Removing clove flavor from spice mill

I have an old Krups coffee mill for my spice mill. I must have gotten a really fresh batch of whole cloves from Penzeys, because they left quite a residue after I ground some yesterday. I usually grind some rice to clean my mill but this time it didn't come clean, even after 2 more grindings.

Any suggestions? The clove scent is still quite strong.

Rita

I read how you shouldn't put cloves in a spice or coffee grinder with a plastic lid for this very reason. The clove oil does something to the plastic to cloud it.

The same thing happened to mine and I just had to live with it.

It died, and I was thinking about replacing it with the grinder that comes with a removable stainless bowl, hoping to avoid this problem, but it got horrible reviews on amazon.

Which unit do you use? I'm still thinking of replacing mine but for the mean time, I'm using my blender with canning jars.

Rita,

Here's a few thoughts...

1) Try grinding a mixture of rock salt (or Kosher) and baking soda for a little while.

2) Then wipe all clove exposed parts with white vinegar.

If you have a plastic cap that's scratched and permeated with clove; soak the cap overnight in a strong solution of water and baking soda. This may help with the clove aroma, but won't fix the scratches. If all else fails, this unit becomes your dedicated clover grinder or you could try to find a replacement cap for it...

Let us know how it turns out!

Paul

Thanks, J and Paul. I'll give the salt-soda mixture + vinegar rinse a try. I've had this mill a long time and the plastic lid has long since gotten cloudy, after frequent use. That doesn't bother me.

The concept of a removable stainless bowl for a spice grinder makes good sense, in theory anyway. I think I tried one mill constructed that way about 5 or 10 years ago but I wound up with ground spices on my counter. It was somewhat messy and didn't grind the spices very evenly either. I don't recall the brand.

Anyone have any recommendations for a new spice mill if I can't de-clove my old one?

Rita

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I've had this mill a long time and the plastic lid has long since gotten cloudy, after frequent use. That doesn't bother me. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

sorry, I missed that originally, you were looking to rid yourself of the smell.

It usually abates after a few more uses. If I'm going to grind something that will clash with the clove, I'll grind salt, uncooked rice, etc basically anything cheap and neutral.

Instead of buying a dedicated grinder, check your blender base first. The more expensive models (cuisinart, kitchen aid) have a wider bottom to the vessel and may accept either the regular mouth or wide mouth canning jars. The nice thing about this is that you put the jar on a scale, weigh out your spices, crush it, and put a lid on it. The downside is it doesn't grind quite as nice (my guess is that the small volume of a coffee grinder increases blade contact). Check it out, it may work for you and can avoid having a "single tasker" taking up counter space.

I used to use canning jars with my old blender, but have just found a Vita-Mix. Jars won't fit. I'll have to check the company and see if there is a small jar available from Vita-Mix. Thanks for reminding me.

Rita

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I used to use canning jars with my old blender </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

did you ever have occasional problems with a jar leaking? every once an a while a jar will leak and no amount of tightening will correct the problem. I have an odd collection of jars so I wonder if a few have different thread patterns or uneven lips.

I don't recall having any leakage problems, even when making pastes or thinner mixtures. But I used only Ball or Mason jars, or the 8-oz hard plastic container that was an accessory to an old blender. All these jars fit the threads of the blender quite well.

Rita