Small coffee grinders also work well for grinding spices and herbs.
But do you get all the residual coffee taste out of them by
washing/wiping them before doing spices? For those who use one grinder
for both tasks, how do you clean them between the different uses? Or
is it better just to have two? -aem

On 7 Dec 2005 10:07:40 -0800, "aem" > wrote:

>Small coffee grinders also work well for grinding spices and herbs.
>But do you get all the residual coffee taste out of them by
>washing/wiping them before doing spices? For those who use one grinder
>for both tasks, how do you clean them between the different uses? Or
>is it better just to have two? -aem


I have about 5. I pick then up at thrift stores or yard sales. The
last one cost $.50
--
Susan N.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral,
48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974

aem wrote:

> Small coffee grinders also work well for grinding spices and herbs.
> But do you get all the residual coffee taste out of them by
> washing/wiping them before doing spices? For those who use one grinder
> for both tasks, how do you clean them between the different uses? Or
> is it better just to have two? -aem
>

- Keep two (or more). They're cheap.
- To clean, buzz some uncooked rice around in it. Works great.

--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot) com

"aem" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Small coffee grinders also work well for grinding spices and herbs.
> But do you get all the residual coffee taste out of them by
> washing/wiping them before doing spices? For those who use one grinder
> for both tasks, how do you clean them between the different uses? Or
> is it better just to have two? -aem
>
Keep two, but clean the spice/herb one by spinning a chunk of bread in it.
You'll want to clean it just so cinnamon doesn't take like rosemary.
Janet

aem wrote:
> Small coffee grinders also work well for grinding spices and herbs.
> But do you get all the residual coffee taste out of them by
> washing/wiping them before doing spices? For those who use one grinder
> for both tasks, how do you clean them between the different uses? Or
> is it better just to have two?

Those are not grinders, not by any stretch of the imagination, they do
not grind anything. Those thingies are okay to pulverize/powder whole
spices/dried herbs, but they cannot grind coffee or anything else.

Rather than worrying about eliminating the coffee residue (you will not
be using it to grind coffee so the question is moot), instead concern
yourself with cross contamination of various spices/herbs... whereas
there really won't be any humanly detectable cross contamination if the
thingie is brushed out and wiped with a damp towel. You really only
need just one, in fact you don't need any... for the few times one
actually needs to whiz up whole spices a mortar and pestle works
perfectly well, and can be used for fresh herbs as well as dried. Lose
that stupid thing, has far less culinary value than the electric
knife... owning one simply signifies you can't cook and should never be
permitted near a kitchen... and using that abomination to process
coffee beans proves you haven't a clue.

Sheldon

In article .com>,
"aem" > wrote:

> Small coffee grinders also work well for grinding spices and herbs.
> But do you get all the residual coffee taste out of them by
> washing/wiping them before doing spices? For those who use one grinder
> for both tasks, how do you clean them between the different uses? Or
> is it better just to have two? -aem
>

Personally, I have two. ;-)
The small electric ones are not that expensive.
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson

The Cook wrote:
> "aem" wrote:
>
> >Small coffee grinders also work well for grinding spices and herbs.
> >But do you get all the residual coffee taste out of them by
> >washing/wiping them before doing spices? For those who use one grinder
> >for both tasks, how do you clean them between the different uses? Or
> >is it better just to have two? -aem
>
>
> I have about 5. I pick then up at thrift stores or yard sales. The
> last one cost $.50

What, you have five of those idotic contraptions, then you're
admittedly an imbecile.. the friggin nerve if you to refer to yourself
as a cook, what chuptzah... you most definitely are not any kind of
cook. In fact you are a nothing... less than garbage.. you're a fraud,
nothing you have ever posted or will ever post is the truth. You are
the comsumate liar.

Sheldon

On Wed 07 Dec 2005 11:07:40a, aem wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> Small coffee grinders also work well for grinding spices and herbs.
> But do you get all the residual coffee taste out of them by
> washing/wiping them before doing spices? For those who use one grinder
> for both tasks, how do you clean them between the different uses? Or
> is it better just to have two? -aem

Grind some plain white rice until completely pulverized. If you can still
detect a scent of what was previously ground, then repeat it.

I do have two grinders, but still use the above method for cleaning between
vastly different types of spices.

I've never seen any of these types of grinders that could stand up to
washing.

