Pepper Mills

[jnknzz]

My current el cheapo has me cracking pepper until I'm blue in the face. I use A LOT of pepper and I need something "high output." I've been looking into this model as per Alton Brown, but $50 for pepper seems a little steep. Maybe I should go back to a tea towel and cast iron skillet. What do you use?

Derek

 

[trogdor burninator]

I bought the Unicorn Magnum Plus after reading reviews from Cooks Illustrated, etc. It really is as awesome as they say. The Magnum Plus produces a whole lot of pepper for each turn and you can adjust the grind settings to fit your needs perfectly. I used to own some pretty looking Peugeot from Williams-Sonoma, but I returned it. Here's my quick summary of the Magnum Plus

Pros:
- Infinite grind settings. Well, not "infinite", but you turn a small dial to fine tune your setting, as opposed to clicking into pre-set ones.
- Huge hopper for peppercorns.
- The hopper, grind setting dial, and grinding knob are all separate. My problem with the Peugeot was that they were basically all in the same place and it would malfunction.

Cons:
- It's plastic and when you pay $50 for something like a pepper mill, you'd rather it not be plastic.
- Sometimes people will do a bear grip on the grinding knob and accidentally open the hopper, which is beneath it. This has lead to a messy situation, in the past.
- Price.

All in all, though, I'd recommend this mill over any other.

 

[thinde]

It's amazing howmany people can live without one. We keep buying the cheap ones, tall, but cheap.

 

[haguc]

I asked my wife for one for Father's day last year, she picked one up at a Kohl's that works pretty well. She thought I was crazy for asking for a pepper mill as a present, but fresh ground pepper can make all the difference in the world on a dish. I don't know how much she paid for it, but I think it was the nicest one they had. You can adjust how fine you want it, but it will work itself loser and become more course, so I have to watch it and readjust as needed.

Hope you find something you like, I think I am going to get a sea salt mill this year!!

 

[MadMonk]

I like the Turkish style mills. I just find them easier to use. Crank versus twisting the top, etc.

 

[Big Stick]

Costco's the one I've learned to love :love:
Work great!!! and cheap

 

[Wolfie]

I've been using an old William Bounds ("made on the third planet from the sun") for an eternity now. Picked up from Linens and Things...or possibly Bed Bath and Beyond for somewhere in the neighborhood of $20 at the time.

Over the years, I've been gifted many assorted mills, grinders and rasps (including a particularly infuriating one handed squeeze model which never worked right) and I always come back to old reliable. Usually, that means filling the others with assorted spices that may or may not be too past their prime to really rely on. Should anyone ask about that gift, I can produce it in a moment notice and declare that it was "just perfect for grinding these spices". I'm one of those people that feels like a heel returning or regifting a gift.

The one gift I do use on a daily basis, however, is a salt cellar an ex purchased for me after countless hours of my wishing I had one just like Alton Brown...

 

[b.dawgson]

not enough oomph???

 

[Scottw]

My wife and I use the motorized ones you can get at Bed Bath and Beyond. It's great but it sucks when the batteries die in the middle of a dinner party.

 

[Not A Nice Person]

I'll be honest, I just use the McCormick prefilled grinders---the output's great, the grind's perfect, and because they're small, the peppercorns are always fresh. The "Peppercorn Medley" one is just unbelievably fragrant, too. They make a sea salt one that I also use, although I go through a couple peppers per salt (not big on salty food) and some spice mixture ones that are, well, less successful. The garlic salt and garlic pepper ones both clog up, and the larger adjustable grilling spices ones barely grind on ANY "setting."

But the pepper's a keeper. I can't imagine cooking without it.

~Boar

 

[MadMonk]

I'll be honest, I just use the McCormick prefilled grinders---the output's great, the grind's perfect, and because they're small, the peppercorns are always fresh. The "Peppercorn Medley" one is just unbelievably fragrant, too. They make a sea salt one that I also use, although I go through a couple peppers per salt (not big on salty food) and some spice mixture ones that are, well, less successful. The garlic salt and garlic pepper ones both clog up, and the larger adjustable grilling spices ones barely grind on ANY "setting."

But the pepper's a keeper. I can't imagine cooking without it.

~Boar

A good point about McCormick. They move and sell a lot of product. If you're in your everyday grocery store, and need some dry herbs or spices,
there is a good chance McCormick will be fairly fresh.

 

[Shamrocker]

I have no idea what brand my pepper mill is, but it's plastic and made to look like a wine bottle. It's also got a bit of artwork on it, a somewhat rotund waiter that looks like he belongs in a 3 Michelin Star restaraunt. It isn't adjustable, but it grinds the pepper at what I'd call medium-coarse (perfect setting for my taste). The grind mechanism hasn't failed or clogged yet... 4+ years and still working fine!

I've heard less than favourable reviews on most battery powered mills. They're either noisy, take a long time to grind, kill batteries, or just ourtight fail after a short peroid of use. One electric mill I did think was rather unique had the mill and output on top of the unit, and to operate all you had to do was invert it. Smart design, both in the one handed simple operation and no leftover pepper bits will fall on your tablecloth after use.

My current el cheapo has me cracking pepper until I'm blue in the face. I use A LOT of pepper and I need something "high output." I've been looking into this model as per Alton Brown, but $50 for pepper seems a little steep. Maybe I should go back to a tea towel and cast iron skillet. What do you use?

Derek

Now this model is for the gourmet geek!