Spice Grinder - which is best?

[Dough Girl]

I recently purchased some spices and a mortar and pestle. Some of the spice blends require a spice grinder. From what I understand, most of the coffee/spice grinders get poor reviews. Out of frustration, I've even tried a hammer! Which is best for less cost for home use? (i.e. under $50).

[elvisahmed]

A mortor and Pestle is the best way but if you don;t want to put in the muscle a blade type coffee grinder works fine IMO.

[sweetie]

Got this tip from another chowhounder.... haunt the discount electronics sites e.g
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicatio...

I got a great quality burr grinder for a fraction of the cost..although I have to say that unless you are grinding large quantities of spices get yourself a good quality peppermill or medium quality blade grinder.
BTW, the moderator is going to move your post, cause it is not Ontario specific

[Dough Girl]

elvisahmed - I have tried with a mortar and pestle, but cannot get them ground up fine enough.

sweetie- interesting tip, will check. I put Ontario because I wanted to make sure I could purchase it close by

[elvisahmed]

Yeah I know what you mean by not getting it fine enough. As for other options I would just go with a blade type coffee grinder as they work out just fine. I got one for around 10$ from Walmart and it works just fine. If you don;t mind spending the extra $$ go for krups options mentioned here (I wouldn't cheap out on a coffee grinder but for spices I don't think it matters IMO)

[mlukan]

KRUPS FAST-TOUCH COFFEE MILL, MODEL 203 - Cooks illustrated tested 12 models and this came out on top. Its is only $20, I own one and it is the best. I found mine through Zellers but i'm sure you could find somewhere online to ship you one so you don't have to go on a search for the specific model.
http://www.amazon.com/Krups-203-42-To...

[blinknoodle]

I have this one, too, based on ATK's review. I bought mine at Bed Bath and Beyond for like $25 in Toronto.

Personally, I had a mortar and pestle and had problems with coriander seeds. Now there is no problem! :)

[Jay F]

I have been using this one for 25 years with no problem.

[drongo]

I have the Cuisinart spice & nut grinder, which works well and fits your price constraint: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001...

I haven't tried any others, so can't say "which is the best".

[oldunc]

You might have better luck with the mortar and pestle if you add a little salt (assuming you can take it from somewhere else in the recipe. Some things are tough- the husks of coriander tend to persist, but do no harm in most dishes. Some stuff (annato and turmeric come to mind) are just about impossible- maybe by pounding with a really large pestle. But for most spices (and other things, like pesto) it will release far more flavor than chopping- by all means get all the practice with it you can- it does get easier. And the consistent, small size of commercially ground spices is usually not necessary , or even better. It is said (at least by one cookbook writer) that Thai women are so unfailingly cheerful largely because they use up all their aggression grinding their spices.

[atg106]

I second oldunc's comment as you probably need to add a little coarse salt to break up some spices. The flavors which come out of mortar and pestle versus a spice grinder is much more. Pepper flakes seem to burst with flavor when you grind them by hand for example.

[rosetown]

I use a cheap electric whirly coffee grinder (easy to clean) - don't use an electric burr grinder - it's impossible to clean and prepare for use with different spices. IMO.

[escondido123]

I too use a cheap whirly coffee grinder. They are much less than $50 or you can usually find them at thrift stores, like I did. When you want to clean it, just throw in a piece of bread, without crust. Toss the first out, do it again and toss the second out. Should be fine.

[Jay F]

Oh, what a good idea for cleaning it.

[elvisahmed]

Thanks for the tip as I used to clean the whole thing thoroughly with a moist paper towel and then dry it out later with a dry one.

[escondido123]

I keep a small brush to clean it too, when something gets stuck under the blade.