HTH

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974

Sheldon wrote:
> The Cook wrote:
>
>>"aem" wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Small coffee grinders also work well for grinding spices and herbs.
>>>But do you get all the residual coffee taste out of them by
>>>washing/wiping them before doing spices? For those who use one grinder
>>>for both tasks, how do you clean them between the different uses? Or
>>>is it better just to have two? -aem
>>
>>I have about 5. I pick then up at thrift stores or yard sales. The
>>last one cost $.50
>
> What, you have five of those idotic contraptions, then you're
> admittedly an imbecile.. the friggin nerve if you to refer to yourself
> as a cook, what chuptzah... you most definitely are not any kind of
> cook. In fact you are a nothing... less than garbage.. you're a fraud,
> nothing you have ever posted or will ever post is the truth. You are
> the comsumate liar.

<LOL> One of Shecky's more content-free posts. He says he's
"entertaining." I can see how he'd think that. Yeah, the cook really has
"chuptzah." Sheldon, by contrast, has insanity. And doesn't know what
"admittedly" means.

Moron.

Pastorio

The Cook wrote:
>
> I have about 5. I pick then up at thrift stores or yard sales.
> The last one cost $.50

I bought the grandaddy of all whirling blade grinders
on eBay. It's 400W, and has hose barbs for attaching
coolant lines to both the grinding chamber and the
lid on the grinding chamber, which are both cast metal.
I think I paid $30, with shipping.

aem wrote:

> Small coffee grinders also work well for grinding spices and herbs.
> But do you get all the residual coffee taste out of them by
> washing/wiping them before doing spices? For those who use one grinder
> for both tasks, how do you clean them between the different uses? Or
> is it better just to have two? -aem

My vote is for a separate grinder for the spices. I stopped grinding my
coffee at the grocery store because I have had too many bags of coffee
ruined after being contaminated with a previous user's flavoured coffees. I
do not like those flavoured coffees. It's bad enough that they use those
artificial flavours in coffee, but that stuff is so potent that it takes
only a small amount of residual grounds in a grinder to ruin several more
batches. Even a running a little through and letting it go to waste
prevents contamination.

"aem" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Small coffee grinders also work well for grinding spices and herbs.
> But do you get all the residual coffee taste out of them by
> washing/wiping them before doing spices? For those who use one grinder
> for both tasks, how do you clean them between the different uses? Or
> is it better just to have two? -aem
>

Get 2, find one cheap at a yard sale. To remove excess spices, so your
cloves don't contaimnate the coriander, grind raw rice.


--
Peter Aitken

Bob (this one) wrote:

> Sheldon wrote:
>
>> The Cook wrote:
>>
>>> "aem" wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>> Small coffee grinders also work well for grinding spices and herbs.
>>>> But do you get all the residual coffee taste out of them by
>>>> washing/wiping them before doing spices? For those who use one grinder
>>>> for both tasks, how do you clean them between the different uses? Or
>>>> is it better just to have two? -aem
>>>
>>>
>>> I have about 5. I pick then up at thrift stores or yard sales. The
>>> last one cost $.50
>>
>>
>> What, you have five of those idotic contraptions, then you're
>> admittedly an imbecile.. the friggin nerve if you to refer to yourself
>> as a cook, what chuptzah... you most definitely are not any kind of
>> cook. In fact you are a nothing... less than garbage.. you're a fraud,
>> nothing you have ever posted or will ever post is the truth. You are
>> the comsumate liar.
>
>
> <LOL> One of Shecky's more content-free posts. He says he's
> "entertaining." I can see how he'd think that. Yeah, the cook really has
> "chuptzah." Sheldon, by contrast, has insanity. And doesn't know what
> "admittedly" means.
>
> Moron.
>
> Pastorio

Shecky is such a dumbass he's too dumb to be an asshole

Mark Thorson wrote:

> The Cook wrote:
>
>>I have about 5. I pick then up at thrift stores or yard sales.
>>The last one cost $.50
>
>
> I bought the grandaddy of all whirling blade grinders
> on eBay. It's 400W, and has hose barbs for attaching
> coolant lines to both the grinding chamber and the
> lid on the grinding chamber, which are both cast metal.
> I think I paid $30, with shipping.

Brand? And if you were the one bidding against me I'm going to smack
you silly! Just kidding I hope you enjoy your new purchase.

On Wed, 07 Dec 2005 15:14:03 -0500, "Bob (this one)" >
wrote:

><LOL> One of Shecky's more content-free posts. He says he's
>"entertaining." I can see how he'd think that. Yeah, the cook really has
>"chuptzah." Sheldon, by contrast, has insanity. And doesn't know what
>"admittedly" means.
>
>Moron.

