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Jerry Avins Jerry Avins is offline
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Default Pepper Grinder Torque?

On Dec 27, 10:09*pm, "Christopher M." >
wrote:
> Jerry Avins wrote:
> > On Dec 27, 2:26 pm, "Christopher M." > wrote:
> >> Jerry Avins wrote:
> >>> On Dec 26, 7:44 pm, "Christopher M." >
> >>> wrote:
> >>>> What kind of torque do I need to get a good grind on some
> >>>> peppercorns?

>
> >>>> I have a ****y little pepper grinder.

>
> >>> It depends on the mill. A good deal less than a foot-pound.

>
> >>> Jerry

>
> >> Thanks Jerry. I think my problem was that I was grinding the pepper
> >> too fine.

>
> >> I'm grinding it a little coarser now.

>
> >> Coarse pepper has more flavor. Fine pepper tastes like the stuff in
> >> the supermarket.

>
> > Your experience may depend on the variety of pepper, but I suspect
> > that you may have set the mill so fine that the two burrs were in
> > contact and you were trying to grind steel. I like a very fine grind
> > for most dishes.

>
> > The aroma, but not the sharpness, dissipates quickly in air, which is
> > why I use a mill in the first place. Skeptics should try this: use two
> > small dishes. Grind some pepper into one and let it sit for a day.
> > Then, without resetting the mill, grind a like amount into the other.
> > Sniff at each, and the older one should be evident. What we perceive
> > as taste has an aroma component, and the stale pepper is just less
> > pungent.

>
> Ground pepper does get moldy very quickly. I think I read that it's one of
> the moldiest things in the kitchen.
>
> > The most aromatic pepper of all is prepared in a mortar, not a mill.
> > The pounding expresses the aromatic oil and gives the result
> > remarkable pungency. I don't bother for a little bit, but when a
> > recipe calls for half a teaspoon or more, my mortar is actually
> > quicker. The conversion is simple: a teaspoon of peppercorns pounds up
> > to a teaspoon of ground pepper.

>
> Pounding is one way to use a mortar. Another way is to move the handle of
> the pestle, in a circular motion, around the top edge of the mortar while
> the bottom of the pestle slides against the opposite bottom edge of the
> mortar. If the mortar is shaped correctly, the pestle should move seamlessly
> along the bottom edge. But most mortars are junk.


Peppercorns and poppy seeds are too hard for that technique. For
pepper, I use a tall brass mortar deeper tan it is wide, and I still
need a cover to keep the pepper from scattering. I use the plastic top
of a coffee can with a hole in it for the pestle. It works like a
charm.

Jerry
--
"I view the progress of science as being the slow erosion of the
tendency to dichotomize." Barbara Smuts, U. Mich.