Like many people, I have two adorable cats that I treat like my own children. I was unhappy with the quality of the pet food that the majority of pet stores carry. I've done some reading that the raw diet was the way to go. I appreciate gourmet food. Why not gourmet cat food? The raw diet, for cats and dogs, however, require that you grind soft bones into the raw met to ensure that your pets get the calcium required to keep them healthy. Here is a veterinarian's perspective on the raw diet for cats.
I've tried using those counter clamp meat grinders. I bought one from Bed Bath and Beyond and actually ended up throwing it out. Those things only work if you clamp it onto a thick wooden counter top. The majority of people don't have a thick countertop we can just clamp a metal meat grinder to. The majority of good meat grinders are attachments for stand mixers, which would be another large purchase.
Not quite ready to spent $400 for a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer
just to grind meat for my cats's new raw diet, I did a little research. A popular way to grind meat is to actually do it in a food processor. The majority of the food processors out there don't have enough horse power to grind up chicken bones (neck and back bones). An amazing blender is the popular Vitamix 5200
but get ready to shell out $350-$600 for a system. And it's only good for blending. It doesn't have a food processor attachment or a dough kneading attachment.Then I came upon the Ninja Mega Kitchen System (BL770)
This Blender boasts- 2 Horsepower ? 1500 Watts Professional Kitchen System
- XL 72oz. Professional Blender with Total Crushing Technology
- XL 8 Cup Food Processing Bowl for Chopping and Dough Making
- 2 Professional Nutri Ninja Cups for Nutrient and Vitamin Extraction
- BPA Free and Dishwasher Safe
It retails for $219.99 (on sale at Amazon
for $185.99) and is worth every penny. I couldn't see myself spending that much just to grind up cat food, but being an avid home cook, this system had nearly everything I wanted. It has a food processing bowl used to mix cookie mixes and to knead bread dough. It also allows you to blend single serve smoothies with ease. Here are my findings.
Pros
Large processing bowl allows for processing large amounts of food
Efficient at kneading softer doughs
Great for grinding meats for burgers, sausages and meat sauces
Durable and sturdy construction
Easy cleanup
Easy cleanup
Cons
Loud
Stiffer doughs, such as bagel and pretzel doughs causes the system to overheat. System has override system that shuts the blender down when overheated. You can use the blender once again when it has cooled down.
Bread dough gets pretty warm with kneader attachments.
Tips
Blender bowl is too big to make sauces. The blades don't reach far down enough to emulsify smaller recipes. I recommend making sauces in the single serve smoothie bowls.
When kneading dough, don't make stiffer doughs, such as bagels and pretzels. Stick to softer bread doughs such as baguettes, burger buns and loaf breads.
Grind meats using the smaller bowl with the blades (rather than the blender bowl). Grind meat in small batches (no more than 1/4 full). Make sure meat is cut into one inch cubes and is semi-frozen. Pulse rather than blend to ensure meat is at proper texture and doesn't get too gummy.
Conclusion
Although this Ninja system doesn't hold a candle to the Kitchenaid Stand Mixers which it comes to bread and pastry doughs, it is much more versatile and can do more. It is a great addition in any amateur cook's pantry of cooking tools and can get the job done without spending an arm and a leg.
My overall rating
4.5/5 stars
4.5/5 stars
