For many years, grinding 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 carry it along with ordinary kitchen knives to a master who worked on a 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 strangle, because at the price of a few sharpenings it was possible to buy a new knife. In general, I had to learn a new craft.
Method 1: unusual file
First of all, I went to the household goods store and asked the seller to show all the accessories for sharpening knives from the meat grinder that are available. He shrugged, glanced over at me with an indifferent look, and declared that they didn’t have this, didn’t, and are unlikely to ever have one.
I continued to insist. If there are meat grinders and knives for them on sale, then there is an object that can restore the working capacity of these same knives. Let me even get it from the counter, even get it from the ground, but otherwise I still won’t leave. The seller thought for a moment, then perked up, moved to some stand and a minute later returned with a file in his hand. It was he who solemnly handed it to me, saying that this file is called musat and together we will be happy forever.
I heard somewhere that ordinary knives can be sharpened with a file. 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 an application for it, so I decided to buy it.
As a result, I have repeatedly made attempts to put the knife in order, using the same musat. No positive changes were observed, rather, on the contrary. But ordinary knives were sharpened well, which, however, did not solve the problem with the meat grinder.
Method 2: Sandpaper
On a warm autumn day, in order to pass the time remaining 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, passing between the rows with all sorts of things, I involuntarily overheard the conversation of the seller with the buyer, who demanded to give him an emery for sharpening knives. This interested me, so, having waited for the man to leave and taking advantage of the absence of other clients, I interrogated the person who was standing on the other side of the counter. It should be noted that his patience was unlimited. For this reason, after half an hour, I went home with a set of 10 sheets of waterproof sandpaper for metal processing.
As the seller assured, sharpening knives with an emery is easy. Especially if these are knives from a meat grinder. The sharpening process itself, he said, 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 falling under the emery leaf can ruin everything.
- Put the knife on top so that the cutting edges it touches the abrasive surface.
- Press the knife with your fingers and rotate it counterclockwise. It is very important to do just that, and not vice versa.
- After some time, the edges will begin to shine. When their entire surface becomes silver-shiny, the grinding process can be considered complete.
However, this is not all. In order for the meat grinder to work no worse than the jaws of the megalodon, it is necessary to put in order a metal grid (a circle with holes) through which the mince passes. Manipulations with it are carried out the same as with a knife, however, 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 was suitable for both an electric meat grinder and a manual one, I decided to first try it on knives from a cheaper device. She did everything as the seller advised, gathered a meat grinder, pulled out meat purchased on the occasion from the refrigerator and was really surprised - an old meat grinder was grinding beef as if it were apples. And this despite the fact that she had family knives - produced in 1958.
To conduct a second experiment, now with the participation of a knife from a modern and rather expensive meat grinder, was no longer scary. And the result again pleased! In the future, I used this method exclusively for 5 or 6 years, and now it remains in my favorites.
Method 3: Abrasive Wheel
If it were not for another accident, I would hardly have heard from someone about this method. Firstly, because I was no longer interested in such information, and secondly, because, as it seems to me, few people use it.
One day, late at night, I was doing nothing more than preserving tomatoes. When the hands on the clock showed five minutes to eleven, it turned out that the house had run out of salt. The last store closed an hour ago, and there was only one way out - to go for salt to the neighbor-midnight.
When I was invited to the kitchen, I noticed a strange set on the table - among the spare parts from the disassembled meat grinder lay something the same shape as the net, but without holes through which the minced meat passed. I do not know how to restrain curiosity, so I immediately asked about the name and purpose of this subject. It turned out to be a special abrasive wheel for sharpening a knife from a meat grinder. It is easy to use:
- It is enough to assemble the meat grinder, folding the parts in the usual manner, however, instead of the net, install this same circle and tighten the union nut (the one that holds the net, knife and screw together) so that the handle turns with effort.
- Turn the handle in the opposite direction (counterclockwise) until the cutting edges of the knife become smooth and shiny.
To get such an abrasive wheel for sharpening knives from a meat grinder is not easy. Have to walk around the flea markets or ask friends of grandparents if they were lying around too much. I was lucky to find it on the bulletin board and buy for a few pennies - 40 rubles. Now I most often use it, which is very convenient.
In my “experience box” so far there are only two ways to grind 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 do you cope with this task - do you use the services of professionals or have you purchased a device that can be used at home?