He can't help it when he's off his meds. Just wish they would remove
the laptop from the rubber room he lives in.


jim

aem wrote:
> Small coffee grinders also work well for grinding spices and herbs.
> But do you get all the residual coffee taste out of them by
> washing/wiping them before doing spices? For those who use one
> grinder for both tasks, how do you clean them between the different
> uses? Or is it better just to have two? -aem

Take a slice of bread and grind it them wipe it out with a damp cloth or
paper towel. I have 2 but only because both where given to me as gifts. Both
are Braun and new sell for about $18 US.

--

Joe Cilinceon

"aem" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Small coffee grinders also work well for grinding spices and herbs.
> But do you get all the residual coffee taste out of them by
> washing/wiping them before doing spices? For those who use one grinder
> for both tasks, how do you clean them between the different uses? Or
> is it better just to have two? -aem
>

I guess it depends on the model. I tried to get the coffee smell out of a
grinder, and it was impossible with the one I had. There's really no way to
disassemble the thing for cleaning, and it's not watertight, so if you try
to wash the interior, the water drains through to the electronics.

Donna

Reg wrote:

>>
>
>
> - To clean, buzz some uncooked rice around in it. Works great.
>

Thank you! That was my next question. I'd been considering making my own chili
powder and was going to buy a second grinder, but wanted to know how to clean
it out so I could then make garam masala without picking up chili powder
flavors.

--
..:Heather:.
www.velvet-c.com

I thought this thread was going to be about someone who was really
hungry and wanted permission to order not one, but two 12-inch
sandwiches!

I;ve always wanted a spice grinder but I' too cheap to buy a
2nd...never run into one at a yard sale...so I use the mortar and
pestlr I got as a christmas gift several years ago. Works okay but I'd
love a grinder for those nights (all of them) when I'm in a hurry.

aem wrote:
> Small coffee grinders also work well for grinding spices and herbs.
> But do you get all the residual coffee taste out of them by
> washing/wiping them before doing spices? For those who use one grinder
> for both tasks, how do you clean them between the different uses? Or
> is it better just to have two? -aem
>


I have two of them for that reason. I don't want herby coffee or
coffee-flavored herbs.

gloria p

~patches~ wrote:
>
> Mark Thorson wrote:
> >
> > I bought the grandaddy of all whirling blade grinders
> > on eBay. It's 400W, and has hose barbs for attaching
> > coolant lines to both the grinding chamber and the
> > lid on the grinding chamber, which are both cast metal.
> > I think I paid $30, with shipping.
>
> Brand? And if you were the one bidding against me I'm going to smack
> you silly! Just kidding I hope you enjoy your new purchase.

It's a Chemical Rubber Company Micro-Mill. I would
guess the intended use was to grind mineral fillers
to be added to rubbers and plastics. Of course,
I'll clean it extremely well before trying to run
any food through it.

Only one person bid against me, with a max just
above the starting bid, so I sniped it from them
for something like fifty cents or a dollar above
the starting bid. It was like $10 for the machine
and $20 for shipping.

It has unusually nice styling for a piece of lab
equipment. It's got a jadite finish, like an old
Hamilton Beach malt mixer, and a nice squarish
truncated pyramidal body.

Another piece of lab equipment I've been thinking would be
interesting would be a microfluidizer from Microfluidics.
I've seen a couple on eBay, which went for very
reasonable prices, but in unknown functional condition.
The drawbacks are a) the countertop versions run off
of compressed air, not electricity, b) replacement
parts are out-of-sight expensive, and c) they cannot
be cleaned, except by passing cleaning fluids through
it. If you don't know what the previous owner used
it for, you really can't use it for food.

What would be cool is that the microfluidizer is the
best machine I've ever seen for producing an emulsified,
smooth product. One of their major uses is in the
production of high-priced cosmetics -- this machine is
one of the highly guarded secrets in that industry.

I'm very curious what it would do to chocolate.
I think it could achieve a texture that might be
beyond anything any other technology has yet achieved.

aem wrote:
>
> Small coffee grinders also work well for grinding spices and herbs.
> But do you get all the residual coffee taste out of them by
> washing/wiping them before doing spices? For those who use one grinder
> for both tasks, how do you clean them between the different uses? Or
> is it better just to have two? -aem

Well, the coffee flavor is not a problem since I don't use mine
for coffee, which I hate. I just wipe it out the best I can
with a damp paper towel. I don't worry about it too much. You're
not going to get enough of whatever was in it before to contaminate
whatever you're grinding. At least it has never been a problem
for me.

