Spice Grinders

Hand–cranked spice grinders often have their grinding mechanisms at the top of the jar. Once ground, the spice immediately pours out of the grinder directly into the food or a waiting container. Progressive International offers a variation of this design in the Prepsolutions.

The grinding mechanism is in the middle of the grinder, between a receptacle with a ¼ cup capacity that receives fresh salt, pepper, or herbs; and a detachable base with measurement markings ranging from ¼ teaspoon up to 1 tablespoon that catches the grounds. Both upper receptacle and base are made of transparent acrylic giving you a clear view of their contents.

With a removable colored rubber stopper, it is easy to fill the receptacle with the spices you need. With markings on the base clearly indicating measurement levels, you can grind the precise amount you need, remove the base, and pour the grounds into your food.

Plastic of the same color as the rubber stopper conceals the rust- and corrosion-free ceramic grinders that are harder than carbon steel. These are easy to adjust according to the desired fineness of the grounds by simply rotating a knob at the bottom of the grinding mechanism. Also, it will grind any combination of dried spices without clogging.

Glass goes well with any type of kitchen design and décor. Its combination with colored plastic only helps enhance its aesthetic value. Colors available are white, green, red, and gray. You can probably even purchase all colors and use the white for your salt, green for herbs, gray for peppercorns, and red for cinnamon.

Kyocera Ceramic Fine Mills are manufactured by the multinational Japanese company Kyocera International. The company has been working with ceramics for almost fifty years and they have achieved the technology to adjust the chemical composition of ceramics using refined or synthesized raw powder for tougher and longer-lasting products. These are referred to as advanced ceramics.

The advanced ceramic grinders are immune to acids, oils, juices, salts, or any other element that could lead to rust. This allows them to last longer than metals by as much as 10 times. They are also ultra lightweight thus reducing the possibility of toppling the mill over when accidentally tipped.

Because the grinders are close to a diamond in hardness, they are capable of grinding peppercorns, spices, and seeds to a fine consistency. Even damp coarse sea salt is easily ground and will not clog the mill’s sprinkler. The grinders are at the upper portion of the mill so all you need to do is invert the jar, twist it, and you are ready with your rubs and seasonings.

The grinding mechanism is housed inside a plastic casing made of polypropylene resin. Atop such casing is a cap of the same material that keeps the contents of the jar fresh and aromatic. These come in black, white, or yellow. The jar itself is made of glass.

The Progressive International Spice Grinder is a handy manual kitchen tool that grinds herbs and spices from fine to coarse using adjustable ceramic gears. A wheel at the top of the grinder sets this adjustment.

Unlike other hand-powered grinders that directly pour out freshly ground herbs or spices, the Progressive International Spice Grinder is equipped with a transparent lid that catches the ground seasoning. This can hold up to one tablespoon of the grinds. This is convenient if you need to measure exactly the amount of spice you need for your cooking.

Purchase of this grinder comes with 12 spice labels and a four-ounce bag of sea salt for cleaning the ceramic gears.

This manual spice grinder looks like a, well, vase. It has a wide bottom that tapers at the middle and widens again, though not as much as the base. This upper portion contains a ceramic grinding mechanism that is trademarked CrushGrind. It is guaranteed by Kuhn Rikon to be stronger and sharper than steel.

Ergonomics dictates the wide base of this simple machine. With such a design it is easy to grip the grinder and allows you to do the job without changing your grip. The grinder at the top assures that no residue or dust is ever left behind.

A rotating wheel allows you to adjust your grinds from extremely fine to coarse. And if you are grinding more than one kind of spice, you can use the grinder’s refill inserts. These are small containers where you can pour different spices and herbs and which you insert into the Vase Spice Grinder. In this way, you need not wash the whole grinder every time you change spices. Of course, since these grinders are so good-looking, you can opt to purchase all three available colors —black, white, and red— and have them contain different spices without the inserts.

The inserts come with a lid so you use them as containers for whole spices. You can keep salt, pepper, cardamom, rosemary, and even coffee in these inserts and simply put them into the grinder whenever you need some.

There are some people who feel that electric-powered grinders are an unnecessary waste of electric energy. They feel that to grind their favorite spices, all they need to do is to twist and turn their wrists a few times, thereby helping reduce their carbon footprint. For them, the Linden Sweden, Inc.’s Tulip Spice Grinder is a great kitchen tool.

This hand powered tool has a clear glass body. A plastic top housing the allgrind® ceramic grinding mechanism is attached at the top of the glass. This mechanism is adjustable allowing you to grind salt, herbs, pepper, flax and other seeds, and other oily herbs at any level of fineness, or coarseness, you desire. A built-in spout directs where you want the grinds to pour. It is used upside down, but you don’t have to worry about dropping it because its ergonomically designed body makes it easy to hold.

The plastic top is available in four colors –white, black, lime green, and warm red, making the grinder an attractive addition to your table or countertop. With a measurement of only 5 inches in height and 2¾ inches in diameter, it is rather compact and easy to store when not in use.