Fabio Leonardi Italian Meat Grinder Review
For some, the move from summer into fall signals the change of the leaves from green to deep reds and yellows, the perfect weather for a sweater and perhaps a scarf, or even the time of year to indulge in a seasonally-available caffeinated beverage inspired by a gourd more oft associated with halloween than coffee. For us here at Consiglio’s, however, the change of the seasons means the move from tomato season and canning into meat grinding and sausage making.
This week, to mark the change of the seasons we’ll be reviewing the Italian-made Fabio Leonardi line of meat grinders.
Fabio Leonardi Italian Meat Grinder Review
Though everything from ground beef and pork to ground poultry is now widely available from most supermarkets and grocery stores, grinding your own meat from home offers a slew of benefits:
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Grinding your own meat from home or sourcing your ground meat from a reputable, trusted butcher gives confidence in the quality and source of the meat in your burgers, sausages, meatloafs, sauces and meals you eat and serve to friends, family and loved ones.
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Home-ground meat provides ultimate control over the size, texture, fat ratio and seasoning in your final product - from being able to choose the size of the grind disk used, whether you want a lean grind for healthier meals or a richer fattier grind for burgers or sausages, or the freedom to decide whether or not you pre-salt your meat, grinding your own meat from home gives the option to control every element that goes into your final product.
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Having a good, high-quality meat grinder is a fast and easy option for big-game hunters to process their own meat and an affordable option for those who bulk-purchase whole cuts.
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Processing your own meats from home is a healthy and affordable option to make your own well-rounded and nutritious pet foods for dogs and cats.
Italian made Meat Grinders with a History of Excellence
Dating back to the beginning of the 20th Century, Fabio Leonardi was founded in Bologna, Italy in 1917. Now globally renowned for both their tomato milling machines and meat grinders, the Fabio Leonardi product line comes from a rich history of almost one hundred years of expertise, innovation and evolution, culminating in their current design for a line of machines that is highly functional and easy to use while having the strength and durability typically found now only in commercial machines.
Much like their tomato milling machines, the Fabio Leonardi meat grinders are designed to pair a single-gear motor with a removable meat grinding attachment - meaning that these meat grinders are easy to convert into tomato milling machines or cheese graters simply by swapping out for the corresponding attachment. This detail gives the option for possible 3-in-1 use for your Fabio machine, but also means that if you already have a Fabio Leonardi tomato milling machine you can convert it into a grinder simply by adding a meat grinding attachment.
If you already have a Fabio Leonardi motor, you can use the chart below to determine the compatible meat grinding and tomato milling attachment.
Model Number |
Motor Size (HP) |
Grinding |
Tomato |
0.3 |
|||
MR0 |
0.5 |
||
0.5 |
|||
MR9 |
1 |
||
1 |
|||
1.5 |
|||
1.5 |
As per this chart, you could add either a #22 or #32 size meat grinding attachment to your Fabio Leonardi MR9 1HP SP5 tomato milling machine. Alternatively, you could use your MR2 0.3 HP #5 meat grinder to process tomatoes simply by adding the SP2 tomato milling attachment.
Fabio Leonardi Meat Grinder Design and Durability
As mentioned above, one of the largest benefits of the Fabio Leonardi design is that their motors, grinders and milling attachments are easy to use and highly functional while having a durability and strength that is typically only found with commercially rated machines - a feature that sets them apart from other grinders available for domestic or home use. This durability of the Fabio meat grinders is rooted in the strong construction of a simple design using high-quality components. Whereas many motors and machines now use plastic parts, components or gears, Fabio Leonardi uses an all-metal single gear system - a single gear system reduces the overall number of parts and moving systems within the machine, while the metal components diminish the risk of premature wear and tear or breakage of parts.
Fabio Leonardi meat grinders use high-quality cutting knives and grinding discs made from stainless steel, making them almost impervious to wear and tear even with high levels of use. Like their tomato milling attachments, the Fabio Leonardi meat grinding attachment body and auger are constructed from a heavy cast iron sealed with a durable Niploy coating - a uniform foodsafe electroless alloy coating highly resistant to corrosion, scratching, and wear and tear. Unlike a coat of paint, for example, the niploy process allows for a uniform application regardless of shape or geometry resulting in an even finish across the curves, twists and turns of the auger and grinder body. This even application of the niploy coating creates a strong adhesion resistant to scratching and flaking, even when under duress. The result? A heavy duty meat grinder that will stand up to heavy, repeated use.
Amazingly, this commercial grade strength and construction is found on all Fabio Leonardi meat grinders regardless of size - meaning that you get the same strength and durability from the small MR2 O.5 HP #5 meat grinder as you would the large 1.5 HP MR6 or MR10 grinder. Because the only difference between models and sizes comes down to power and speed, the only factor in determining which size grinder works best for your needs comes down to just how much meat you plan to be grinding.
Fabio Leonardi Power and Capacity
Ranging in size from 0.3 horsepower to 1.5 horsepower, the various models of Fabio Leonardi meat grinders are designed to accommodate a wide-range of needs and uses. The smaller 0.3 and 0.5 horsepower motors are perfectly suited to smaller-scale home use, while the larger 1 horsepower and 1.5 horsepower grinders are able to process upwards of hundreds of pounds of meat and cartilage per hour. Though we do not recommend using the Fabio grinders for processing large bones or hard materials, these larger sizes can easily process everything from soft organs to dense cuts of meat and even small chicken bones.
