Help me choose a pepper mill

In My Humble Opinion
1

Like most Americans, I was raised in a family where pepper came in a red and white tin from McCormick. Now I’m in the market for a pepper mill and, never having owned one, am not sure what type to get.

Should I get the crank kind or the twisty kind?

Does the material it’s made of make any difference? I like the look of wood but it seems like wood wouldn’t be ideal when cleaning time comes. Will I even need to clean my pepper mill? Some of the acrylic ones are pretty neat looking though.
This site has a nice variety of reasonably priced mills. I’d rather not spend more than $25 but I see mills elsewhere that are in the $40-50 range. Is the quality of a $25 one going to be decent?

2

In my experience large family pepper mills get knocked off the table onto the floor so often that the handle types tend to get damaged more easily than the body twist types, and even the better body twist types tend to give a few years before the components loosen up and the grinding action is less precise.

Pepper mills in my household get knocked around so often I can’t see putting more than $ 20- $25 in one.

3

I love the taste difference of freshly ground pepper and having lost my grinder to divorce, recently went through the same thing, looking for a pepper mill that is. Finally found what I wanted a twisty one made from maple.

Couldn’t wait to get to the store to buy peppercorns. Imagine my surprise to find all the peppercorns neatly packaged in their own grinders. In fact, I paid more for a container of peppercorns without a grinder on it, than I would have for a grinder/dispenser.

4

I’ve tried a lot of them and for the money, buy an Oxo pepper mill. They are inexpensive, tough, and reliable, and available at any kitchen supply joint. And it comes with that nifty ergonomic crank and a little snap-on base to keep it out of any liquids on your counter. It loads easily from a little chute on the side. If it ever quits working properly, throw it away and you’re not out much money.

I’ve used the wooden ones and the acrylic ones, and the material is pretty irrelevant, unless you want to see the peppercorns. The quality of the grinding mechanism is what’s important. Avoid anything with plastic gears. I’ve never cleaned my mill, and don’t believe it’s necessary, other than to get the schmutz off the grinding wheel from time to time.

5

A suggestion: order your peppercorns from www.penzeys.com. They make a good 5-peppercorn blend.

6

Well, it’s a matter of taste (Sorry), and lifestyle, to some extent. Mine is a funky designer version that I love, but you wouldn’t be able to find, most likely. I’ve never seen another like it.

This is Cook’s Illustrated’s top choice, after testing many contenders. Not very attractive, to my eye, but apparently very practical.

I find these much more attractive.

If yours is a “rough and tumble” household, like astro’s, it probably doesn’t matter what you buy, aside from style, because it isn’t going to last. So, you might want to go for a cheaper one. Although, the first one I linked to looks like it could take some abuse. And, if you have a more sedate lifestyle, a good pepper mill should last a lifetime, so the extra investment may be worthwhile.

But, either way, take the time to see how easy it is to fill and adjust, if you can. Those two factors are very important, in terms of how happy you’ll be with it. The most important factor, how well it grinds, is generally impossible to test, in a store. And, no, you shouldn’t need to clean it, unless you get a clear arcrylic one, and then it’s only for visual aesthetics.

But, do get one! Preground pepper is a whole different beast than freshly ground. I was never a fan of pepper, until I got my own mill. Now, I love it. And, on preview, I second Chefguy’s recommendation of Penzey’s.

7

I feel your pain. I went through this recently. Watch out for the mills made of lucite (clear plastic). In my experience, the torque-y action of the grinder stresses it until the plastic cracks and the thing is useless. This includes many of the packaged-with-peppercorns kind. Wood is better. I don’t think cleaning is needed all that often, unless you tend to drop it in your spaghetti sauce.

For top-o-the-line Zassenhaus grinders, more choices in peppercorns than you ever thought possible, and pepper information up the wazoo, try www.penzeys.com. These people treat spices in general, but peppercorns specifically, as an almost spiritual calling. Plus, their prices and service rock.

