Spice Grinders

Although hand-cranked mills may be more labor intensive than their electric-powered cousins, they have their own advantages. One obvious edge is that you can continue to operate them even during power outages. Another, which is perhaps more important, is that the grinders are never run fast enough to generate heat that could adversely affect your grounds.

One fine specimen of hand-powered mills is the Victorio Hand Crank Grain Mill. It looks like an upright hollowed-out rectangular bar, the top of which is a hopper that holds your grains while the bottom portion houses the grinders. One of the narrower sides of the bar extends further downwards to form a C-clamp designed to grasp a table or counter top. On this same side is the crank handle used to rotate the grinders.

The mill consists of cast stainless steel grinding burrs, shaped like cones, that have been machined to precision. This guarantees evenly and smoothly ground flour. The burrs can easily process wheat, oats, rice, barley, corn, non-oily seeds, peppercorn, and various spices. As the grinders are made of stainless steel they can be expected to last a lifetime.

The consistency and texture of the grounds is easily adjusted and you can have them fine for your breads, or coarse for your corn grits. A normal cranking speed can yield half a cup of fine flour in a minute. If you want the grounds coarse, you can have one cup.

Larch is a tough, durable, and waterproof tree belonging to the pine family. Owing to these qualities, it is often used for building yachts and as cladding for exterior walls as well as interior paneling. It also has beautiful grains that stand out against a backdrop of light colored pinewood. For these reasons, it is the choice wood for the Waldner Biotech Farina Grain Mill.

This Austrian-made grain mill is a hand-operated mill that evokes visions of rustic European villages where people grow their own grain; harvest, thresh, and winnow them; grind them into flour and eventually bake bread with them. Apart from the crank lever and the visible part of the millstones, all you see is the fine wood housing.

The millstones of the Waldner Biotech Farina Grain Mill consist of corundum and ceramic stones. Unlike metal blades, these do not generate heat and thus will not destroy the nutrients of your grains. Also, as the grinding is slow because it is hand-driven, heat is further avoided. The millstones do not require excessive maintenance as they are self-sharpening. And because ceramics are hard and strong and corundum is actually rated number 9.0 in Moh’s scale of hardness, they are both resistant to wear and tear.

The mill can grind 35 grams of your grains per minute with its millstones. It will process all types of dry grains including wheat, rye, barley, rice, oats, and millet. It can also take oilseeds like linseed, sesame, or flax seeds. A hand-rotated knob mounted on the milling chamber opposite the crank allows the adjustment of grounds’ consistency and texture, from fine to coarse.

The square-topped hopper has a capacity of 450 grams which tapers as it attaches to the mill chamber. The millstones are rotated with a drive shaft equipped with ball bearings. These allow the smooth and light running of the crank handle.

The mill has dimensions of 6.3″ L x 5.5″ W x 11.5″ H. It weighs about 4 pounds.

With a milling shaft whose hand crank is easily removed and replaced with a pulley wheel sized 12 – 14 inches, the Nugget Grain Mill can be operated in a number of ways. In addition to the hand crank, you can connect the pulley wheel to a bicycle, windmill, water wheel, a gas engine, or an old electric appliance motor and have all the freshly ground grain you want.

The mill is made of one-piece cast aluminum that could either be with a silver metal or a white powder coating finish. The former is called the Silver Nugget while the latter, Sunshine Nugget. Apart from differences arising from the finish, the two are identical. The Sunshine Nugget has the advantage of the superior protection form rust provided by the powder coat. It is also easier to clean.

Grinding stones come with the Nugget Grain Mill with which you can process most dry grain like wheat, oats, rice, or barley; but you can purchase stainless steel burrs as an option if you need to grind oily grains, coffee, soy, or sesame seeds. The consistency of the grounds is easily adjusted with a turn of a knob from very fine to coarse.

The hopper has a capacity of approximately one quart. Once the grinding mills start turning, grain or beans from the hopper are immediately ground to the set consistency without the need to feed them again into the mill. And since the mill is designed to provide ample room for a pan or any container to catch the grounds beneath the grinders, you are assured of a clean and spill-free table.

Special bearings are incorporated with the drive shaft which reduce wear and tear thus extending the useful life of the Nugget Grain Mill even when used with gas- or electric-powered motors. The mill is bolted to a solid table or countertop, but you can purchase an optional clamp kit so you can move it to different locations.

There is nothing like a bowl of fresh muesli or porridge made of freshly-rolled or flaked oats for breakfast in terms of their health benefits. These are known to combat cancer, hypertension, and diabetes. To be able to prepare them, you need an efficient flaker. If it also looks good, that would be a bonus.

