I’ve just returned home from the Housewares Show in Chicago. My first report is on a wonderful find for everyone’s kitchen from a company called Spice Ratchet. Of their many contemporary designs, this simple and thoughtfully designed mill will be a favorite of yours as it is mine.
The first thing I noticed, and you will, too, is that the milled product on this design is delivered out the top! To use the mill, it is turned upside down. No more will the surface beneath the mill become a mess. That is a thing of the past!
The mechanism is of high quality both in its design and in the company’s choice of ceramics for the grinder’s materials. The two grinding components are spring loaded assuring excellent control throughout its wide range of adjustability from as fine as it gets to as coarse as any need dictates. I dismantled it and like what I found in the precise creation of both halves of the ceramic mechanism. Mills I have seen from other makers are rougher, less finished in their appearance and manufacture, in obvious disregard of quality that leads to longevity. Spice Ratchet is pleasantly different, confidently providing a “ . . . twenty year limited warranty against defects in materials and workmanship, under normal usage, and following care instructions.” What is care? Periodically dismantle the product to separate the components, both plastic and ceramic, soaking in hot water and then drying before reassembling. Ceramic components should show little evidence of wear throughout the product’s life as they are little effected by grinding the herbs and spices that will run through them. That’s the nature of a quality ceramic milling mechanism such as this.
I dismantled my sample. The container is made of sturdy ABS plastic and the stopper on the bottom is a simple and effective rubber style that should easily remain in place and also provides non-slip characteristics for the surface upon which the mill rests when not in use. The top turns easily to operate the mill’s grinder halves and the offset cut of the top is the perfect dispensing assist for directed pouring of the milled contents on the intended target.
You’ll love the price, as well. This simple design that works so well is available at a welcome low price, starting at about $10! At that price, consumers can afford to do what Kelly Dyer, the company’s charismatic proprietor, so passionately demonstrated at the show. Kelly had a display of many of her creative designs, the focus of which was to tell her visitors that spice mills, especially her spice mills, are not just for salt and pepper!
Kelly was there grinding mixes of salt and spices to create a custom blend for steaks and other meats, her own fragrant blend of Herbs de Provence, flax seeds, a mix of different peppercorns. She suggests using her products for milling coffee beans as a topping for ice cream and other desserts as well as beverages. How about a mill for hard candy and another to grind cinnamon bark into cinnamon chips, as a couple of other topping suggestions?
Take the plunge and get a few of these – for your own use and as gifts. I found the $10 price online for both the black and white varieties of this design from King Arthur Flour, the company that provides among the very best for your baking needs. You’ll see that buying several at once results in a significant savings on shipping. If you’re looking for the bright metal topped mill you will see of this design on the Spice Ratchet’s Website, contact the company for availability and with any questions at 866.568.0938. If your choice is for traditional bottom-mounted grinders in a mill, do have a look at Kelly’s other products, all with the same quality ceramic guts.