That said, I got a brass mill from Turkey with cool Arabic or Persian writing on it for cheap off eBay. Filled it with Sarawak White from Penzey’s.

Mmmn… pepper…

http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeyspeppermills.html
http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeyspeppercorns.html?id=J9KwLLcr

8

Already have. My order arrived today, thus the need for the mill. I love Penzey’s! I got a jar of those “only ten pounds out of every ton make the cut” Indian Black peppercorns. Penzey’s has a real store in my area but it’s worth the $5 shipping not to drive to that side of town. Plus, they always throw in a free sample of something. (Today it was the Italian dressing mix)

Since I posted this I thought to go to the America’s Test Kitchen site and see if they’ve reviewed pepper mills, which they have. They recommend the Oxo or the Unicorn Magnum Plus which is about $40 but the smaller one is $30. I’m leaning towards the Magnum just because it looks like it’ll fit better on my little shelf than the Oxo’s crank will.

9

As others have said, nix on the plastic body grinders. While a pepper grinder should not have a plastic grinding mechanism, your salt grinder should. I like to have both freshly ground pepper and salt at the table. If anyone knows where to get a matching set of wooden salt and pepper grinders, please let me know.

PS:** $42.[sup]00[/sup] for a stinking pepper grinder?!? Color me a cheap bastich!**

10

Zenster, the site I linked to in the OP has a few matching salt & pepper grinders (sold individually). From the link, click on “Wood” and there are a few starting on the second page.

11

The only pepper mill you’ll ever need.

12

This thread reminds me of a question I’ve had from time to time. The advantage of fresh-ground vs. pre-ground pepper is obvious, but what does a salt mill get you? No essential oils in plain ol’ NaCl.

DD

13

The only advantage I can think of would be coarse salt for the tops of home-baked breads and the like, but one can purchase kosher salt and sea salt and get the same effect, I would think.

14

They may make lousy cars, but the Peugeot peppermill is wonderful. Our 20 year old walnut model with a steel grinder, looks and works like it is brand new. A real kitchen classic.

15

I just want to hear Cal Meacham’s opinion on this subject. :smiley:

16

I have gone through about a dozen pepper mills, and between them not working, breaking, being stolen by our daughter, chewed by dogs, etc the best one I ever had was a big wood one that I bought at the supermarket for about 5 bucks. The last one I bought a nice steel one for about 50 bucks at a kitchen specialty store that didn’t grind for crap. The test model in the store worked great, so perhaps I got a lemon. Either way, these days I have given up on them and use the prefilled McCormick grinders. They give the grind that I usually use and their pepper is very good. If I want really good pepper and/or a coarser grind, I just use the mortar and pestle.

I recently watched the America’s Test Kitchen show where they rated the Unicorn as the best, so I am tempted to pick up one of those and probably will if I ever stumble across one. I’m just not going to go look for one. As far as mixed salt and pepper sets, I did find a set that is made by Cook’s Club. The pepper mill vanished, but I still use the salt mill with sea salt. Excellent mills.

17

I have the Unicorn pepper mill, and it really is great. Yes, it’s made of plastic, but it’s quite heavy duty - I’ve never once even questioned the durability. It also produces a consistent grind, from fine to coarse.

My only beef is that it is utilitarian in design. If you want a pretty one, this isn’t it.

18

Ummm, yeah. America’s Test Kitchen is an offshoot of Cook’s Illustrated. I guess I should have mentioned that, to save you some time.

19

My fave is marked Chef’n, and it looks like a clear plastic baseball with a pair of fat plier handles coming out the top. You operate it with one hand by squeezing the handles together. It’s easy to load, and adjustable for coarseness of grind.

20

Another vote for Peugeot. I bought one when I lived in France, and my whole family now swears by 'em.

IIRC, like a Zippo lighter, if it ever breaks you can send it back and they’ll repair or replace it.