General Information about Salt and Pepper Grinders

Restaurants and homes in several countries all around the world now use salt and peppers grinder. Here is some general information you should know about them.

Salt and Pepper Grinders Fun Facts

Wikipedia states that the history of salt and pepper grinders can be traced back to 1982 when the grinders were first manufactured by the Peugeot family. A lot of the grinders looked like coffee mills. As opposed to using a handle however, the top grinds the correct quantity of salt or spice by rotating. The ingredient that has been ground is then sprinkled on the food directly. There are also some meals that use 2 surfaces that are abrasive for grinding the pepper or salt, as they don’t rotate. The use of salt and pepper grinders for grinding spices is much more effective as you cannot grind them with electric meals as there will be a little quantity of friction, which will make the spices to be heated.

Hints for using Pepper and Salt Grinders

• Do not put salt that is moist inside the salt mill to avoid clogging the mill.
• It is possible to use a mechanism or screw to adjust the grinder so that finer or more coarse grinds are produced, depending on your preference. If you want a grind that is finer, it will be better to remove the peppercorns from the mechanism before you start to grind.
• Don’t ever insert your grinder in water except the instructions state that you can.
• Use a toothbrush or small brush that has been rubbed with alcohol or window cleaner for cleaning the mill’s grinder portion.
• If you want your peppercorns to remain fresh, you should put them in a container that is airtight and do not place them directly under the sun.
• To avoid getting stale very quickly, frequently use pepper.

Generally, you should only use a pepper mill if you are using salt free seasoning. Adding salt could result in the corrosion of materials in the mill, especially steel.

Grinding Mechanisms Type

There are different mechanisms for grinding, with each of them having their own advantages. If you are not using a salt free seasoning, then the best option for you will be the ceramic as it is great for grinding salt and pepper as well as other spices without corroding. You can also opt for acrylic as well as it is durable, affordable and also okay for grinding salt. Zinc allows mechanism is also very popular as it is corrosion resistant. It is however not advisable, to use it to grind salt, but it is great for pepper grinding. Most professional chefs worldwide prefer the stainless steel option as it has the reputation of been the most durable. The stainless steel option is also not good for salt grinding, even though it is perfect for grinding pepper. There is also the carbon steel option that has the reputation of been the fastest for grinding and is also very durable.