Fabio Leonardi Meat Grinders and Sausage Stuffing
In addition to their primary function as meat grinders, the Fabio Leonardi line can pull double duty stuffing sausages - simply replace the stainless steel cutting knife with a “worm-holder” (to keep the auger in place without re-cutting the meat), attach the stuffing tube of your choice, and you’re ready to start stuffing your sausage!
If you prefer the process and pacing of using a dedicated stuffer to fill your sausage, Fabio Leonardi also offers a range of horizontal sausage stuffers - you can find them on our site here.
The Drawbacks - Move on if…
As with any product line, there are realistic drawbacks to the Fabio Leonardi meat grinders - namely, their size and heft. While the durable construction and heavy duty components create a strong machine with a high output capacity, the result is a very large and heavy machine, especially for the more powerful motors - for example, the 1 horsepower MR9 grinder comes in at over fifty pounds, while the larger 1.5 horsepower MR6 easily tops sixty. This weight and size can make them difficult for a single person to move, maneuver and store. If you’ll be using these large-sized grinders, be prepared to need a strong work surface, a dedicated storage space for when the grinder is not in use, and possibly some assistance with lifting and moving the machine.
Another key point to consider is that powerful machines draw a lot of power! While this may seem pretty obvious, be prepared for a larger power draw when using the 1.5 horsepower MR6 or MR10 grinders - we recommend using a dedicated outlet on a circuit with minimal draw from other appliances.
If you are concerned about the weight and size of these larger Fabio Leonardi grinders, we recommend evaluating the amount of grinding you’ll be doing and whether or not a large grinder is right for you - these machines are maybe not the best option if you’ll only be grinding a pound or two of meat at a time to whip up a batch of your famous homemade burgers!
If you’re unsure what Fabio Leonardi meat grinder will best suit your needs, don’t hesitate to contact us or send us an email!
Fabio Leonardi Meat Grinder Models and Specifications
Model |
Power (HP) |
Grinder Size | Cover Type* |
Compatible Tomato Milling Attachment |
Recommended Usage | Capacity |
MR2 | 0.3 | #5 | Stainless Steel |
SP2 | Home use, small game |
1 to 2 lbs/ minute, 60 to 90 lbs/ hour |
MR0 | 0.5 | #12 | Uncovered | SP3 | Small to medium game |
2 to 3 lbs/ minute, 120 to 180 lbs/hour |
MR8 | 0.5 | #12 | Stainless Steel | SP3 | Small to medium game |
2 to 3 lbs/minute, 120 to 180 lbs/ hour |
MR9 | 1 |
#22, #32 |
Uncovered | SP5 | Frequent use, medium to large game |
9 to 12 lbs/ minute, 540 to 720 lbs/ hour |
MR7 | 1 |
#22, #32 |
Stainless Steel | SP5 | Frequent use, medium to large game |
9 to 12 lbs/ minute, 540 to 720 lbs/ hour |
MR6 | 1.5 |
#22, #32 |
Stainless Steel | SP5 | Frequent large-scale home or semi professional use, large game |
12 to 18 lbs/minute, 720 to 1080 lbs/hour |
MR10 | 1.5 |
#22, #32 |
Uncovered | SP5 | Frequent large-scale home or semi professionl use, large scale game |
12 to 18 lbs/minute, 720 to 1080 lbs/hour |
* While the Fabio Leonardi tomato mill motors come either uncovered or powder-covered casing models, the Fabio Leonardi meat grinders come with a heavy duty, Italian-made stainless steel casing for added durability and ease of cleaning. With the exception of the MR10, the uncovered models listed above are Fabio Leonardi tomato mill motors listed with their compatible meat grinding attachments. While these motors will weigh slightly less than their stainless steel covered counterparts, they will be more difficult to clean!
Fabio Leonardi Meat Grinder and Sausage Stuffing Accessories
Although the Fabio Leonardi MR8, MR7 and MR6 meat grinders come with a sausage stuffing accessory kit, at some point you will likely need to replace one of your grind knives, or check out a new size of grind disc. To make finding these accessories a little easier, we’ve included a small index of our Fabio Leonardi meat grinder and sausage stuffing accessories below.
Meat Grinder Discs:
Meat grinder discs are sold based on the size of the meat grinder they are compatible with, and the diameter of the holes in the disc. Fabio Leonardi meat grinders come standard with a small 6mm or 8mm grinding disc. For ease of grinding, we recommend pairing these small discs with a slightly larger one - begin by passing your meat through the larger disc before moving to the final smaller grind size.
# 5 Meat Stainless Steel Grinder Discs: 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, 16 mm
# 8 Meat Stainless Steel Grinder Discs: 8mm, 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, 16 mm, 18mm
# 10/12 Meat Stainless Steel Grinder Discs: 8mm, 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, 16 mm, 18mm
# 22 Meat Stainless Steel Grinder Discs: 6mm, 8mm, 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, 16 mm, 18mm, 20mm
# 32 Meat Stainless Steel Grinder Discs: 8mm, 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, 16 mm, 18mm, 20mm
Worm Holders:
Worm holders, also known as screw feed retainers, are what holds your auger in place while stuffing sausage - since you’ll want to remove the cutting knife to avoid double-grinding your meat, you’ll replace it with a worm holder to ensure everything stays aligned.
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#5 Worm Holder: not available for this size, instead we recommend using the largest grinding disc size you have available.
Replacement Meat Grinder Knives:
Sausage Stuffing Tubes:
Sausage stuffing tubes come in a range of sizes and can be found in either aluminum or plastic. You can take a look at our full range of sausage stuffing tubes on our site here.
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