Spice Grinders

This manually operated mill can last for a lifetime of frequent use, perhaps even abuse, because of its heavy duty cast iron construction. It protects the countertop, worktable, or island to which it is clamped from scratches with a rubber base protector. The rubber base also prevents the mill from shaking and wiggling while grinding. It can be attached to any base of up to 1½ inch thick.

The Weston grain mill uses adjustable burrs to grind corn, soybeans, shelled nuts, and various types of grains as wheat, rice, oats, barley, buckwheat, sorghum, and rye. Because the burrs are adjustable, you can choose the degree of fineness or coarseness you want for your grounds.

Grinding is easy because its crank arm is long enough to sufficiently multiply the effort applied to turning it. Like the rest of the mill casing, the arm is also made of heavy duty cast iron. The free-rotating handle, however, is made of wood which is ergonomically designed for a truly comfortable grip. You can easily and effortlessly empty the corn, beans, or grain in the 5½-inch diameter hopper.

This simple machine can be fully disassembled for thorough cleaning when grinding different kinds of grains or beans.

What this hand cranked corn and grain mill going for it is its efficient grinding plates which are easily adjusted for the desired consistency of the grounds. It can grind most, if not all, grains such as wheat, rice, barley, oats, sorghum, rye, and buckwheat. Beans and flax seeds can also be ground with a few adjustments of the plates.

The Grizzly Mill, which easily clamps to any table edge of up to a thickness of 1.625 inches, features a 9-inch crank handle making it easy to turn. Its stainless steel hopper is easy to clean, and it is of a size ideal for small batch grinding.

Although the grinding plates may not produce super fine flour, they are perfect for home brewing. They can also be used to grind coffee beans intended for a French press.

Cleaning of the grinding plates involves the removal of three screws and a cotter pin. Disassembly and re-assembly is easy but be sure to dry the plates before using them again.

This hand-operated grain mill is a burr grinder which uses two abrasive surfaces that revolve at a set distance from each other. This distance is set by the user to determine the size of the grounds.

The cone-shaped burr grinders in the Back to Basics Grain Mill are self-aligning and are made of cast stainless steel. These work well with, dry grains such as barley, corn, oats, rice, and wheat; peppercorns and other dry spices; as well as dried beans and nuts, although the last two may need to be cut up into smaller pieces, perhaps in a food chopper or blender, before feeding them into the grain mill.

Texture of the grounds can be adjusted using the handle knob adjustor. This is found where the handle arm is attached to the housing. A simple rotation of the knob, clockwise for finer grounds, will give you the flour consistency you need.

Cleaning the Back to Basics Grain Mill can be done with a brush or a piece of cloth. These will effectively remove any ground particle left in the grinder. If you wish a more complete cleaning, use warm and soapy water then dry thoroughly.