Kate

OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:

> Personally, I have two. ;-)
> The small electric ones are not that expensive.

I went to a burr grinder for coffee, and cleaned my little one with
WHITE RICE, uncooked. Repeat by the handful until the powder comes out
nice and white. Works beautifully.
blacksalt

The Bubbo wrote:

> Thank you! That was my next question. I'd been considering making my own chili
> powder and was going to buy a second grinder, but wanted to know how to clean
> it out so I could then make garam masala without picking up chili powder
> flavors.
>
Clean out the grinder **as soon as** you are done making the chili
powder (with the rice). Wipe out well with a damp cloth.
blacksalt

"kalanamak" > wrote in message
...
> OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:
>
>> Personally, I have two. ;-)
>> The small electric ones are not that expensive.
>
> I went to a burr grinder for coffee, and cleaned my little one with WHITE
> RICE, uncooked. Repeat by the handful until the powder comes out nice and
> white. Works beautifully.
> blacksalt

I did the same thing, but I guess I didn't grind enough rice. Right now the
grinder is in a cabinet, waiting for me to decide if I'm going to try again
or send it off to a thrift shop where someone else can deal with it. Maybe
I'll grind some more rice and see how it goes.

Donna

On Thu 08 Dec 2005 08:42:28p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it D.Currie?

>
> "kalanamak" > wrote in message
> ...
>> OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:
>>
>>> Personally, I have two. ;-)
>>> The small electric ones are not that expensive.
>>
>> I went to a burr grinder for coffee, and cleaned my little one with
>> WHITE RICE, uncooked. Repeat by the handful until the powder comes out
>> nice and white. Works beautifully.
>> blacksalt
>
> I did the same thing, but I guess I didn't grind enough rice. Right now
> the grinder is in a cabinet, waiting for me to decide if I'm going to
> try again or send it off to a thrift shop where someone else can deal
> with it. Maybe I'll grind some more rice and see how it goes.

If your grinder has a plastic lid, the plastic can absorb odors. You can
soak it or dishwasher it, then let it air dry. Grind more rice in the
chamber, then wipe it out with a cloth dampened in lemon juice.

I make compound curry powders and chili blends, both of which are highly
aromatic. The rice does work if you're persistent with it.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
_____________________________________________

A chicken in every pot is a *LOT* of chicken!

"D.Currie" > wrote in message
...
>
> "kalanamak" > wrote in message
> ...
>> OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:
>>
>>> Personally, I have two. ;-)
>>> The small electric ones are not that expensive.
>>
>> I went to a burr grinder for coffee, and cleaned my little one with WHITE
>> RICE, uncooked. Repeat by the handful until the powder comes out nice and
>> white. Works beautifully.
>> blacksalt
>
> I did the same thing, but I guess I didn't grind enough rice. Right now
> the grinder is in a cabinet, waiting for me to decide if I'm going to try
> again or send it off to a thrift shop where someone else can deal with it.
> Maybe I'll grind some more rice and see how it goes.
>
> Donna
>

You can also grind dry chunks of bread for cleaning.


--
Peter Aitken

aem wrote:
> Small coffee grinders also work well for grinding spices and herbs.
> But do you get all the residual coffee taste out of them by
> washing/wiping them before doing spices? For those who use one grinder
> for both tasks, how do you clean them between the different uses? Or
> is it better just to have two? -aem
>

A good method is to grind some uncooked rice.

"Wayne Boatwright" > wrote in message
...
> On Thu 08 Dec 2005 08:42:28p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it D.Currie?
>
>>
>> "kalanamak" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:
>>>
>>>> Personally, I have two. ;-)
>>>> The small electric ones are not that expensive.
>>>
>>> I went to a burr grinder for coffee, and cleaned my little one with
>>> WHITE RICE, uncooked. Repeat by the handful until the powder comes out
>>> nice and white. Works beautifully.
>>> blacksalt
>>
>> I did the same thing, but I guess I didn't grind enough rice. Right now
>> the grinder is in a cabinet, waiting for me to decide if I'm going to
>> try again or send it off to a thrift shop where someone else can deal
>> with it. Maybe I'll grind some more rice and see how it goes.
>
> If your grinder has a plastic lid, the plastic can absorb odors. You can
> soak it or dishwasher it, then let it air dry. Grind more rice in the
> chamber, then wipe it out with a cloth dampened in lemon juice.
>
> I make compound curry powders and chili blends, both of which are highly
> aromatic. The rice does work if you're persistent with it.
>

I'll give it another try before I dump it. At one point, I had the thing
disassembled, and there was coffee down in the works below the blade and
bowl, but cleaning that out didn't make much difference. We'll see....

