Combo appliances and multi-tasking tools are beginning to grow in popularity as a way to save on space and money. There are washer/dryer combos and openers that not only remove bottle caps but also opens tin cans, punch holes in canned milk, and uncorks wine. It is thus not surprising that Waldner Biotech of Austria should come up with the Combi Star Grain Mill.
The Waldner Biotech Combi Star Grain Mill is an ideal kitchen tool for people who appreciate the health benefits of using only newly ground grain for flour and freshly flaked oat groats for porridge or muesli. These eliminate the need for chemical preservatives that are potentially harmful.
Made from solid stone pine with clearly visible wood grains, the Combi Star is an attractive rustic-looking mill. It consists of a box with a spout and a 1-kg capacity rounded hopper sitting on top. One side of the box, the one away from the spout, protrudes forward.
A self-sharpening ceramic and corundum millstone measuring 90 mm in diameter is inside the pine casing. It grinds all kinds of dry grains as well as pulses, oilseeds, and maize at 130 grams per minute when adjusted to the finest setting. The millstone is impervious to wear and it can grind grains to any degree of fineness you wish, from coarse grits to the finest flour. All you need to do is rotate the hopper to choose your desired consistency using a printed scale on its bottom for guidance. Stainless steel rollers, on the other hand, flake cereals at 80 grams a minute. The steel rollers are washable and easy to maintain.
The mill is powered by a 360-watt industrial motor which features an overheat protection mechanism. As any other motor, it generates heat but it is insulated from the milling chamber. This keeps the latter cool thus preserving the nutrients in the grains. The chamber is also self-cleaning.
The Waldner Biotech Combi Star Grain Mill has measurements of 13″ x 7″ x 11″.