Topic: some tips on getting the best out of spices

[CurryCanuck]

Would that be a coarse or fine grind Darth ?   ;D

[Chilli Prawn]

Yabba Dabba  ;D Oooooooooh Ouch :-[

[DARTHPHALL]

HMMMMMMMM start course go fine then course & finish of with fine & course mix  ;D

[Mark J]

Anyone know where to get a proper spice grinder than isnt electric but is also capable of grinding decent quantites quickly?

[Yellow Fingers]

Mark, try http://www.sumeet.net/

They have a good reputation but can be difficult to find.

YF

[Mark J]

Excellent, thanks YF thats just what I was looking for.

[Chilli Prawn]

Hi Mark.  I have spent a lot of time researching this and have had very little luck.  
I think you will find that Sumeet grinders are electric, which is not what your request was.  However Sumeet are good and operate like most Kenwood or Moulinex machines etc.  The little handle on the top is for scarping/mixing the stuff that sticks to the side or won't sink.  Are you after a grinder that does not use a whirling knife blade to smash the spices? (As I mentioned in an earlier post).

The proper (professional) spice grinders start around ?1,000+.  The most efficient grinders ar Burr grinders like espresso grinders (you could try getting a seconhand one of these off Ebay).  If you do a search using Burr, mill, flour, grinder etc as key words you should come up with some US manufacturers who make both electric and manual millers.  They are used in the States to grind cornmeal for Grits etc., for the home and commercial user, so they do grind finely.  I recall they were made by a couple of farm machinery manufacturers.

If you are feeling fit the best type of manual grinder is the Granite slab and roller, which is the most common type used in Asia.  You can get these from Asian supermarkets.

It will be interesting to see if anyone else comes up with a solution.

CP

[Mark J]

Ah yes, I thought the handle was for the grinding. Im after one that doesnt cause too much friction like electric bladed coffee grinders for example.

[Chilli Prawn]

Mark this is a site I found during my old searches.  The mills are not suitable for us because of the duty-cycle and load requirements.  It may be just what you want though.  I am searching through my history files for old liks etc., so may come back with more.

CP

http://www.ukjuicers.com/grainmills/WaldnerBiotechFlocker.htm

[Chilli Prawn]

Here is a new one to me and uses the burr approach which is ideal.  It acn handle a large volume and will not overheat.  It is designed for grains, so i don't know yet whether it will cope with spices.  Drawback is that it costs ?243 plus shipping!

CP

http://www.grainmills.net/grainmill.html