Donna

And if I had the power to run this thing,
I would be bidding on this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=7570844881

That's my idea of a serious mixer!
(And Ross is THE BEST manufacturer of such things.)

On Fri 09 Dec 2005 01:55:05p, Mark Thorson wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> And if I had the power to run this thing,
> I would be bidding on this:
>
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=7570844881
>
> That's my idea of a serious mixer!
> (And Ross is THE BEST manufacturer of such things.)
>

That would make one hell of a malt mixer!

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974

Oh, and when I did some tougher spice, it chipped the thin part of the
lid, so I cut that off with a hack saw and just am careful to hold the
lid down. When I wiped it out, I "lifted" the shaft the blades were on a
bit and wiped under the collar.
blacksalt

Mark Thorson wrote:

> ~patches~ wrote:
>
>>Mark Thorson wrote:
>>
>>>I bought the grandaddy of all whirling blade grinders
>>>on eBay. It's 400W, and has hose barbs for attaching
>>>coolant lines to both the grinding chamber and the
>>>lid on the grinding chamber, which are both cast metal.
>>>I think I paid $30, with shipping.
>>
>>Brand? And if you were the one bidding against me I'm going to smack
>>you silly! Just kidding I hope you enjoy your new purchase.
>
>
> It's a Chemical Rubber Company Micro-Mill. I would
> guess the intended use was to grind mineral fillers
> to be added to rubbers and plastics. Of course,
> I'll clean it extremely well before trying to run
> any food through it.
>
> Only one person bid against me, with a max just
> above the starting bid, so I sniped it from them
> for something like fifty cents or a dollar above
> the starting bid. It was like $10 for the machine
> and $20 for shipping.
>
> It has unusually nice styling for a piece of lab
> equipment. It's got a jadite finish, like an old
> Hamilton Beach malt mixer, and a nice squarish
> truncated pyramidal body.
>
> Another piece of lab equipment I've been thinking would be
> interesting would be a microfluidizer from Microfluidics.
> I've seen a couple on eBay, which went for very
> reasonable prices, but in unknown functional condition.
> The drawbacks are a) the countertop versions run off
> of compressed air, not electricity, b) replacement
> parts are out-of-sight expensive, and c) they cannot
> be cleaned, except by passing cleaning fluids through
> it. If you don't know what the previous owner used
> it for, you really can't use it for food.
>
> What would be cool is that the microfluidizer is the
> best machine I've ever seen for producing an emulsified,
> smooth product. One of their major uses is in the
> production of high-priced cosmetics -- this machine is
> one of the highly guarded secrets in that industry.
>
> I'm very curious what it would do to chocolate.
> I think it could achieve a texture that might be
> beyond anything any other technology has yet achieved.

This sounds like one very interesting grinder! I'm sure you will enjoy
it. I'm going to check around on ebay to see if there are any more.

In article .com>,
"aem" > wrote:

> Small coffee grinders also work well for grinding spices and herbs.
> But do you get all the residual coffee taste out of them by
> washing/wiping them before doing spices? For those who use one grinder
> for both tasks, how do you clean them between the different uses? Or
> is it better just to have two? -aem


The title is a little ambiguous. I assumed it was about having two (or
more) pepper grinders. If you read the Penzey's catalog, they suggest
one for black pepper and one for white, as a starter.

We grind our spices in a mortar and pestle. That can be a little
painful.

My wife made Santa Lucia Cats yesterday. They are sweet buns. The
recipe called for saffron. That was way too expensive. The recipe
suggested that orange peel could be used for the color also. The recipe
called for major cardamom. I explained that we had whole cardamom. She
was lazy, but it was US$8.00 for a little bottle of the ground. I
volunteered to smush some cardamom. It was a major battle.

--
Dan Abel

Petaluma, California, USA

> The title is a little ambiguous.

Boy do I agree with that!!!

I thought hmmm... one roast beef with lettuce and tomato, light mayo and
american cheese and an italian hoagie with a side of pappers.

How simple words can ruin a train of thought!!!

Andy