The Eschenfelder Table-Mounted Manual Flaker would appear to fit the bill. It has two shiny stainless steel rollers that are easy to clean. They are also resistant to rust or corrosion. One of the rollers is activated by a long hand crank. This terminates in a wooden handle that is comfortable to the grip. And because of its length, it is practically effortless to rotate.

The second roller is friction driven. Once the grain fall from the hopper and are embedded in between the rollers, it starts rotating to produce, along the with the first roller, rolled grain. As the rollers are infinitely adjustable, you can have the thickness or thinness you prefer with your flakes.

They do not just process oats. This Eschenfelder flaker can also handle wheat, rye, buckwheat, rice, barley, spelt, other wheat-sized dry grain, and even oily seeds like sesame, flax, and sunflower seeds. Based on an average of 80 revolutions of the rollers per minute, the flaker can produce 110 grams of oat flakes.

The rollers are securely affixed to an elegant-looking frame finished in beech wood. The frame consists of four posts standing on a solid wood base and supporting the hopper. In between these are the rollers and the funnel catching rolled grain and directing them to a receptacle. For the hopper, you have a choice of either wood or metal.

The flaker is 9 inches long including the handle. It is 5 inches wide, and 9.75 inches tall.

Porridge oats and muesli are increasingly becoming popular because of the health benefits they offer. Oats, which are more commonly used as livestock feed, are now known to lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or bad cholesterol as well as prevent heart disease. While you can readily purchase packaged quick-cooking and instant oats in the groceries, there is nothing like rolling the living oat groats yourself for your healthy porridge oats or muesli. Freshly rolled grains are always better in terms of nutrient contents and you can have these with the Waldner Biotech Flocker Grain Roller & Cereal Flaker.

This grain roller and cereal flaker is made of solid ash giving it a traditional and timeless appeal. The round hopper sits atop crushing rollers that are made of stainless steel. These are adjustable so you can have the grade of rolled grains you prefer. A long hand crank with a wooden handle activates the rollers. Because of its length, rotating it is practically effortless.

In a matter of seconds, you can have your freshly-rolled oats either for porridge or muesli. The Walder Biotech Flocker Grain Roller and Cereal Flaker stands on a solid, stable, and strong platform that keeps the flaker from wobbling while rolling your grains.

The shiny housing of high grade plastic makes the German-manufactured GSD Hand Grain Mill look attractive, while its stainless steel milling burrs provide functionality. The combination of these two features results in an excellent hand cranked-mill guaranteed to supply you with nutritious and healthy freshly-ground flour.

The mill has a large hopper that can contain approximately 500 grams of grain. It can grind grains as wheat, oats, rice, barley, rye, millet, and even corn. It can also process beans, herbs, and oily seeds like linseed, poppy and sesame seeds.

At only one inch in diameter, the milling heads are small which makes them easy to turn. They are also fully adjustable, without any steps, thus you can have your grounds fine enough for baking bread, or as coarse as cracked grain. You won’t need to re-mill your grounds as the GSD Hand Grain Mill produces fine flour from the grains for making bread at a single grinding.

Burr grinders normally do not produce as much heat as blade grinders, thus the GSD mill does not affect the taste and nutritional value of the grains. Neither does it generate flour dust. Also, the consistency of the grounds is more uniform than with blade grinders.

The mill can process approximately 100 grams of coarse grounds per minute, but this is reduced to 60 grams if you want to have fine flour. Crushed poppy seeds take a little more time to produce as the mill can only come up with 50 grams a minute. Shredded linseed takes even longer. In one minute, only 20 grams are processed.

The foot of the GSD Hand Grain Mill is equipped with a rubber lining that protects the work table or countertop to which it is clamped. With a weight of only 2.5 pounds, it does not require a very thick structure to clamp into. It measures 15″ H x 3.5″ W x 19.5″ D.

Germany is known for its achievements in science and technology. These achievements are not limited to rarefied researches in physics and chemistry but also in their application to the more mundane areas of automobiles, communications equipment, and even home appliances.

Thus, it is often believed that German products are of excellent quality. This is true with the Schnitzer Manual Stone Mill Model ME1112. The belief may not be totally unjustified.

The stone mill consists of two millstones that are made of Naxos-Basalt and Magnesite, natural stones that are capable of grinding different types of grains such as wheat, barley, oats, rice, rye, and even corn. Even oily seeds like flax seeds, linseed, and sesame seeds can be ground provided the mill’s setting is adjusted to coarse. If you insist on a fine ground, you will need to grind the oily seeds with wheat or rye in equal amounts.

The fineness of the grounds is adjustable from fine flour for baking breads to coarse grits suitable for cereals. This is accomplished by turning a knob with markings at the shaft holding the manual crank handle.

