The best Grain Mills: Reddit reviews

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i grew about 150 square feet of wheat. I was told that this should make around 60 cups of whole wheat flour. However, around 2/3rds of my crop was lost to some type of beetle and groundhogs. However im still very pleased with the 1/3 of the crop i was able to harvest. I should be able to make a couple loaves. And yes i do mill the wheat berries myself using a manual mill (i use this one, im very fond of it, been working very well since i bought it 2 years ago, it's able to produce very fine flour). It also gives you a great workout lol

Cheap corona mill from amazon, I got it for $28. I replaced the handle with a regular bolt and drive it with a cordless drill. Other than that, no modifications necessary. It works great (80-85% efficiency), paid for itself super quickly, never jams/slips, and I can use it for other grains like whole corn pretty easily.

I used to own a ~~cereal killer~~ barley crusher (rollers rusted out in a basement flood). Only thing I liked better about it was the bigger hopper. Other than that the corona mill makes zero difference to my brew day / beer, and cost me less.

This is my time to shine!

There are two kinds of brewers' kits:

1. Bare Bones - a big ol pot (a second, smaller pot if you want to make your life easier), a slotted spoon, a sieve, a funnel, 2 large glass jugs, tubing to go between the jugs, a ton of bottles you never get to cleaning that just end up piling up still dirty
2. I have too much gold - this thing, captured lightning elemental not included

Source: I make beer in my kitchen

EDIT: Shout out to r/Homebrewing to keep my two main hobbies overlapping.

I wonder if one of those Indian wet mills would help that along

https://www.amazon.com/Premier-Small-Wonder-Grinder-SS/dp/B004OPIBV2/ref=asc_df_B004OPIBV2/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198104529331&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13590252016102907731&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9009619&hvtargid=pla-298175957670&psc=1 This is the model I have, I wouldn't think they would need the larger one unless they needed it for commercial use

I’ve considered using a food mill or China hat like the other poster mentioned, but honestly I just batch it in the vitamix until there are no solids left.

I never do batches bigger than 1 gallon though.

I posted this in r/povertyfinance but they just took it as me poor shaming when someone posted about a way to save $0.50 on a $5 Starbucks coffee, but here’s what I do:

Coffee Grinder - $20 (I’ve had this for 4 years) French Press - $30 (also had this for 4 years. Holds 2.5 days of coffee for me) Any 5lb bag of whole bean coffee - $40 Grind up coffee, put in French press, fill with water, put in fridge overnight. Boom you have cold brew that’s better than Starbucks IMO. With this setup I spend around $0.50/day on coffee and no waste.

Honestly, for the maximum yield, I would use a food mill. This way I wouldn't worry about having to remove seeds or skin before roasting.

Straining in a conventional way (with a strainer) won't get you as much as you would get by using a food mill. So it will be a bit more liquidy, than straining.

The issue is that roasting for too long will greatly reduce the water content of the tomatoes, leading to a thicker juice.

I made preserves with mine from last year. I used a food mill to get rid of the stems, but you could probably just put it through a sieve if you don't have one (or just blend them).

Mash with whatever you have laying around that will do the trick...then follow up with any or all of these: run it thru a chinois/sieve; moosh it up more with a mortar and pestle; use a food mill. If you take the hulls off the chick peas after they cook/soak/or you take them out of the can (some canned ones already have had them removed) it will come out a whole lot smoother. I'd go with a food mill if it were up to me. Here's an example, there are many variations
https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-Food-1071478/dp/B000I0MGKE

Is this the right one? Premier Wonder Table Top Wet Grinder (1.5 L) - 230 Volts https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B004OPIBV2/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_SNZR8HZH4VFQN5ZGKG5V I asked the seller and they said it works for chocolate grinding but I noticed it doesn't say chocolate grinder on it.

Do you do winnowing with a hairdryer? I dont have the space for it. I'm in a unit so I can't do it outside.

I presume the nibs have already been winnowed?

Thanks for your help!

Thank you for your help. I was thinking of getting this melanger Premier Wonder Table Top Wet Grinder (1.5 L) - 230 Volts https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B004OPIBV2/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_GH7TKXQWD063WR3KYPEJ would it be suitable? How long would it need to run, is 12 hours long enough?

Would cacao nibs be ok to use instead of beans or cacao powder? I'm trying to work out a way to avoid the winnowing process. Would I need to grind the nibs into liquor in a juicer or could they go straight in the melanger? If I need a juicer would the omega 8006 be ok? I already have that.

Would the same method you outlined for the melanger hold true for adding nibs? I was also thinking of adding milk powder.

Apologies if it's too many questions but I want to work out if it's possible to make without the winnowing before I buy the melanger. I dont have the space to winnow with a hairdryer and have husks go everywhere so I'm trying to avoid that step. Your help is much appreciated!

https://www.amazon.com/Deluxe-Crank-Grinds-Grains-VKP1024/dp/B006P2KG0Q/ref=sr_1_8?crid=Y6ZSMUM2544W&keywords=grain%2Bmill&qid=1648382848&sprefix=grain%2Bmill%2Caps%2C147&sr=8-8&th=1

You can get little tiny ones like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076FJ92M4/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_G9MXKZN4S88AB42PTMSC

They don't take up much more space than a water bottle. That said, I also totally understand not wanting another kitchen appliance.

Deluxe Grain Mill, small, Silver, VKP1024 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006P2KG0Q/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_BJ3Z6XNJ2914R5F7XYW7

I've been doing research for about 2 weeks now, and while it's not the one I REALLY want I think it's a good starter mill. If I decide I really love milling my own wheat and im not going back to store-bought, I'll eventually upgrade.

It does say to run a few cups of rice/grain through the mill after set-up and discard it to ensure there are no metal shavings left over after the manufacturing process.

