Spice Grinder


 
Jerry N.

Jerry N.

TVWBB Emerald Member
Can anyone recommend a good spice grinder? Are there differences that need to be considered when shopping for a grinder?

Any other things to look out for when grinding your own spices? My main reason for considering this is that I'm hoping I can get more for the money if I buy whole and I'm thinking most spices will store better whole.
 
I ended up buying an electric coffee grinder at Target for about $15. It works great and was not nearly expensive as a spice grinder from a cooking supply store. Just remember not to grind your coffee in it!
 
Jerry--

Any electric coffee mill will work pretty much. KitchenAid makes a model with a rmovable bowl which makes cleaning easier. If you get a model with a fixed bowl, you can grind a little plain, uncooked white rice in it to clean it.

Shaking the grinder a bit during use will even out the texture of whatever you're grinding. There are a few spices that are hard to grind. Using a little more than you need, grinding the best you can then sieving out any larger pieces can be helpful.

It is worth toasting most spices (in a dry pan on med-high heat, stirring frequently) till very fragrant, before grinding. Allow the spices to cool several minutes first though (remove them from the pan to cool). Dried peppers should be toasted first as well--this makes them dry enough to grind well.

There are larger, more expensive options as well. A grain grinder works well on spices, or you can go with a grinder/mill made specially for grinding spices and making spice pastes. Sumeet makes an excellent one.
 
Jerry,

I use only whole spices and grind in small batches.

I was never happy with the inconsistent grind that coffee grinders provide. I burned out 2 burr mill grinders and decided I needed the best.

I did a tremendous amount of research and finally bought the following unit. Expensive? Yes. What I love about it....I can grind from a fine "talcum powder" to large "flakes".

I DO get anal about certain things!! LOL

Darn! I just realized I am on my work puter and don't have the links available. Let me know if you are interested!
 
Find is your friend.
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I believe Stogie is talking about the Family Grain Mill (correct me if I'm wrong, Stogie).

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> Kevin Taylor, TVWBB All-Star, Posted April 15, 2004 07:46 PM

Here is a nice little site that compares many of the wheat grinders on the market. I personally use the Family Grain Mill as it was the best value.

http://www.aaoobfoods.com/FGM.htm#top

Stogie </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Boy, you have to be quick around here...You beat me, Doug! - Rita
 
Kevin (Doug and Rita),
Thanks for the help. I'm going to do some shopping for spices to see if I have a good supply of the raw material. There's a good market in Detroit that has shops that should carry whole spices. If the supply is good, then I will look into a grinder. I'm fortunate enough financially and anal enough that I'll be looking at a good grinder. Along with the one Kevin recommended, I will also be looking into the Sumeet.

Kevin - do you use the hand grinder or do you use the motorized unit? Can you get a fine powder and a course grind (pepper)?
 
Jerry,

I only use the hand crank. If you were grinding for wheat or other large quantities, the motor would be a must. But for the small batches I grind, the hand crank works fine.

The best part about the grinder is its infinite range of grinds.

I continue to be very happy with this unit.

Best of luck!
 
I see the grinder for the big KitchenAid mixers can be had for about the same price as a Family Grain Mill manual unit. Anyone have experience with one of these?
 
Rita,

You are correct! I should take some pics and post them so you can see how it looks on the counter when I amm grinding.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Doug D:
I see the grinder for the big KitchenAid mixers can be had for about the same price as a Family Grain Mill manual unit. Anyone have experience with one of these? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Doug, that was a great find. I was wondering if there was an attachment like that because we have a kitchen aide mixer. However, in reading the comments on the link you provided (you are DA link man!), I don't get the impression it will work with spices. If someone does have it, it would be good to know how they like it.

Kevin, I was kind of thinking the hand crank would be sufficient. Thanks.
 
Hmmm... Didn't get that impression-- only that oily item are to be avoided. What did you see? I figured since Stogie's is a grain mill that is also promoted as a spice grinder, that the KitchenAid accessory might also do the same. Will have to check around.
 
Doug,
I saw the part about oily and figured spices would generally be oily. Everyone seems to talk about heating them up to bring out the oil.
 
I have a Kitchen Aid grain mill attachment that I've had about 5 years and have hardly used. I wasn't too pleased with the fineness of the grind. It was better at cracked grains, but even those were unevenly cracked.

It's always possible that they had a design change since then, though. -- Rita
 
Kevin Kruger what type of pepper do you order from Penzey's? You suggested a spice/herb list for me a week ago but I'm overwhelmed by the decisions I have to make on the Penzey's website!!!
 
Interesting - I followed the links above and the Family Grain Mill comes as an attachment to the KitchenAid. It's the same grinder I think Kevin uses only it's attachable to a KitchenAid mixer.

Kevin - can you look at this and let me know if this is the same as you use? It's about 3/4 of the way down on this page. FGM Grain Mill Head for KitchenAid
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jerry N.:
Interesting - I followed the links above and the Family Grain Mill comes as an attachment to the KitchenAid. It's the same grinder I think Kevin uses only it's attachable to a KitchenAid mixer.

Kevin - can you look at this and let me know if this is the same as you use? It's about 3/4 of the way down on this page. FGM Grain Mill Head for KitchenAid </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
As i wait with eager anticipation.
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I bought a Mr Coffee grinder for 20 bucks. It has a fine, medium and course setting, but I don't think that's much benefit for spices. I ground some black and white pepper so far using the course setting and it did a good job for me. It does come apart for easy cleaning which is why I went ahead and got it.
 
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