Pepper grinder "problem" archived
Dec 26, 2012 at 8:23am Edited
I have always had problems with pepper grinders. I have had good luck with this one from Oxo:
http://www.oxo.com/p-495-pepper-grinder.aspx
eta: if you read the reviews on Amazon, most people will say they like it but the bottom could use a slightly better design. I have to agree with that. It's a good grinder but if it's not shut properly, it will spill pepper all over the place. I had forgotten about it until I read the reviews.
http://www.oxo.com/p-495-pepper-grinder.aspx
eta: if you read the reviews on Amazon, most people will say they like it but the bottom could use a slightly better design. I have to agree with that. It's a good grinder but if it's not shut properly, it will spill pepper all over the place. I had forgotten about it until I read the reviews.
If you're willing to shell out some cash, I have this set from Williams Sonoma and I've been very happy with it. Mind you, sometimes the pepper grinds too coarsely, and it can be a bit fiddly to tighten the screw at the bottom to force a finer grind (if you're holding the grinder upside down, you have to push down on the screw as you tighten it to close the gap).
I gave up on pepper grinders some years ago. I remember wondering if peppercorns were getting bigger -- too big to engage correctly with the grinding mechanism.
kthnry said:
I gave up on pepper grinders some years ago. I remember wondering if peppercorns were getting bigger -- too big to engage correctly with the grinding mechanism.
I swear I think it's the (Costco) peppercorns. The best working one has white peppercorns in it right now.
@marylago I keep three of these grinders in a glass butter dish bottom in the spice cabinet to collect all the stray grinds!
marylago said:
I have always had problems with pepper grinders. I have had good luck with this one from Oxo:
http://www.oxo.com/p-495-pepper-grinder.aspx
eta: if you read the reviews on Amazon, most people will say they like it but the bottom could use a slightly better design. I have to agree with that. It's a good grinder but if it's not shut properly, it will spill pepper all over the place. I had forgotten about it until I read the reviews.
I have the cheaper Oxo grinder: http://www.oxo.com/p-880-pepper-mill.aspx
I mostly use white pepper when I do use pepper in cooking, so for the limited use, it works just fine.
kmk said:
@marylago I keep three of these grinders in a glass butter dish bottom in the spice cabinet to collect all the stray grinds!
That's funny - I use a butter dish tray for the same purpose. I think almost any pepper/salt grinder will have some seepage, but as long as it's contained on a tray, I don't mind. I just want it to be easy to fill and easy to grind.
Just purchased this one on the recommendation of Cooks Illustrated. So far, so good.
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/1/1/69867-cole-mason-derwent-gourmet-precision-pepper-mill.html
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/1/1/69867-cole-mason-derwent-gourmet-precision-pepper-mill.html
jasper said:
kmk said:
@marylago I keep three of these grinders in a glass butter dish bottom in the spice cabinet to collect all the stray grinds!
That's funny - I use a butter dish tray for the same purpose. I think almost any pepper/salt grinder will have some seepage, but as long as it's contained on a tray, I don't mind. I just want it to be easy to fill and easy to grind.
Both my salt and pepper grinder are top grind so no mess on the counter. BUT, of course, I jinxed myself by posting that link to my pepper grinder... Pepper everywhere for the first time in a long time--long enough for me to forget it happens...
And then there's the really cheap solution - get the $1.99 peppergrinder pre-stocked with peppercorns, at Trader Joe's.
I have noticed that if I overfill the grinder I have trouble with it.
knak, have you tried the lemon-pepper grinder from TJ's? I think it's great, even have one on my desk at work for when a meal is just too blah.
KMK...
I guess I consider myself an "expert" in pepper mill repairs..
what I have found is that some peppercorns are softer than others, they are the ones that will clog your mill. I use the Black peppercorns from Costco for everyday use.. they are pretty hard and seem to work well. Usually I only have a problem with them after a year or two I also use some peppercorns that we bought while in Europe. They are from the Mideast.. they are very soft, taste great, but present a problem.. they clog my mill after a month or two. We ended up purchasing a second pepper mill for the soft peppercorns.
You can fix the mills.. The wooden mills in the middle of your picture are similar to mine.. you can take them apart and clean them. On the bottom there should be two small phillips screws holding the grinder to the wooden portion. remove them.. remove the wooden top and the metal grinder will fall out.. if you look, the grinder will be clogged up.. you can use a small metal brush or do as I do: the tip of a knife and remove the old peppers.. it only takes about a minute or two. Reassemble and you are as good as new.. no need to keep buying mills...
BTW: some of the cheaper mills have a plastic insert on the bottom..you can pop that out as well and clean...
Good luck!
I guess I consider myself an "expert" in pepper mill repairs..
what I have found is that some peppercorns are softer than others, they are the ones that will clog your mill. I use the Black peppercorns from Costco for everyday use.. they are pretty hard and seem to work well. Usually I only have a problem with them after a year or two I also use some peppercorns that we bought while in Europe. They are from the Mideast.. they are very soft, taste great, but present a problem.. they clog my mill after a month or two. We ended up purchasing a second pepper mill for the soft peppercorns.
