A machine that feeds cubes of meat down a hopper to a rotating screw, which pushes them past a spinning blade and out through a perforated plate, producing ground meat of a coarseness set by the hole size. Hand-cranked grinders clamp to the counter; electric models and stand mixer attachments do the work faster. Also called a mincer. Most come with a tube for stuffing sausage casings.
Grinding at home lets a cook choose the cut and fat ratio for burgers, meatballs and sausage, and grind just before cooking. Meat, grinder parts and plate should all be well chilled, or the fat smears instead of cutting and the result is pasty. A food processor chops meat but cannot give the even, open texture of a grind.