Pepper and salt mill

Why grind your pepper in a grinder?

Because pepper loses its aroma once ground. Pre-ground powder that has been open for weeks has little in common with a peppercorn crushed just above the plate. A pepper grinder keeps the peppercorns whole until the last moment: the aroma and spiciness reach the dish intact.

A grinder also allows you to control the amount. A few turns for a salad, more for grilled meat, and a finer or coarser grind depending on the recipe. With two grinders, salt and pepper each have their place on the table.

What can you put in a pepper or salt grinder?

Dried spices, whole or in crystals.

• With no difficulty: black pepper, white pepper, pink peppercorns, Sichuan pepper
• With a ceramic mechanism: dry coarse salt, which does not rust the millstone
• Depending on the model: cumin, coriander, fennel or dried chili, indicated on several of our grinders
• To avoid: damp salt, which sticks in the millstone, and any fresh or oily ingredient

Before filling, check the mechanism of your grinder in its product sheet: it is what determines what you can grind.

What type of pepper grinder to choose?

The collection brings together manual wooden grinders and rechargeable electric grinders. Here is how they differ.

The manual wooden grinder remains the simplest: no battery, no breakdown, and a beautiful object on the table. The electric one is justified if you season often while cooking, one hand on the pan.

Ceramic or steel millstone: what difference?

Ceramic does not rust and does not retain the odors from one spice to another: it is suitable for both pepper and salt. Steel, used on some pepper grinders, cuts the grain with precision but must not receive salt, which would damage it. Several of our grinders exist in a pepper version and a salt version, each with the appropriate mechanism.

How to maintain a pepper grinder?

A wipe with a dry cloth or a small brush is enough. Avoid running the mechanism under water, especially on an electric grinder or a salt grinder: moisture makes the grains stick and can damage the millstone. Fill over a bowl to collect the falling grains, and recharge the electric models before the battery runs out.

Frequently asked questions about the pepper and salt grinder

Manual or electric pepper grinder: which one to choose?

The manual one is suitable for the table and simple use, without a battery to recharge. The electric one grinds with one hand at the touch of a button: practical during cooking, and more comfortable for people who have difficulty turning a grinder. The USB rechargeable models avoid buying batteries. Our guide electric or manual pepper grinder compares the gesture, the mechanism and the recharge.

Can you put salt in a pepper grinder?

Yes if the mechanism is ceramic, no if it is steel. Salt attacks steel and eventually blocks the millstone. In doubt, take a ceramic core grinder, which accepts both.

How to adjust the fineness of the grind?

Depending on the model, by a dial or a nut on top, or by a ring at the bottom of the grinder. Generally, tightening gives a fine grind, loosening gives crushed pepper.

And for grinding other spices in quantity?

A pepper grinder is made to season a dish, not to reduce a jar of spices to powder. For nuts and spices in larger quantities, our manual choppers with a crank are more suitable. For a hand-ground mixture, a mortar and pestle in granite also does the job very well.