A spice grinder is not one of the most important kitchenware but is still indispensable in both home kitchens and professional ones.
We can find many choices of spice grinders in the market. The more options we have, the harder it is to make the best purchase. So what makes a spice grinder become “the one” for your kitchen?
Find the answer and also the best spice grinder America’s Test Kitchen in this article.
How to Decide Types of Spice Grinder?
Usually, there are two main types of spice grinders for use daily at home or restaurants, including Manual Grinder and Automatic Grinder. To choose which type is appropriate for you, you should concern your budget and demand.
Budget
As the before-mentioned, there is a variety of spice grinders in a wide range of prices. Thus, you need to make sure how much money you are willing to spend on a grinder. This helps you easily narrow down the options you can afford.
Manual spice grinders are sold at many different prices, starting from $5. Meanwhile, to purchase a good electric one, you should expect to pay at least $30. If your budget is large, you can have more options in hand.
Demand
After scaling down the list of suitable spice grinders, you should focus on your demand to pick up the finalist.
The amount of spice to grind is normally small; then, a manual grinder works well. There are 2 popular types of manual spice grinders: Press grinder and Screw-on grinder. They are easy to use and very affordable.
In case you need extremely fine grain, it can be a little exhausting. So if your budget allows, don’t cross electric grinders out of your list.
In restaurants, both manual and automatic spice grinders are essential. The manuals are for customers to use or chefs to decorate food, and the automatics are for cooking in the kitchen.
Therefore, to choose manual spice grinders in restaurants, you should base mostly on the restaurant’s interior design. This article will specify how to select an automatic spice grinder right below.
How to Choose the Best Spice Grinder America’s Test Kitchen
Blade Height
Normally, we only concern with the size and material of the blades.
The height of the blades is crucial too. The vertical distance between each blade directly affects the evenness of the ground spice. If this distance is much larger than spice size, it allows the whole spice grain to pass under the blade and maintain unbroken or partly broken only.
The ideal height between blades should be approximately two-thirds or half of the spice grinder’s average length. It is suggested that you purchase a spice grinder supported with different blade sizes to replace suitable blades for each grinding time.
Capacity
Depending on the number of dishes or the meals you cook, the amount of space needed is variable; a perfect grinder must be able to fit your needs each time, no matter how many servings you prepare.
It is suggested to choose a spice grinder that has a flexible capacity. You should estimate the largest amount of space you may need to grind in one time to see if the “candidate” meets the requirement.
You should check whether small containers are provided in the component package, too.
Design
Good wood is better than the paint. Though, a good design is such a selling point of any spice grinder.
It is explainable how minimal design is trending these days.
Firstly, it easily fits in any kitchen interior design. All unimportant details are either eliminated or combined to keep the machine looking as simplest as possible. As a result, the simple design helps it become clean-easy.
In terms of design, we also talk about convenience. After considering the overall look, you should test the experience using the grinder. Are small components of this machine such as buttons, interface control, handle, etc. easy to use? Are containers interchangeable and easy to clean? Or how about baby locks?
Function
A grinder can have more functions than just real grinding spice. You can find many grinder models with multiple functions to grind cumin, coffee beans, garlic, etc.
This multifunctional grinder can cost more money than the mono-functional one, though it saves you money to buy a specific grinder for each type of material and also space in your kitchen. This option should be considered.
Top 5 Best Spice Grinder America’s Test Kitchen
#1 Hamilton Beach Fresh Grind 4.5oz Electric Coffee Grinders
#2 Pepper Grinder or Salt Shaker for Professional Chef
#3 Cuisinart SG-10 Electric Spice-and-Nut Grinder
#4 Hamilton Beach 10oz Electric Coffee Grinder
#5 Tera 18/8 Stainless Steel Mortar and Pestle
Conclusion
Above all the criteria, your real experience is far more important to help you choose the best spice grinder America’s Test Kitchen. Therefore, always remember to test the machine before you buy it.
We hope that you can quickly decide on the ideal spice grinder for your kitchen with clear guidance in this article.
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