Meat grinders are appliances used for chopping or cutting meat. The whole piece of meat has to be disintegrated or cut into smaller pieces before cooking. Meat grinders are used for this purpose. The meat may be tough meat like lamb, pork, buffalo, or beef, or soft like chicken, duck, or rabbit. Meat grinders are capable of chopping both tough and soft meat varieties. Meat grinders may be manually operated or operated using electricity. The basic principle behind these grinders is the same. The meat is added to the grinder and the wheels are operated resulting in the required operation. In manual grinders the wheels are turned manually, whereas in electrical grinders the wheels are operated by switching on the start button.

The amount of meat to be processed, the time factor, and the cost factor decide the type of machine to be purchased. If a large quantity of meat has to be processed, electrical meat grinders are the best. For households the quantity of meat to be processed would be less and manually operated meat grinders are therefore the best. These meat grinders are quite affordable. The lowest price is around $20. Branded ones and high-end meat grinders cost at the least $3000. The cost difference is mainly due to the amount of meat that can be processed and the power of the machine.

There is no longer the need for buying canned meat. The meat can be processed at home itself and is an added advantage that the meat is fresh. Hunters and others who tend their own fowls can process their meat as and when required. This aspect enables healthy living. This also acts as a check on the over intake of meat by people. The meat processed may be used for many purposes. They may be used as fillings in sausages, burgers, fillets, meatloaves and sandwiches. Foodstuffs bought from the shops not only have meat fillings in burgers and sausages, but also may include other fatty substances. This is avoided when meat is processed at home and sausages or burgers are prepared at home. The meat processed using meat grinders is more consistent when compared to that of other food processors. They are available in various sizes, models and price ranges.