Unlike most other manual mills, the crank handle of the Schnitzer Manual Stone Mill Model ME1112 is attached to the top of the grinder. The cylindrical hopper, which can contain 150 g of grains, leads to an enclosed but transparent container where ground grains or seeds are caught. Since it is enclosed, no flour dust or residues are left on your table.

The average output of the manual stone mill is either 30 g of fine flour or 60 g of coarse grounds at 80 revolutions. Ordinarily, this number of revolutions would take a minute. The mill measures 14 inches tall and 4.5 inches in diameter and is secured to a worktable or counter with a clamp.

Flours from commercial mills sold in groceries often have preservatives, chemicals, and other additives to prevent spoilage. The refining and processing done in the mills also rob the grains of their nutrients and taste. For these reasons, it always better to bake your bread with freshly-ground flour as this is more nutritious and better-tasting. For a small family, the Jupiter Hand Grain Mill may just be the perfect tool to a healthier life.

This German-made hand mill offers excellent performance as it grinds different kinds of grains and seeds including wheat, rice, oats, barley, rye, poppy seeds, linseed, and even coffee and spices. As its grinding mechanism consists of steel milling burrs, the Jupiter Hand Grain Mill does not generate enough friction to heat the grounds. This means that the vitamins and minerals from the grains are preserved.

A rotating white knob on the opposite end of the shaft where the crank handle is attached allows the adjustment of the texture of the grounds, with directional arrows as guides. Turn the knob clockwise for fine flour and counterclockwise for coarse or rough grounds.

The housing and the crank handle are constructed of polished glossy aluminum. The crank handle includes a wood grip for a non-slip and comfortable hold. And because it is six inches long, winding it is almost effortless.

The Jupiter Hand Grain Mill has a capacity of 170 g with a dry grain output of 4 oz a minute for coarse grounds or 2 oz for fine flour. For poppy seeds, the figure is 2 oz per minute, while rough linseed output is 0.5 oz a minute.

Hand-cranked flour mills are preferred by people who wish to conserve electric power in any way they can to help the environment. Others simply want to go on grinding even with power outages. If you are one of these people, consider the Schinitzer Country Hand-Driven Flour Mill.

Deemed by Schnitzer as their best manual grinder, this beautifully-designed hand mill is made of a combination of beech wood and stainless steel frame, aluminum hopper, and a grinding stone of Naxos-Basalt and magnesite. A shaft connects the grinding store to a long handle that activates grinding.

The hopper has a capacity of one kilogram. Grains in the hopper fall directly to the self-sharpening millstones. Depending on the setting of the adjustment knob mounted on one end of the stones, the mill can produce either fine flour suited for baking, or coarse or cracked grains for cereals. Grains as small millet or as big as corn, and everything in between such as wheat, barley, oats, or rice, can be processed by the Country Hand-Driven Flour Mill. Oily seeds such as flax and sesame seeds can even be ground if the mill is on a coarse setting. If you want fine flax or sesame seeds, mixed them with wheat or rye in the same amount.

Manual hand mills will always require some effort, but with the long handle of the Country Hand-Driven Mill, you will find that such effort is not that great. With every revolution of the millstones, you can produce a gram of fine flour. Usually, in one minute, you can have 80 revolutions, or 80 g. For coarse grounds, this increases to 130 g.

The mill is clamped to your counter or work table. It has a height of 52 cm, width of 17 cm, and depth of 36 cm. If you want, you can attach a belt to the shaft and convert the hand-cranked mill into a pedal-powered machine.

In addition to the electric and hand-cranked grinders and mills of Schnitzer, the company also offers an excellent flaker that is housed in a beech wood casing finished with linseed oil giving it a nice sheen. This is great for preparing porridge or muesli.

For the rollers, you have a choice of either stainless steel or stone. Stainless steel rollers are perfect for rolling oats, rye, wheat, spelt, buckwheat, barley, and other grains sized like wheat or smaller. They can also grind oily seeds as well as coarse salt. The stone rollers, on the other hand, are intended to flake oats and other soft dry grains. These are constructed of natural Naxos Basalt in magnesite.

The Campo Flaker uses two parallel rollers, whether stainless steel or stone, that rotate opposite to each other. The rollers are infinitely adjustable so your flakes can be as fine or coarse as you want. By turning the adjustment knob in, your flakes can be flat-pressed. Turning them outward rolls the grain. It also has a mechanism that equalizes the rollers’ speeds thus preventing grinding.

Flaker output varies depending on your crank speed and roller adjustment but on average, with about 80 rotations of the crank, it can fully process all of the 110 g of grain that the hopper can hold in about one minute.

Five rubber feet and a table or counter mounting clamp support the Schnitzer Campo Flaker preventing it from moving around when flaking.

With its handle, the flaker stands 250 mm tall with a width of 120 mm and depth of 180 mm. It weighs 2 kg.