Big improvement over KitchenAid kit
I started making sausages using a KitchenAid meat grinder and sausage stuffing attachment. The grinder works pretty well for the small volumes I make (My largest batch was 16 lbs) but I was never happy with the stuffing process. The sausage would tend to get stuck in the feed tube and had a tendency to squeeze past the pushing tool, resulting in a gooey mess. It did the job but was far from efficient.Enter the Hakka sausage stuffer. After doing some research on several different models, sizes, and form factors (vertical vs horizontal), I went with the 11 lb Hakka horizontal model and I haven’t been disappointed. The construction is sturdy and it is very easy to operate. I could probably do it myself but I usually use a helper to crank while I guide the sausage as it comes out of the tube. Goes a little faster that way.Filling the machine is very fast due to the way the cylinder pivots to the vertical position. Just add your sausage, press it firmly to remove excess air, and you’re ready to go. It comes with four tube diameters but I’ve only need to use two of them so far. I used the largest tube to fill 2.5” summer sausage casings and one of the medium tubes to do brats/Italian sausages. Night and day improvement when compared to the KitchenAid process. What used to take me over an hour to complete is now done in 10 minutes or so with zero frustration.The reason I went with the horizontal model is that I feel like there may be less waste due to not needing the 90 degree bend prior to the stuffing tube. There are ways to reduce that, such as feeding a couple slices of bread after the meat, but I’m happy with my decision. It does take up more counter space than the vertical model and you do need to position it at the edge of the counter to accommodate the hand crank, so bear that in mind.All in all, very happy with this product and I hope to enjoy it for years to come. This has been a great upgrade to my sausage making process and makes it a MUCH more enjoyable experience!
✔ Verified Purchase
G
Griz44Mag
February 24, 2020
Made for the serious sausage maker! A real beast of a stuffer.
If you are a sausage fanatic like me, you want to make sausage of almost every description, and a few that have no description! This horizontal stuffer will save you the massive end plug of sausage that you get with verticals, plus it is a whole lot easier to use at countertop height. The huge 11# canister capacity means you can stuff the longest of casings without interruption. You are at a good working height and don't wear your arms out trying to crank an almost overhead handle. It uses the standard HAKKA/VIVO gear system (all metal) and all stainless steel parts including the spouts. This makes cleanup a breeze. It's a few dollars more but worth every penny several times over.
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M
Moose in MN
September 28, 2022
Solid piece of equipment!
Started sausage making with a much cheaper stuffer knowing that I'd sacrifice some quality but wanting to test the waters. The difference between these two stuffers is like night and day. The cheapo had very noticeable seams that made thorough cleaning more difficult. One of those eventually failed which brought me o this significant upgrade. The finish on this thing is very clean. The sturdiness and heft of each component makes it feel like it'll last forever. I like that the stuffing tubes are secured with a retaining ring rather than a semi-threaded approach, feels less likely that the tube will cone loose or simply wear out.It operates very smoothly and I like having the two different speed options. Had a vertical stuffer before and there's a bit of a learning curve with the horizontal, make sure you clamp it down. All total very happy!
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A
Amazonier
August 26, 2019
Works great, if …..
Your sausage mix is soft, fatty and not too cold. We really wanted to love this machine, however it did not work for us. We use a lean beef mix (90/10) with some added spices, onions, garlic etc. To keep things food safe we have to use a mixture that is about 39 degrees Fahrenheit. We filled the cylinder to about 1/3 with mixture and started cranking. It takes a LOT of effort to push that mixture through, to a point were we had to discontinue for safety reasons.We did use a fatty mixture as well (70/30) that was just about room temperature and the machine worked great. However we need to operate within the food safety standard that prevents us from working with meats above 41 degrees.Pros:- Easy to clean- Fast shipping & return- Impressive size and weightCons:- Requires clamps if single operator- Bracket snapped off (on our unit)- Not suitable for chilled, lean meat mixture
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A
akdkelly
October 24, 2015
Don't bother with the others on Amazon, this is the real deal.
Now this is a stuffer. This puppy is heavy duty. Parts are replaceable from the manufacturer. It holds 30lbs no problem and performs better than any other manual stuffer I have used. Cleans up fairly easy, product left when empty is about one and half patties or between 1/3 to 1/2 lb. Use low speed for stuffing and fast for moveing ram. The only suggestion I could give would be to drill a small hole in supplied rubber feet as they are not tapered and pull out of base when you move it. I drilled a small hole in the rubber bumper and used a stainless steel hog ring through the hole once the feet were in place on the bottom so that when you lift it to move it the feet dont fall out of the frame. Bravo Hakka Brothers. For delivering a high quality product at a very reasonable price. Now if you only made trucks...PS... also got the patty maker for this stuffer and it will be reviewed on the patty maker not here.
✔ Verified Purchase
