The History of Buffalo Choppers
In 1897, John E. Smith & Sons in Buffalo, NY, patented its first Buffalo Meat Grinder for institutional kitchens throughout the meatpacking trade.1 It's rumored that this unique piece of equipment was named after the city where it originated. Regardless of its curious name, the company's buffalo chopper improved sausage in foodservice, which was often inedible and full of byproducts, blood, and bones. Another Smith & Sons product, the Buffalo Silent Cutter minced thousands of pounds of meat, trimming, and filler into an emulsion for funneling into automated stuffing machines in a matter of hours.
Around this time, President Roosevelt compelled Congress to pass the Meat Inspection Act and Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, part of which would be renamed the Food and Drug Administration in 1930. Before the Meat Inspection Act of 1906, there were no uniform regulations for how food was produced. The only legislation prior to 1906 that regulated meat processing and manufacturing was the Meat Inspection Acts of 1890 and 1891, which, though they regulated many unsafe practices, were proven to be ineffective.2
What is a Buffalo Chopper?
Buffalo choppers, also known as bowl choppers or cutters, are motorized meat cutters that are either countertop or free-standing units. Next to the motor sits a shallow chopping bowl with sharp knives and a bowl cover. As the bowl turns, food passes through the spinning blades to mince, chop, or emulsify ingredients in a manner best suited for batch operations.3
Buffalo Choppers in Foodservice Operations
Depending on the size of the buffalo chopper, these machines are a staple in supermarkets, restaurants, and butcher shops. Many operators will utilize buffalo choppers rather than a standard food processor, as they make sharper cuts to meat than food processors. Typically, countertop bowl cutters are used in restaurants, while operations needing higher outputs may choose larger, free-standing units. Smaller countertop units have capacities ranging from 5 to 15 pounds and free-standing bowl choppers can accommodate 1,000 pounds of product or more.
Though they are primarily used to chop and grind meat, there are several other bowl cutter uses:
- Chop vegetables for sauces and slaws
- Mince stale bread for breadcrumbs
- Grind cheese for toppings and sauces
References
- The National Provisioner, Volume 16. The National Provisioner. Accessed February 2023.
- Meat Inspection Act of 1906. Britannica. Accessed February 2023.
- Choppers. ScienceDirect. Accessed February 2023.
