Are LEM made by Fabio Leonardi?

Where to buy, how to use. Stuffers, casings, spices, grinders, etc.

Are LEM made by Fabio Leonardi?

Postby Kossu » Mon Dec 30, 2013 3:10 pm

Hi guys,

I'm new to the forum, but I have been reading your old posts for some time now. I'm looking for a new meat grinder to replace my Kenwood MG510. The Kenwood was extremely noisy, and not that great machine overall. It was completely destroyed when I washed it in dishwasher, and all the "aluminum" parts turned to a horrible mess of black oxide that was impossible to wash away.

For a while I considered purchasing a food grinder attachment for my KitchenAid stand mixer, but now I'm leaning towards a prosumer/light professional model as I hate mediocre products.

I live in Finland, and many hunters use Leonardi grinders to process meat from large moose carcasses. It's surprisingly difficult to find detailed information about these Fabio Leonardi meat grinders even though there are a lot of online retailers. Nobody really goes into deep detail. I'm especially interested in the "Hunger system" which cuts the meat twice in one pass. There is one attachment TC 22 Hunger / Hungher(?) that supposedly has this technology, but I can't find any detailed description what it really does compared to other models.

You can find a Leonardi catalog (from 2003?) at https://www.google.fi/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CCsQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffiles.ua.prom.st%2F145010_leonardi.pdf&ei=RYrBUvXRPMGT4ATPw4DoBw&usg=AFQjCNEpbkSvDOBoYRlKaMJd2sznGztQqA&sig2=xRgJCRL9HWQVmuZoPQt6kg&bvm=bv.58187178,d.bGE

Now to my question in the subject: Do you know who makes LEM meat grinders? LEM seems to be a well known brand, but to me they look like Leonardi products. Can anybody confirm this?

LEM advertises the Big Bite technology. Have they invedted this, or is it something that is standard also in Leonardi grinders? LEM sells Big Bite upgrade kits, would their Big Bite auger be a drop-in replacement for a Leonardi grinder?

I'm mostly asking this because Leonardi products are easily available to me here in Europe whereas LEM is a US product with wrong voltage.

Thanks in advance & Happy New Year!
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Re: Are LEM made by Fabio Leonardi?

Postby herjac » Mon Dec 30, 2013 5:10 pm

I was informed by a local distributor that handles both Fabio Leonardi and LEM that LEM is made in China.
LEM has all S.S. working parts whereas FL has coated iron. LEM is better priced.

The big bite technology used by LEM is a longer pitch in the auger thru the feed tube section. I wouldn't trust that LEM parts are interchangeable with other machines, except for knifes and plates.
The Hunger system used by FL would make an expensive machine even more expensive and might not be able to use standard size knifes and plates from other suppliers as you can do with the usual machines. You would have to confirm.

I wouldn't advise buying a KichenAid grinder. I tried this route and wasted my money.
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Re: Are LEM made by Fabio Leonardi?

Postby Kossu » Tue Dec 31, 2013 11:40 am

Thanks herjac for your reply! I have no interest in Chinese products if I can buy a similar item made in Europe or in North America and the price difference is not huge. In this case Italian made Fabio Leonardi and (apparently Chinese) LEMs cost about the same. I believe FL's 100 years of expertise in manufacturing and materials sourcing beats any Chinese products hands down :)

I called a local Fabio Leonardi distributor who has 20 years of experience importing and selling them. His recommendation for home use was either the 0.5 HP motor with #8 head or 1.0 HPmotor with either #8 or #12 head.

Personally he owns and uses a MR9 motor (1.0 HP / 720 W) with TC12 head. He told not to bother with motor covers because they almost double the motor's price. The covers are needed in restaurant kitchens and butcher shops where easy cleaning is paramount. This guy told he hunts deer and grinds about 4 deers per season with this setup. He also uses this machine to grind meat for his dogs. To me it seems this setup would be more than enough for my moderate needs.

I also asked him about the Unger system (it is not Hunger or Hungheras written in FL brochure, but Unger). Unger is really easy for the meat as you get fine mince with just a single pass. However the Unger head is incompatible with a sausage funnel, and it may also make too fine mince for sausages.

Lastly this guy told not to grind meat twice unless you want dry ground meat that has lost all its juices. What is the consensus here? Are here any supporters for single pass grinding, or is two passes the tried and true norm?
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Re: Are LEM made by Fabio Leonardi?

Postby herjac » Thu Jan 02, 2014 1:22 pm

"However the Unger head is incompatible with a sausage funnel"
You will have better results using a stuffer than trying to stuff with your grinder.

"Lastly this guy told not to grind meat twice unless you want dry ground meat that has lost all its juices. What is the consensus here? Are here any supporters for single pass grinding, or is two passes the tried and true norm?"
I have a 350W #10 grinder and I find it slow going if using a small plate size directly with cold firm meat so in that case I grind coarse first.
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Re: Are LEM made by Fabio Leonardi?

Postby wheels » Thu Jan 02, 2014 3:26 pm

FWIW, I invariably grind twice, and have no problem.

Phil
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Re: Are LEM made by Fabio Leonardi?

Postby vagreys » Thu Jan 02, 2014 11:57 pm

The double-grind in one pass systems are usually seen on larger commercial grinders. I double grind in two passes, and obtain a succulent product, every time. Part of the key to this is keeping the meat properly chilled for a clean cut with least damage to the meat.
- tom

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Re: Are LEM made by Fabio Leonardi?

Postby nooob » Tue Feb 11, 2014 12:00 pm

Hi,
Yes, LEM are made by Fabio Leonardi.
http://cdn.lemproducts.com/downloads/53 ... 8A_540.pdf
They are the US distributor for Fabio Leonardi. LEM units are produced in China and as styles and pricing of the Fabio Leonardi product is similar it seems reasonable to assume that production of these or at least parts of these have been outsourced to China too.

I had ordered a no-brand size 12 800w 120kg/h machine for £101 from China, but the seller is now saying there is a minimum order quantity of 10 units! It was their basic unit with stainless steel tray and cover (carbon steel internals) and a single 5mm plate. Any recommendations for another unit in this price range?
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