This is an item that we got given free with our mince grinder and at first we were not too sure about it as meatballs are not a usual tea for us. We bought the grinder to make home made burgers so to be honest these laid dormant in our cupboard for ages! Tiring of burgers we eventually moved on to other mince dishes and home made meatballs were on the menu.

==Price and availability==

We received the ballers with the mince grinder we bought but you can buy your own for £3.99 - £4.99 from kitchen stores or internet shops.

==Description==

These are a very simplistic concept and perhaps one of those inventions that someone dreams up on Dragon's Den, however they do the job very well. The non stick metal ballers are good quality with a strong hinge and a tight fitting cup on the end. They make medium sized balls that are very neat in shape. The ballers move open easily but stiff enough to control the action.

==In use==

We filled a bowl of home made mince including the other ingredients such as egg, onion and herbs and mixed up the mixture before digging in with the balls filling each scoop and then clamping them together. When we made our first patch of meatballs we made them with quorn mince as we were feeding a vegetarian and the ball really did not form with the ballers, we had to our hands dirty. I think the size of the quorn pieces meant that I could not get the ballers to make round scoops. This will be the last time I cook with quorn mince though, it was not very tasty. When cooking with real mince and preferably our soft, fresh home minced meat, the balls do form and it is quicker and neater than hand rolling. When the mixture gets to the end then you need to start using your hands though. The balls need a large portion of mince to dig into or you will find yourself having to spoon the mixture into the baller. This is probably not as tasking as it sounds and just means that you will get exceptionally perfect meat balls from start to finish.

==Overall==

These are simple, easy to use and make life easier. I probably would not buy them though had I not go them free. The amount of times I have made meatballs I can count on one hand and to be honest I prefer the rustic look of home made hand rolled meat balls. I like to have some big and some small with lumps and bumps as they just taste more authentic. The good thing about having them the same size is that they will all cook evenly, this is a proper advantage!
I guess you could use these for other things, I have yet to experiment though. I am glad I got them free as I would not want to pay full price for them.