Boy does that post bring back memories!  I too attempted to 'grind' up
a chicken in our blender.  This after hacking it into mangled bloody
pieces, bones n all.  The first 'batch' ground up ok... with the second
2 cups, the blender made sounds of distress.  Being a slow learner, and
REALLY wanting the chicken soup for our baby, in went the 3rd 2 cups!
The blender was now screaming in death throes, and it's poor, overworked
body was now smoking!
 
Okay, so blender body out to the garage, and on with the cuisinart.  Now,
mind you, my cuisinart is not so new, has been ridden hard so to speak.
That being said, envision goopy half ground chicken parts and water, into
a machine who's lid fits a touch loose, and an over eager human actually
turning the thing on.  Yep, a nice 'spray' pattern of raw chicken goo
whirling outward nailing said person, the walls, the cabinets... well
the kitchen as a whole.  Not to be deterred, I figured I might as well
continue on.... (this does not bode well)...... I throw a towel over the
cuisinart, thinking in my own pitiful pea brain, to contain said 'spray'.
On goes the machine, now the spray pattern has been lowered to splash
things that had not yet been nailed.  My mate, having the intellect, and
survival instincts to boot, had up to this point remained silent.  No
longer..  now he has gone from "I see nothing" to doing that point and
laugh thing, with great glee, and apparently, assuming anyone who could
destroy 2 appliances and coat themselves and their kitchen with ucky
stuff was no longer a threat to their survival.  He was right.  It's
hard to look vicious with chicken bones in your hair.  Goofy, yes...
vicious, no.
 
The blender (which by odd coincidence) was also new and from Wal-Mart,
went back, and a newer stronger on was bought.  This along with a hand
crank grinder (donated by a sympathetic neighbor) managed to get us going
on the road to chicken soup for our sick ones.  It's hard work, and
having a Kitchenaid mixer, have found that the grinding attachment on it
works well if you hack the chicken and bones into small enough pieces.
So far so good.
 
I've been making the 'soup' now for 4 years..... am I still traumatized
by the great smoking blender and chicken spay episode?, no, just a bit
embarrassed that I took the blender back to the store.  Maybe they need
to put a disclaimer on them "not intended to grind chicken bones,
tendons, and skin".....either that, or "Not to be used by children
under 3, or ferret people"
 
Michelle and the gang of 15
[Posted in FML issue 4595]