Disclosure: I have included affiliate links in this post.
By Sara, Contributing Writer
This post is part of the Kitchen Tools of the Trade series. Click here to read all previous posts in this feature–and come back on Wednesdays to continue the series!
One of the few not so normal kitchen gadgets I have come to really love is my burr grinder (a type of coffee grinder) devoted to spices and other small seeds!
My grinder is just a normal coffee grinder from Starbucks. I made sure to buy it before I no longer had an employee discount. It isn’t an everyday use item, but one I use to stock up or use for special occasions.
Why grind?
Spices and flavor can change boring but frugal beans into an amazing meal. And if you have a picky hubby or kids in the house you can also make their appearance and texture disappear into your favorite meals. Have you heard all the hype about freshly ground, or fresh cracked pepper? Well it is true – there is a world of difference.
It’s frugal. Whole dried herbs and spices retain their flavor much longer, so by grinding your own – as you used them – they last longer. You can also make your own spice mixtures and really get the flavors incorporated throughout the dish.
What can you grind?
- Most commonly I grind peppercorns, ’cause I use it in most every dish and I have yet to find a pepper mill I like, that actually lasts!
- Grow and dry your own herbs and prepare them for cooking flavorful dishes this way.
- Flax, chia or other small seeds. I’ve also made small amounts of oat flour.
- Anything small and dry! Dry your own organic lemon peels and make stuff like lemon pepper or lemon salt.
Try these yummy blends and dishes:
Homemade Allspice
Newari Spice
Homemade Chili Powder
Spiced Maple Nuts
Flax in these Nutritious Cookies
Herb Roasted Root Veggies
Some tips
- Grind some coarse salt to “clean” your burr grinder, then use a dry cloth to wipe out. Now you have an [insert spice here] Salt all ready to use at your next meal.
- Grind prepared eggshells to sharpen the blades.
- Always use a funnel (and close windows) when pouring – will save you a mess! I have also used a clean sheet of paper to empty the dregs in the grinder, then folded that to get into the spice container.
Kimberly
Ok, So I ground chia seeds in our burr grinder for a recipe (much to the dismay of my husband)and he is telling me that some of the seeds are stuck in the grinder. I thought all of them came out. Have you had this problem? Is there a way to clean the grinder since chia seeds can get gooey. 🙁
Erin
Oh no! I don’t know because this was a guest post. I will ask the author!
kat
I use plain cheerios to clean my grinder. Works great!
Sammi
That leaves food in it, no?
Nicholas
Grind through about 200-300 grams of terrible, low quality supermarket coffee, as much coffee as you make at a time. Then prepare it, and taste if there are notes of chia. Grind until there are none left.
If that doesn’t help, on most burr grinders, you can remove the burrs to be cleaned/replaced. Read the instructions of your coffee grinder to see if they can be removed. Also, usually if they are ceramic burrs, you can wash them, but be careful, as they are very brittle.
Hope this helps!
Sara Shay
It depends on the kind you have. I usually just run some iodized salt (cause it is cheap) through it and then get a little brush, old tooth brush or paper towel to wipe it out.
But it sounds like seeds got stuck? Not the ground ones?
Rachel R.
Can you run a little bit of rice through it? I don’t know what a “burr grinder” is, as compared to any other coffee grinder, but rice is what I put through my coffee grinder in between things to clean it out. (I did use bread crumbs before going gluten-free. Both have the advantage of being dry and pretty bland, so they help absorb other things but don’t, themselves, leave behind a strong flavor. And they’re super-cheap. It’s the same idea as the salt, but if a whole seed is stuck I wonder if the larger “starting size” of a rice grain might help knock it loose.)
kat
I use mine to grind cinnamon sticks.
Darwin
Hi! Found your website extremely useful. Got a question when you are grinding the Flax Seeds, do you put them on fine or coarse settings? I’m trying to ground sesame seeds but apparently when you burr grind them the oil comes out and the grinded powder becomes a little clumpy instead of powdery. Any solution to this?
Thanks!
Marc Castellan
Hi!
Would you know if this is effective in grinding cannabis?
Thank you!
Marco Castellan
Looks like a great herb grinder! However, I too am wondering how to get this cleaned up. Because with 2-piece herb grinders, cleanup is a piece of cake.
Angela Ferrara
I like the idea of making my own herbs and spices. I haven’t delved into 51st as of yet. Thanks for the post.
Btw. I tried to click on two like that said the page did not exist (grow your own herbs & prepared eggshells). I’m not sure if it’s a problem on my side or not.
Erin
Thanks for letting us know about the broken link!
PamJ
Great article, thank you! I might try grinding up an avocado pit. They are very nutritious and good fiber. I save them a few days and cut in half or fourths and put in smoothies.
Erin
Glad you enjoyed it!
Marty
Fantastic. Thank you Sara. I was just wondering if I could buy one of these to grind my beloved Shizandra berries for tea. These dried berries have a healthful oil in the seed and so they are a bit moist and I wondered if this would only clump up in the bur mill but your article tells me it wont. I am excited to get one now.
Nicholas
Grind through about 200-300 grams of terrible, low quality supermarket coffee, as much coffee as you make at a time. Then prepare it, and taste if there are notes of chia. Grind until there are none left.
If that doesn’t help, on most burr grinders, you can remove the burrs to be cleaned/replaced. Read the instructions of your coffee grinder to see if they can be removed. Also, usually if they are ceramic burrs, you can wash them, but be careful, as they are very brittle.
Hope this helps!