A grinding machine for grinding foodstuffs, such as meat or the like, includes an orifice plate at the outlet of a grinding head. The orifice plate has collection passages that discharge a mixture of soft material and hard material through the orifice plate. A separator assembly is positioned downstream of the orifice plate for separating the soft material from the hard material. The separator assembly includes a separator chamber that receives the mixture of soft material and hard material, in combination with a rotatable separator screw positioned within the separator chamber. Rotation of the separator screw functions to separate the soft material from the hard material. Soft material is discharged through perforations in the separator chamber and hard material is discharged through a discharge of the separator chamber.

The invention relates to a cross-shaped support (10) for a meat-mincing machine. The cross-shaped support (10) has a hub (11) with a central bore (15), an outer ring (13), and multiple webs (12) which extend between the hub (11) and the outer ring (13). A groove (14) is provided on the exterior of the outer ring (13) in order to support the cross-shaped support (10) in the meat-mincing machine in a rotationally fixed manner. The cross-shaped support (10) additionally functions as a tool, for example the cross-shaped support has projections (16) which allow a simplification of the assembly or disassembly of the knife pin from the meat-mincing machine (FIG. 1).

A grinding machine for grinding foodstuffs, such as meat or the like, includes an orifice plate at the outlet of a grinding head. The orifice plate has collection passages that discharge a mixture of soft material and hard material through the orifice plate. A separator assembly is positioned downstream of the orifice plate for separating the soft material from the hard material. The separator assembly includes a separator chamber that receives the mixture of soft material and hard material, in combination with a rotatable separator screw positioned within the separator chamber. Rotation of the separator screw functions to separate the soft material from the hard material. Soft material is discharged through perforations in the separator chamber and hard material is discharged through a discharge of the separator chamber.

A method of removing an auger from a food grinder via a food stomper. The food stomper has structure to engage the auger to transmit force on the stomper to the auger. As such, the stomper serves dual purpose of filling the grinder with food and as a tool for cleaning or otherwise removing an auger from the appliance.

An embodiment described herein provides for a system for removing or installing a grinder plate. The system includes a grinder plate having a disk shaped body which defines a central cylindrical aperture extending therethrough and a first one or more screw threads are defined in the central aperture. The system also includes a plate handling tool having an elongated body defining a second one or more screw threads on an external surface proximate the first end. The first one or more screw threads of the plate are configured to mate with the second one or more screw threads of the tool.

A grinding machine for grinding foodstuffs, such as meat or the like, includes an orifice plate at the outlet of a grinding head. The orifice plate has collection passages that discharge a mixture of soft material and hard material through the orifice plate. A separator assembly is located downstream of the orifice plate for separating the soft material from the hard material. The separator assembly includes a tapered, perforated separator chamber that receives the mixture of soft material and hard material, in combination with a rotatable separator screw located within the separator chamber. Rotation of the separator screw functions to separate the soft material from the hard material and force the soft material through the perforations in the separator chamber. An adjustment arrangement enables the axial position of the separator screw to be adjusted within the separator chamber.

A stomper for a food grinder comprises a distal end adapted to push food into a receiving tube of a food grinder, a proximal handle end adapted for a user to grasp the stomper while pushing food into the receiving tube of the food grinder, an elongated shaft between the distal end and the proximal handle end, a channel defined in the proximal handle end, and a bayonet projecting from one or more internal walls of the channel. The bayonet is adapted to engage a protrusion on an auger of the food grinder to apply a pulling force to remove the auger from the food grinder.

A machine for processing meat includes a motor with a shaft driven by the motor and a receptacle for a meat piece to be processed. The receptacle is open toward the driven shaft so that a part of the meat piece held in the receptacle is fed by an auger arranged in sections on the driven shaft toward a set of blades. The set of blades has a perforated disk arranged essentially perpendicular to the rotational axis of the driven shaft and a blade is arranged on a blade pin and is rotatable with this blade pin in a plane essentially parallel to the perforated disk. The blade pin is arranged on the driven shaft such that rotation of the driven shaft is transferred to the blade pin, so that the blade rotates.

The present disclosure describes a meat grinder. The meat grinder includes a housing; a drive unit mounted in the housing, the drive unit including a motor; a screw conveyor including a barrel fixed relative to the housing, and an auger located within the barrel and operatively connected with the motor; a hollow feed chute having upper and lower ends, the lower end mounted on and configured to feed into the barrel; and a feed tray mounted on the upper end of the feed chute, the feed tray including an opening in communication with the upper end of the feed chute. The feed chute includes an inlet section of a first inner diameter that includes the upper end, a feed section of a second inner diameter that includes the lower end, the second diameter being less than the first diameter, and a funneled section between the inlet section and the feed section.

A grinding machine includes first feed screw, first head, first center pin, first knife assembly, bushing and first orifice plate. Second feed screw is coupled to first center pin and rotates within second head. Second feed screw is positioned against the bushing such that the bushing acts as a thrust bearing. Second center pin is coupled to second feed screw and is configured to rotate a second knife assembly. Second orifice plate is arranged on second center pin. Second mounting ring can be linearly adjusted relative to second head to axially position second orifice plate between a stop shoulder of second head and a lip of second mounting ring. Second feed screw may include a plurality of flights arranged in a split flight configuration including one or more ingress end flights and one or more egress end flights.