Spice Grinders

The Peugeot Fidji spice mill is an elegant combination of wood and metal that makes an attractive addition to any kitchen or dining table. This cylindrical mill tapers at the middle providing a good grip and an eye-catching form. You have four colors to choose from –black wood, natural wood, cherry wood, or red lacquer. In addition, you can also opt for a 15- or 20-cm tall mill.

A stainless steel dome tops the hardwood base of the mill. Within it is the grinding mechanism which consists of two differently-sized grooves. The larger grooves, called the Channeling grooves, line up the peppercorns for cracking. The smaller Grinding grooves pulverize the cracked pepper. This method guarantees that flavor is preserved.

Peugeot uses hardened steel for its pepper mills. This is because its sharp burrs last longer than those made of stainless steel. Although it can rust, pepper mills do not ordinarily come into contact with water which causes such corrosion. Salt, on the other hand, is corrosive. Thus, salt mills are made of stainless steel.

As an extra protection against corrosion, the grinding mechanism is treated with Physical Vapor Deposition or PVD. This is a form of atomic level surface treatment that is similar to electroplating. Unlike electroplating, however, it does not react chemically to food and is thus safe to use for spice grinders.

A knob at the top adjusts the consistency of your grounds. Rotating it counterclockwise loosens the nut giving you coarse grounds. Going the opposite direction gives finer grounds.

Refilling only requires the removal of the dome top, while cleaning should be done by hand. Be sure to thoroughly dry the mills especially the pepper mill.

If you are one of those who like to use gadgets, kitchen tools included, that can perform not just a single task, you might appreciate the Chef’n Dual Grinder Lab 921. This device stores both pepper and salt in a single container and grinds either of them with a few twists and squeezes.

The Dual Grinder is made of clear impact-resistant polycarbonate plastic wrapped in brushed stainless steel. It is about 23 cm tall including the grinding levers. The spice container is an oval bottle measuring 8.3 cm on its longer side and 6.8 cm on the shorter. This is divided into two sections, one for pepper and the other for salt. Since pepper and salt do not have the same texture and hardness, the grinder utilizes a zinc rasp for the pepper and ceramic rasp for the salt.

To choose which of these spices to grind, you need to twist the ergonomically-designed SavvyGrip®, that is, the V-shaped grinding levers at the top. There is an aperture on the lower end of the levers. If you can see letter “P” through it, you are ready to grind pepper. If you want salt, twist it again until the letter “S” appears.

Squeeze the SavvyGrip® levers to start grinding. This can be done with one hand. There are GrindTune™ dials at the bottom of the grinder which you can turn to adjust the consistency of your grounds.

Refilling is done through clear windows below the grinding levers. You need only to open them to replenish your spices.

Salt and pepper are the most common spices in use to season our food even at the dining table. For this reason we often see two bottles or grinders sitting on the table, one for pepper, perhaps with a black top, and another for salt with, you guessed it, a white top. Bodum approaches the issue differently. It came up with the Bodum Twin Salt and Pepper Grinder 11002 which combines the two spices into one single bottle.

A divider is set in the middle of the tubular container, one side for salt and the other for pepper. A grinding mechanism is housed at the lid of the grinder. The lid is surrounded by a silicone band making it a non-slip handle. Rotating this band switches between the two spices.

The grinding mechanism is made of rust-free and durable ceramic gears. They are easy to operate and can be adjusted to grind coarse or fine salt or pepper. Clear windows show the level of spices left in the grinder so you will know if you need to refill them. Refilling is done at the top.

The Bodum Twin is round at the top but it is elliptical at the base. The round top conforms with the ergonomics of the human hand while the elliptical base is meant to minimize footprint.

The band at the lid comes in eight different colors –green, red, purple, brown, gray, pink, black, and off white. Whatever is the color motif of your kitchen or dining room, there is a Bodum Twin that is a perfect match to it.

The Danesco Spice and Seed Grinder is a small kitchen tool made of a round glass jar that tapers from a wide base to a narrower opening, and joins up with a plastic top, also rounded, with a pinched midriff.

This top houses a ceramic grinder that is tough enough not only for crushing and grinding salt, peppercorns, cinnamon, cumin, oregano, as well as other herbs and other spices, but also small hard seeds such as cardamom and flax seeds. Indeed, Danesco is so confident of the toughness and durability of the grinding mechanism that they are actually offering a 25-year guarantee on the ceramic parts.

The ceramic Crush-Grind mechanism of the Danesco Spice and Seed Grinder first crushes the seeds to extract the oil then grinds them to a fine consistency, thus ensuring that the nutrients are preserved.

The freshly ground spices and seeds are guaranteed not only to enhance the flavor of your food, but to provide you with healthy nutrients as well. This is especially true with flax seeds that contain healthy fat and fibers, which both play key roles in any weight-loss or maintenance program.

This easy to clean spice and seed grinder measures five inches tall with a diameter of 2.13 inches.

The Vic Firth Gourmet Pump and Grind Pepper Mill is a stainless steel cylindrical mill with a telescopic pump that is pressed from the top. Depressing this with your thumb delivers ground pepper, freshly processed from the mill.

The mill utilizes a two-step grinding process. The peppercorns are first crushed to release their natural oils, after which they are ground to a consistency of your own choosing. If you want to season fish, you can choose fine; for gravies, go for medium; while for meat, coarse grounds are best. You can choose any of these textures with Vic Firth’s patented Lock and Grind milling system.

A little below the mid-point of the mill is a transparent portion allowing you to see into it to check if it needs refilling. With the mill’s innovative pop-out mechanism cleaning it is simple and easy.

