From:
Brett Middleton
Date: 2001-03-07 13:49:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Two questions: chicken gravy and local vet
gmart91607@a... wrote:
> First, can any of you recommend a blender/food processor/grinder I can
> use to make the chicken gravy? I have already killed a regular blender!
I use a Villaware electric grinder with a 320W motor. I would have to
call this "barely acceptable". It will take the bones OK if you bust
them up some with a cleaver first, but you'll have to stop after every
couple of handfulls, remove the plate, and clean out some gunk that
won't go through. I always end up with about a cupful of this stuff.
(But, I've gotten about the same amount of gunk when running a chicken
through a floor-standing commercial grinder. The only difference is
that the commercial grinder *won't* clog. B-)
Unfortunately, you'll have to look hard to find one of these, because
they've been taken over by another company (Maverick) that replaced the
320W motor with a 220W motor and dropped the price from $140 to $100.
There are a *bunch* of $100 grinders out there (Oster, Krups, Moulinex,
etc) with motors from 150-250W, and these just won't do the job. But
there are still a few places that have the Villaware model in stock.
Your best bet right now is to go to http://www.northerntool.com/, check
the box that says "by keyword", and search for "electric meat grinder".
They have a model very much like the Villaware, but with a 1000W motor,
and they only want $99.99 for it. (This grinder sells elsewhere for
$180-$200.) This should be more than adequate, unless you've got the
money for one of the industrial-strength tabletop grinders that cost
$500-$1500.
If you're not dead set on grinding your own, though, you might be able
to find a friendly butcher shop to help you out. Some of them are
quite willing to run chicken-with-bones through their big grinder if
you ask them to do it at the end of the day, just before they start
cleaning it.
Hope this helps!
Brett
*SLMW 1.0* "It never hurts to help!" -- Eek the Cat