# Cleaning an old sausage grinder?



## 8thDayStranger (Jan 30, 2013)

Picked up a nice old heavy duty meat grinder at a yard sale yesterday. I feel like I stole it from the lady actually. The hand crank turns smooth as butter and the screw thing inside looks to be in good shape. My question is what can I run through it to make sure it's good and clean inside? I'd thought about going and buying some old cheap marked down hamburger or something to pass through it toto see if any old junk came out of it but I don't know.


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## Guardian (Jan 17, 2012)

I have run old bread through mine as a general cleaning before hot soapy water and a good drying.


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## Reblazed (Nov 11, 2010)

The way it was explained to me years ago ... soak all pieces in HOT soapy water (don't know if this is to loosen any dried on goodies or to melt old grease/oily stuff) ... pat it dry, put it together and run a lot day old bread (probably to get rid of those same goodies and grease). Congrats on the new grinder ... hope you love it.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Yall should be able ta take it apart. Scrub witha brush an good hot soapy water. When reassemblin, I put just a dab a food grade grease on what parts rub tagether. Then some day old french bread from the bakery an she be good ta go.

Also, after yer done grindin ya can get the last bits a meat out by runnin some more bread through it to.


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## 8thDayStranger (Jan 30, 2013)

Wow I never thought of old hard bread. That sounds like it'd do the trick. Ladies and gentlemen I appreciate the help.


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## Marcus (May 13, 2012)

I was thinking rice, but day old bread sounds good too.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

*Hot soapy water*

My grandfather and his father were butchers, and one of the things I inherited was grandpa's meat grinder. We've always washed it in hot soapy water.

We used it on the ranch after slaughtering a pig or a steer. We also used it for grinding up horseradish. Both grandparents were farmer/rancher types. They both had the forever onion patch where onions were planted once upon a time and came back year after year and were always available when onions were wanted or needed. Horseradish was the same. Both grandparents and my parents had horseradish planted that grew from year to year. I well remember grinding up horseradish. It absolutely could not be done in the house. We would set up outside to grind and anyone close would have tears running down their face.

When our meat grinder came to me, all the pieces were strung together with a shoe lace to keep them from getting lost.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Yup, homemade horseradish be good stuff. Kids used ta hep when I made it, standin there ballin like babies, but they tuffed it out. 

I have no idear how old our horseradish patch be, but it be some real strong stuff! I've started cuttin it with some turnip. It'll eat the lid right offin a jar! What I do be save the tops an replant em. 

An like Weedygarden says, keep yer grinder parts tied tagether, ya don't loose any an they won't rust tagether thata way niether.


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## Bobbb (Jan 7, 2012)

Pipecleaners.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

My grandmother would always wash it with soap and water then put it in a warm oven to dry. She would run potatoes through it to clean it then follow it up with bread to dry it out before using it each time she needed it. 

The potatoes and bread would clean any "junk" out that may have settled in while it was stored in the cabinet.


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## crabapple (Jan 1, 2012)

Horseradish can be cut with vinegar. I mean you can decrease the heat by adding a little vinegar to the fresh ground Horse radish. I had my patch only about 5 years, got the onions too. Garlic is easy to grow as greens are. 
I like the walking onions myself.
Do not have a hand grinder yet.


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## GrinnanBarrett (Aug 31, 2012)

I use a product called POOFF which is a foaming USDA Class A1 rated product. It free rinses so you do not have soap residue to deal with. A really good dishwash detergent like DAWN will also do a great job in a pinch. The main thing is to break any piece of equipment down as far as you can without damaging it to clean it. I still have my great grandparents grinders (no longer use them due to their extreme age). GB


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## 8thDayStranger (Jan 30, 2013)

I still haven't had the chance to clean and use this thing. I was wondering, can you get different blades or whatever you call them for these? Something to do a coarser or finer grind with? I can't figure out how to say what I mean. Maybe one of you gets what I'm saying.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Maybe yes. Depends what ya got.

Here be a site what has some:
http://www.meatprocessingproducts.com/meat-grinders-meat-grinder-parts---accessories.html

Ya can do a web search an find lots a places what sell blades fer different grinders.


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## Kodeman (Jul 25, 2013)

I've always used Saltine crackers to get the last particles out. Whatever I've been grinding, the crackers just add to the mix, as it cleans.


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