots.

It is crucial not to neglect to remove these meat residues. Otherwise, this meat can rot and become stale, which may welcome bacterial growth.

Please don’t forget that meat leaves a certain amount of grease behind. This, too, is essential to clean out.

You can use feeding bread as it soaks up all the oil and grease. You can simply rub the parts with the bread to eliminate the grease.

Step #2: Detach and Dismantle

The next step is to dismantle the meat grinder and detach the parts. Carefully disassemble the piece and place them in a safe place.

Once you’ve removed the parts such as the cover, grinding blades, screws, and tube, you can move on to the next step! 

Step #3: Soak

Now, it is time to soak the parts! Take the dismantled pieces and soak them in a solution.

The solution generally consists of vinegar and soap. Immerse them in this solution for about half an hour.

You can soak the meat grinder components in a big bucket to immerse all the parts. For electric meat grinders, please ensure not to soak motorized parts.

Step #4: Rinse with water

Once the 30 minutes is up, you can take each component out of the soap solution. After you’ve taken the components out, wash them with hot soapy water.

Next, lightly scrub the parts to ensure they are thoroughly cleaned. We recommend repeating this.

It is similar to washing dishes, but you’d want to be cautious with the grinding blades.

Step #5: Dry

After thoroughly cleaning the grinder components and rinsing them for the last time, it’s time to dry them.

Please ensure you’ve removed all the oil, grease, and soap from the grinder component.

Dry off the components with a towel and leave them out. Here, you must be sure that all the grinder parts are spotless! 

Step #6: Reassembling the components:

Once the components of your meat grinder have dried, it is time to reassemble them. Place the blades back in position and put the screws back.

Please ensure that you’ve meticulously assembled your meat grinder.

One great way to keep your grinder rust-free is to spray mineral oil. This prevents moisture on their surface and prevents rusting.

Meat Grinder Renovation!

If you want to go the extra mile, there are more steps for you. This is for those who want to make your old meat grinder look new!

Before reassembling your meat grinder, priming is helpful. Priming the metal surface of your meat grinder offers extra protection and increases its lifetime.

Next, you can touch up your meat grinder components with spray paint. Once it dries, you can reassemble the parts.

Can I Wash My Meat Grinder in a Dishwasher?

Many think washing meat grinder components in the dishwasher is a good idea. It does an efficient job for the dishes, so why not a meat grinder? It depends on what your meat grinder is made of.

A dishwasher is not an option if you’re dealing with an aluminum meat grinder. Dishwashers can sometimes damage meat grinder components and discolor them.

The water and detergent from your dishwasher can cause the meat grinder’s aluminum to oxidize. The detergent may destroy the aluminum surface and darken its parts.

Aluminum has a protective surface that makes it resistant to high temperatures. However, the hot water from your dishwasher can strip this layer out and result in oxidation.

If your meat grinder is made of stainless steel, dishwashers are not an issue. You can conveniently wash the steel components to have a new meat grinder! 

Your meat grinder must have come with a guide or a manual. Please remember to go through it to understand whether dishwashers are a safe idea. 

Cleaning Old Meat Grinders: Tips!

There are some ways you can make a meat grinder see better days. We’ve enlisted some tips down below. So, please continue reading to find out what they are! 

Tip #1: It is essential to clean your meat grinder after every use. Immediately washing your meat grinder saves you the headache of scraping thick coatings. These coats are commonly formed from oil and grease that hasn’t been cleaned out.

Tip #2: If your grinder components are still sticky and greasy after being soaked, there is something else you can try. Soak the grinder parts in a baking soda solution. Baking soda is widely used to get rid of difficult stains.

Tip #3: Storing your grinder components in rice will keep them moisture-free. You can fill plastic bags with rice and place grinder components in them.

Tip #4: To ensure that the grinding blades remain sharp, you can coat them with petroleum jelly or oil.

Tip #5: Please ensure that you handle the grinder components carefully. The grinding blades are capable of cutting your skin. Additionally, please remember to turn off electric grinders while adjusting them.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How can I clean my aluminum meat grinder?

First, use some bread to soak up the grease or oil. Next, dismantle the grinder and soak the parts in a soap-water solution. You can let these parts rest for 20 minutes. For electric grinders, please use a damp towel to wipe them down. 

How often should I clean my restaurant’s meat grinder? 

In the case of meat grinders used in restaurants, cleaning every hour or so is best. This applies to electric and manual meat grinders alike.

How do I clean my rusty meat grinder?

You can clean a rusty meat grinder with the help of a wire brush. If the rust persists, a rust-removing agent will do the job.

How do I clean my steel meat grinder?

Firstly, disassemble the parts of your steel metal grinder. You can use a solution of detergent or vinegar to soak the parts of the grinder. 

What is an old meat grinder made of?

Generally, an old meat grinder is composed of plastic and metal. You will most likely see an old meat grinder made of metal as they are more commonly used. Plastic grinders are widely used in Europe.

Conclusion

We’ve reached the end of the post! 

If you didn’t know how to revive your old meat grinder, you do now.

You can have your old meat grinder new and sparkling again! We hope our article “How to clean an old meat grinder?”  helped you learn what you need to know. 

No kitchen appliance will work efficiently if it’s not adequately maintained. It is crucial to clean your meat grinder thoroughly to ensure hygienic conditions and smooth operation.

Our stepwise guide is all you need to create a healthy meat grinder environment!

Please be careful while working with grinding blades, as improper handling can be a safety hazard.

Also, please remember to keep aluminum meat grinders away from dishwashers.

It’s worth giving your old meat grinder a chance before rushing off to the store to buy a new one.

Priming and painting your meat grinder is all it takes to make it feel fresh again! 

Thanks for reading!