It has a height of 5.6 inches and a diameter of 1.1 inches. With this size and its pumping mechanism, it can be operated with one hand.

Peugeot has always made its grinders and mills spice-specific because they believe that not all spices share the same characteristics. A grinding mechanism may work well with peppercorn, for instance, but will only mess up nutmeg.

Thus, the Peugeot Tidore Nutmeg Grinder should only be used with nutmeg. This mill is spherical with a base to stand on. On top of the sphere is a crank lever with a handle perpendicular to it. The sphere itself is made of clear acrylic allowing you to see its insides, right through the nutmegs and the grinders.

The nutmegs are ground by a durable double stainless steel blade or grater. With the support of a strong claw, the spices can be ground to extremely fine consistencies. This is done simply by rotating the crank with the handle which activates the grinding mechanism. This mechanism, made of treated and case-hardened steel to prevent corrosion and wear, in turn, rotates the blades.

This French-made 11-cm-high grinder is both a useful and decorative tool. You can keep it tidy and spotless by wiping it with a clean damp cloth.

Kyocera Corporation is now a fully diversified Japanese multi-national corporation but it started as a ceramics technology company. It has maintained this founding technology and today, it continues to produce quality ceramic kitchen knives, peelers, slicers, as well as grinders and mills.

Among these products is the Kyocera Everything Mill Adjustable Grinder. The name implies that it can grind or mill everything. Indeed, it can easily grind sea salt, wet salt, rock salt, dried oregano, peppercorns, red pepper flakes, and different kinds of seeds such as flax, sesame, mustard, cumin, and celery seeds. An adjustable dial sets the texture of the grounds, from coarse to fine, according to your preferences. During humid conditions, its tightly sealed cap keeps your spices dry.

As Kyocera specializes in ceramic technology, you can expect the mill’s ceramic grinding mechanism to be a-one. It is adamantine in hardness providing you with precise and even grounds. Couple this with the fact that ceramics do not rust, you can be sure of a long lasting mill grinder.

The upright design of this Kyocera mill eliminates residual grounds from your tables or counters. The spices are contained in a glass bottle. It is dishwasher safe so that you can clean it if you want to pour in another kind of spice without retaining the previous one’s flavor and aroma.

Cook’s Illustrated Magazine includes the Unicorn Magnum Plus Pepper Mill in its “Best” category. This is because the pepper mill stands out among its competitors in terms of its grinding functions, ease of handling and operation, and aesthetics.

The grinding mechanism consists of nickel-plated heads. These are impervious to rust and can be expected to maintain their cutting edges for extended periods even with frequent use. Indeed, the mill comes with a lifetime guarantee.

The texture of the grounds can be adjusted using a nut at the base of the mill. This can vary from extra fine to coarse. The adjusting nut is independent of the mill’s loading ring. This feature, unlike in other mills, eliminates the need to reset the nut to your preferred ground consistency every time you need to refill it.

Refilling is accomplished by turning sideways the circular depression on one side of the mill. This reveals a loading hole into which you can pour over a cup of peppercorns. The cylindrical built of the Magnum Plus is comfortable to the grip, while its length, a full nine inches, makes grinding light and easy.

The body of Magnum Plus is made of ABS plastic. This makes them tough and resistant to impact and heat. In addition to this, the sheen of the black plastic body lends elegance and class to the mill. It is perfect not only for your kitchen work areas, but for your dining table as well.

You can clean the exterior with paper towels. As for the interior, there is no need to clean it. Just be certain that the pepper you put into it are clean.

Nutmeg has a lot of uses. You can enhance the flavor of baked goods, apple pies, white sauces, custards, potatoes, spinach, squash, as well as drinks such as cappuccino, cider, and of course, your Christmas eggnog.

The nutmeg that is used as a spice is actually the seed of the nutmeg tree. While its outer surface bruises easily, its inner part is actually hard and can be difficult to grate. Thanks, however, to the William Bounds Nut Twister Nutmeg Mill, grinding the seed has become an easy and even pleasant task.

The nutmeg mill features a durable stainless steel grinding mechanism that resists corrosion. This sits atop a chrome base which serves to catch nutmeg bits when milled. The seeds, six of them if average in size, are placed atop the grinder and are covered with a clear acrylic top that is accented with chrome. Atop this cover is the crank lever, also in chrome, used to activate the grinding mechanism.

When actually grinding, one of the nutmeg seeds is impaled on prongs. A spring pushes it against the grinding mechanism which transforms the egg-shaped seeds into nutmeg bits. These bits are gathered in the chrome base. Since this is enclosed, no dust or powder is left on your table. With a simple twist, you can disengage the base and pour your nutmeg into your dish or drinks.

Cleaning can be accomplished by wiping with a damp cloth.

Cole and Mason Inverta Flip Spice Mills were designed to sit on your dining tables, not inside your cupboards to be taken out only when cooking. These English designed spice mills are pleasant-looking and are a perfect complement to kitchens of any décor. So if you like adding a bit more salt, pepper, or chili to your soup or solid foods while already dining, these innovative mills are for you.

The mills are made of crystal clear acrylic of the finest quality. The bottle tapers to a soft touch band above the midpoint then widens again to an open slanted top.

The grinding mechanism is housed within the band. This is a spring loaded ceramic mechanism that is easily adjustable and is excellent at milling salt, pepper, chili, and herbs. Since all the grinding is done at the top of the mill when it is inverted or flipped above your plate, there are no residues left to spill onto your table.

The Inverta Flip Spice Mills’ bands are of different colors. There is chrome, black, and red. You can probably use the chrome for your salt, black for pepper, and red for chili; or in any way you choose to. After all, you can see right through the clear acrylic bottle.