You can fix the mills.. The wooden mills in the middle of your picture are similar to mine.. you can take them apart and clean them. On the bottom there should be two small phillips screws holding the grinder to the wooden portion. remove them.. remove the wooden top and the metal grinder will fall out.. if you look, the grinder will be clogged up.. you can use a small metal brush or do as I do: the tip of a knife and remove the old peppers.. it only takes about a minute or two. Reassemble and you are as good as new.. no need to keep buying mills...
BTW: some of the cheaper mills have a plastic insert on the bottom..you can pop that out as well and clean...
Good luck!
Haven't read all the above forgive any repetition:
Invert the grinder(S) and twist in both directions.
If still a prob remove the crank and clean out contents... peer inside to see if anything is stuck.
Next- try removing the grinding mechanism.
Finally, since this is a mechanical devise try yelling, "Your mother's a tarnished paper clip!"
Invert the grinder(S) and twist in both directions.
If still a prob remove the crank and clean out contents... peer inside to see if anything is stuck.
Next- try removing the grinding mechanism.
Finally, since this is a mechanical devise try yelling, "Your mother's a tarnished paper clip!"
I have a 10+ year old cheapo from a "just fell off a truck" New York discount place and it still works great. I would not give up on yours without trying some of the cleaning/adjustment tips listed above and maybe get some smaller peppercorns.
Thanks guys (re: the stove!) It is a Thermador Dual Fuel that we put in about 13 years ago and have loved every minute of it!
A Christmas present from the Tenth Muse insures that I will not have a pepper grinder problem.
marylago said:
CoffeeKing said:
Gorgeous stove!
Hah! I agree. Didn't even notice it before...
kmk said:
Thanks guys (re: the stove!) It is a Thermador Dual Fuel that we put in about 13 years ago and have loved every minute of it!
This kind of exchange is why love MOL so much.
Bluegrass is right: disassemble the grinders and clean them.
But how do you have five grinders? One near in the kitchen, one at the table, and then ...? ;-)
But how do you have five grinders? One near in the kitchen, one at the table, and then ...? ;-)
dave said:
If they all broke at once it's probably a humidity issue.
I think I filled them all at once with new "corns" as well. (You know, grinder #1 ran out, then grinder #2 and so forth. Finally when grinder #5 ran out I went out and bought new peppercorns and filled them all!)
I think we have made some progress however. Even with the Costco peppercorns I have gotten two of them to work simply by REMOVING 50% of the peppercorns in the grinder. Don't know why but overfilling does seem to cause some sort of traffic jam. I am now in search of the teeny, tiny screwdriver to work on the other two's mechanism
Since we're talking about pepper mills, the extra large ones used by waiters in some chic parts of Europe are called 'Rubirosa's', named after legendary jet setter Porfirio Rubirosa, famed playboy of the forties, fifties and sixties. Among his many lovers, he somehow manged to wed TWO of the richest women of his day-Doris Duke and Barbara Hutton, both of whom gave him a converted B-25 Bomber as part of their divorce settlements!
Use your imagination to figure out the gigantic peppermill connection!
;-)
Use your imagination to figure out the gigantic peppermill connection!
;-)
Ha, we use a ramekin.jasper said:
kmk said:
@marylago I keep three of these grinders in a glass butter dish bottom in the spice cabinet to collect all the stray grinds!
That's funny - I use a butter dish tray for the same purpose. I think almost any pepper/salt grinder will have some seepage, but as long as it's contained on a tray, I don't mind. I just want it to be easy to fill and easy to grind.
this is the ATK choice.
RobB said:
Ha, we use a ramekin.jasper said:
kmk said:
@marylago I keep three of these grinders in a glass butter dish bottom in the spice cabinet to collect all the stray grinds!
That's funny - I use a butter dish tray for the same purpose. I think almost any pepper/salt grinder will have some seepage, but as long as it's contained on a tray, I don't mind. I just want it to be easy to fill and easy to grind.
this is the ATK choice.
Unicorn Magnum Plus? Sounds like a condom, not a peppermill...
You can not reply as this discussion is Closed!
Featured Events
-
Stephen Whitty Presents - Hometown Movie Stars: The Celebrated Actors Of CHS
May 6, 2024 at 7:00pm
-
'Beethoven's Wrong Note: A Steampunk Opera'
May 12, 2024 at 2:00pm
For Sale
Garage Sales
-
HUGE Rummage sale to benefit the Bloomfield High School Robotics Team Sale Date: Apr 27, 2024
More info
Advertisement
I am seriously stumped by how they could all seize up at once. They are full of peppercorns but when I twist nothing gets ground. I have fiddled with coarseness of grind with no success.
Suggestions?