Tasin Grinder Or Alternatives?

[daftcat75]

I was going to finally break down and purchase a grinder because I’m just not able to get the food tasty enough for Krista on meat and supplements alone. She would probably like liver and heart and freeze-dried didn’t cut it for her.

So...

I went to buy the Tasin because that’s the one recommended by Dr Pierson. Is onestopjerkyshop.com the only place I can get that grinder? Because everytime I try to buy it, it’s out of stock or some other mystery problem (“we can’t deliver this at this time. Please contact us.”—didnt’t follow up at the time and now they are out of stock.)

1. Is there another place to buy that Tasin grinder?

2. Is there a model between the Tasin and the $500 Weston’s that I should consider? Preferably something in the $200 price range rather than the $500 range.

3. In the meantime, does someone have a recommendation on whether a particular food processor or magic bullet might be up to the job for processing frozen liver and heart? I don’t need to grind bone. Bone bungs her up. We’ll be going with eggshell or seaweed calcium instead.

 

[Totsy]

Honestly, if you aren't grinding bone I don't think you need a grinder. I made the first couple of batches using a premix and used my food processor, but nothing was frozen.

You would be using boneless meat and could put it into any old food processor. I would slightly thaw the hearts and liver (the meat too) and give it a go. I've seen videos of people using high-power blenders and food processors to grind bones (!) to make cat food. Without bones, any appliance should handle it. With a blender, I would put some of the water in the container with the meat or organs before blending.

I'm eager to hear other folks' experiences.

 

[daftcat75]

I prefer to do things frozen. I tried a blender with rabbit meat and it just became this sinewy mess. I don't have a food processor. I do have a Magic Bullet but I don't know that it would be any better than the blender.

I'm thinking I might just get a starter grinder from Home Depot and see how it goes. If I can finally get a recipe she likes, I may eventually upgrade to a Pro Series (the $400+ ones that are quieter and quicker)

This is the starter grinder I'm looking at. It looks on par with the Tasin.
Weston #12 1 HP Electric Meat Grinder and Sausage Stuffer-33-1301-W - The Home Depot

 

[Tobermory]

When I first dipped my toe into homemade food, I used my Cuisinart food processor with boneless meat and it worked fine. I didn’t like the texture as much as true grinding, but then I wasn’t the one eating it! The cats did okay with it. And if I’d had only one cat, I might have continued to use the food processor. But I have three cats and make fairly large batches, so I wanted something that would make short work of grinding. I also thought that I’d be grinding bone. So I do have the Tasin, and it works well. I bought it from the One Stop Jerky Shop, and unfortunately, I don’t see anyone else who carries it.

Feline-nutrition.org mentions the Tasin, but also this one:

Since Krista is an only cat, maybe you can use a food processor until the OSJS gets Tasins back in stock.

 

[Tobermory]

I prefer to do things frozen. I tried a blender with rabbit meat and it just became this sinewy mess. I don't have a food processor. I do have a Magic Bullet but I don't know that it would be any better than the blender.

I'm thinking I might just get a starter grinder from Home Depot and see how it goes. If I can finally get a recipe she likes, I may eventually upgrade to a Pro Series (the $400+ ones that are quieter and quicker)

This is the starter grinder I'm looking at. It looks on par with the Tasin.
Weston #12 1 HP Electric Meat Grinder and Sausage Stuffer-33-1301-W - The Home Depot

If the blender didn’t work as far as consistency, then a food processor probably wouldn’t either. I will say that the Tasin is incredibly noisy. The girls are used to it now, but it used to send them to the far corners of the house. I always wear ear plugs when I use it.

I think Weston is a good brand, and if you’re not grinding bones, it should work well.

 

[lisahe]

I have used a Cuisinart food processor to chop up meat, both for cat food (cooked meat) and for human food (raw meat, sometimes partially frozen). It works great.

(Even a Cuisinart miniprep works fine on cooked meat, if there's not too much to process!)

 

[furmonster mom]

I've abused my poor Cuisenart for years.
After several of our pets passed away, I figured I'd be done for a while. But apparently not. We've recently added a youngster to the household, so I'm looking at probably another 15 years of making food.
My husband said the other day, "I'm surprised you haven't broken down and just ordered the grinder already".
Yes, it's time, time to retire the poor Cuisenart.

 

[lisahe]

I've abused my poor Cuisenart for years.
After several of our pets passed away, I figured I'd be done for a while. But apparently not. We've recently added a youngster to the household, so I'm looking at probably another 15 years of making food.
My husband said the other day, "I'm surprised you haven't broken down and just ordered the grinder already".
Yes, it's time, time to retire the poor Cuisenart.

Those Cuisinarts last a long time! We finally bought a new one a few months ago after I retired the one I got as a gift back in the '80s. The lid had been slightly broken but still functional (sort of) for several years but I finally had to get rid of it when more of the pieces broke off right into the food. Which I had to throw away. Beyond the fact that the new one has a much sharper blade and seems more powerful, too, it is so much (OMG) quieter.

I also can't believe the beating the miniprep has taken!

 

[lalagimp]

We got a Weston 3/4HP on a Warehouse Deal a few years ago. I'm not sure which number, but it should be one that Dr Pierson mentioned. I can't log into my boyfriend's amazon because he had to update the password a few months ago and doesn't remember what it is because all his devices saved it.

 

[daftcat75]

There's a number of Weston models to choose from. There's also a $200 difference between the entry Weston lines and the Pro series that Dr Pierson is in love with. I'm not spending $500 on a first grinder if I don't even know that it will make a difference with this fussy cat.

 

[lalagimp]

We ended up getting it for $360. I've been making the food for over 2 years, and being able to grind the poultry vs paying for it already ground has been great, as well as being able to process the skins because those just wound around the food processor blade. If I need to add bone I run chicken necks through it.