One of the many comparison blogs/sites I researched.

https://preparednessmama.com/best-wheat-grinder/

I use this bad boy.

There aren't a ton of applications for it outside of making nut butter, dosa batter, praliné, or chocolate. But the nice thing about the last bit is you can make really interesting "chocolate" couvertures. I've made coffee "chocolate", mango, and even toasted sourdough bread "chocolate".

A great alternative to get the best of both worlds is a wet grinder. Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004OPIBV2/

It basically mimics the action of a mortar and pestle with a motorized set of stone wheels that grind against a stone base

I have an OXO food mill that I have used for years. It comes with 3 discs. The fine disc works great for what you want to do.

I purchased this one here https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FPDJ1FK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_H171S730E4JF6B1AM5HP

I have no idea what's going on. Maybe previous comment is correct, and they aren't dry enough. They seem pretty dry and crispy to me though.

They also sometimes pretend to be from another country. See this "Müeller Austria"

realistically just a food processor but maybe more common in Indian restaurants is a wet grinder. Literally a electric mortar and pestle. https://www.amazon.com/Premier-Small-Wonder-Grinder-SS/dp/B004OPIBV2

First time I’ve had a ton of tomatoes so I ended up buying a food mill. For around $50 I’ve had no complaints with oxo brand. I used it for tomatoes, plums, potatoes and berries so far.

oxo food mill

If you don't have a roaster near by try going to a grocery like Sprouts, Trader Joe's, Wegmans or Whole Foods. They will usually have a variety of whole bean coffees available in bulk and a grinder in the store that you can use to grind it fresh.

If you want to grind your own you can get a simple blade grinder for cheap that will give you reasonable results. It won't be as consistent as a high end grinder in terms of grind size, but will work well enough. Here is an example: https://smile.amazon.com/Mueller-Austria-HyperGrind-Precision-Electric/dp/B076FJ92M4/

If you dont want to spend too much money. I highly recommend this one. It's great if you make bread with 20-30% whole wheat. If you are planning to make lots of 100% whole wheal loaves, then you better also get a gym membership and dont skip arm day lol

I use this food mill. On the pricey side but makes very short work of straining sauces. Also great for mashed potatoes, tomato sauce etc. don’t bother with the cheaper ones on Amazon, those leave metal shavings in your food! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I0MGKE/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=jamesgu208-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B000I0MGKE&linkId=7a1dee230681de6257e81b9356ff4403

>I think if you want to start from a whole pomegranate you need a good way to cold-extract the juice.

I think a couple of minutes with a food mill would take care of juicing the arils, no problem. It's the process of extricating the arils undamaged from the fruit that stops me, especially when you're looking at disassembling 3 to 5 whole fruits per cup of juice.

There's an episode in season 10 of Good Eats that's all about pomegranates, and he makes getting the arils out look easy, but for some reason I'm skeptical. FWIW, he also demonstrates a couple of alternative methods of juice extraction:

1) Squeeze halved pomegranates in a countertop citrus press. Obviously, no disassembly of the fruit required.

2) Pulse the arils in a blender a few times, just until they're all broken up, then strain the solids out with a fine mesh strainer, pressing the solids with the back of a spoon to extract all of the juice.

I might try #1, but I think a food mill would be far superior to method #2.

I've used this, https://www.amazon.com/CHARD-GM-150-Grain-Mill-Coated/dp/B00A2YG6C0/ref=zg_bs_3117957011_30?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=4CGSJX200MXYX47DCY1Z

Its hand powered but its cheaper that 3 kg of PLA. You do need fresh pellets to mix in for decent filament to run. Theres some chemical that depleted in the printing process I believe, and PLA gets brittle the more times you recycle it.

I recommend adding a food mill before going for a different blender. I too like saving the pulp/mash to dry for grind for powders.

This is the one I bought.

You don't have to peel tomatoes, you can run them through the food mill.

But of late, for sauce at least, I don't even do that. I just blend them and keep all the good vitamins and such that is in the skin as well.

Oh yes, the cocoa powder should always be 100% cocoa, except when you turn it into hot cocoa mix. I meant that mass manufacturers have to add lots of sugar and milk powder in the process of making chocolate to cover up the crappy flavor.

One of the many chocolate jobs I've had over the last 12 years used Terrasoul cocoa powder for a while. They're pretty good, as is Navitas Organics. Both are readily available on Amazon and at Whole Foods and most other natural grocers (Sprouts, etc.)

Raw/unrefined or cold pressed cocoa butter is the way to go. It will retain a decent amount of flavor, and a good one should definitely smell like really light chocolate, and should almost smell sweet. It has a SLIGHT waxy smell, but if it starts to smell rancid or like paraffin wax (no chocolate smell) that's not the one to use. Terrasoul's cocoa butter has always been pretty decent.

So, a concher refiner is SORT of a mixer, but it's more of a grinder. They're usually a huge drum with weird arms inside that grind the chocolate against the walls of the machine. There are smaller versions that will do the job if you're deciding to become a more serious hobbyist, like this tabletop refiner (Premier Small Wonder Table Top Wet Grinder 1.5 Liter by SS Premier https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004OPIBV2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_KEptDbNKH13MX) but I definitely don't recommend trying to make any money off this kind of venture.

Lastly, Hershey's uses sour milk powder in their chocolate to give it a different taste. Milton Hershey basically had a bad batch of milk and just rolled with it instead of getting new milk and ended up liking the flavor more. Apparently, the company has moved over to using butyric acid instead of the rarer-to-find sour milk powder, but this is even grosser to think about - butyric acid is the same chemical compound that makes milk smell sour, cheese smell like a foot, and vomit taste... Well, like vomit. Delicious!