Can You Grind Pepper In A Coffee Grinder?

It has been argued that “abuse is inevitable once the function of an item is unknown.” But a coffee grinder is an exception to these sayings. As their name suggests, coffee grinders can be used for grinding coffee beans, but they can also be used for a wide variety of other purposes, such as grinding spices or even tea leaves. To go down to the point, then: can you use a coffee grinder to ground pepper?

Indeed, it is the unequivocal verdict! Black pepper can be ground to a fine, smooth consistency in a coffee grinder, but a burr coffee grinder is one of the most convenient and comfortable options.

The ability to adjust and manage the coarseness of the ground material is a distinct advantage of utilising this grinder. That’s why I adore making coffee with my OXO Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder.

However, famed chef Irvine Roberts agrees with me that the peppercorns taste better when ground with a coffee grinder rather than a traditional pepper mill since the blades don’t cause them to overheat.

Chef Robert Irvine says that heating peppercorns brings out their flavour and scent, while using a standard pepper mill to ground pepper cones results in a “sawdust-like” flavour. If you don’t already have a coffee grinder, you should seriously consider replacing your standard pepper mills with this one.

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Can You Grid Spices In A Coffee Grinder?

You can use your coffee grinder for more than just coffee beans; it can also reduce the size of tea leaves (I just wrote an essay about this!) and, yes, spices like peppercorns.

Given how tenaciously some of these spices cling to the coffee blades, a separate coffee grinder will be required for this purpose. After all, no one, not even you, wants coffee that tastes like curry.

If you don’t want to spend the money on a second coffee blender or don’t feel like you have the time to do it, you can easily clean your current blender by following the methods I’ll be sharing with you in a moment.

How To Clean A Coffee Grinder After Use

After following these steps, your coffee blender should be clean and ready to go again, even if you use it for things other than grinding coffee.

Materials Needed

Soft brush
Washing liquid
Dry cloth
Clean water

General Method Of Cleaning Coffee Grinder

Step 1:Unplug Your Coffee Grinder

Unplugging your coffee grinder from its power source will eliminate any potential for shock or injury and provide you peace of mind as you clean it.

Step 2: Remove The Removable Parts

Separate the components and disassemble the portions that can be taken apart. The cleaning procedure will be simplified greatly as a result of this.

Step 3: Wash The Removable Parts

You can clean the detachable components by disassembling them and using the permitted cleaning procedure. Some of these pieces are dishwasher safe (top rack only), but it’s best to wash everything by hand with soap and water just in case.

Step 4: Remove Other Particles From The Blade And Lid

You can use your soft brush to get rid of the spice remnants stuck to the blade in specific spots. Take care around the blades so you don’t get hurt.

When cleaning the coffee grinder’s cover, angle the bristles of the brush to reach into tiny spaces.

Step 5: Wipe Dry With A Dry Cloth

The parts of the coffee grinder can be quickly dried by wiping them with a dry cloth after they have been cleaned and rinsed. It’s a good idea to let the coffee grinder’s components dry off before reassembling the whole thing. The grinder’s base shouldn’t be immersed in water.

All grinders, whether they use conical burrs or blades, can benefit from this procedure. For related reading:

The Uncooked Rice Method

It’s best to use a blade grinder with the uncooked rice approach. As a bonus, it can help get rid of any lingering odour that could be detracting from the flavour of your coffee. Follow these instructions and you should be OK.

Step 1: Plug The Grinder Into A Power Source

In order to clean the coffee grinder, you must have it plugged into an electrical outlet, unlike the water-based cleaning approach.

Step 2: Measure 20 Grams Of Uncooked Rice

A quarter cup of uncooked rice, or around 20 grammes, should be poured into the hopper of a blender once you’ve confirmed it’s plugged in and switched on. It’s the “dry uncooked rice” that’s being emphasised here. The rice must be completely dry; any amount of moisture would ruin the entire dish.

Step 3: Grind The Rice

Uncooked dry rice is evenly distributed in the hopper before being blended into a fine powder and discarded.

Step 4: Clean Out The Rice Dust With A Damp Cloth

After the rice has been ground and poured out, the rice dust can be removed using a moist cloth. You can also wash it, but watch out for the sharp blades.

Using Grinder Cleaning Tablets

In addition to rice, you may also use grinder cleaning pills, which is a very efficient option. In the same way that the rice helps to remove any leftover spice odour, the cleaning tablets assist to absorb any excess oil in the hopper. To get the most out of your cleaning pills, just follow the easy instructions below.

Step 1: Purchase The Cleaning Tablets

It’s best to obtain your cleaning pills from trusted retailers to ensure you get your money’s worth. To learn where you may purchase cleaning pills, please click here.

Step 2: Pour It Into The Hopper And Blend

To make powdered cleaning supplies, simply place purchased pills in the hopper and blend. Pulsing it at regular intervals will maximise its effectiveness. The coffee grinder’s hopper can collect residual coffee bean debris and spices; the cleaning tablets will assist get rid of them.

Step 3: Add About 1-Ounce Of Coffee

After the tablets have been ground into a powder, add a little amount of coffee (approximately 1 ounce) to the ground tablet, mix, and double-check that the tablets and coffee have ran through the machine by utilising the pulse function of the coffee grinder.

Step 4: Pour Out The Powdered Mixture

When you’re done cleaning, empty the powdered mixture into the trash and wipe down the cleaning area with a moist towel to remove any lingering particles of dust.

If you want to use your coffee grinder for a very long time without any complaints, you should clean it regularly (at least once a month if you just use it for coffee beans) and every time you use it for grinding anything other than coffee beans.

What Else Can You Grind In A Coffee Grinder?

You can put a lot of different items in your coffee grinder and put them through the blade, not only spicy spices. Okay, so let’s check out a few of them.

Bread Crumbs

A while back, I listed eleven suggestions for reusing stale bread; making bread crumbs is one of my all-time favourite jobs. Unless I’m making a lot of bread, I rarely get out my massive food processor.

If you tear your bread into small bits, an espresso processor can handle it without much trouble, and the resulting crumbs can be as coarse or fine as you like. Keep the bread total to around a third of the machine’s capacity and avoid overloading it.

Nuts And Seeds

A coffee grinder is a definite bet if you want to sprinkle chopped nuts and seeds over ice cream or other desserts. It pulverises seeds to your desired size.

Similarly, soft nuts like pine nuts, walnuts, and peanuts are no match for it. If you’re using softer nuts, stop grinding before you produce a material that resembles nut butter, unless you’re going for that.

However, some coffee grinder users have claimed that they don’t like the texture that results from grinding harder nuts like almonds.

Instead of using a mortar and pestle, I recommend a high-powered kitchen blender for grinding your almond seed into a powder.

Dry Herbs

Fresh spices are a convenient perk for people who have gardens, as they may be harvested whenever desired. Although fresh herbs are always preferable, there are times when only dried herbs will do. In these circumstances, drying the herbs in a dehydrator, especially the leaves, is an excellent idea. However, you can get even more flavour out of your herbs by grinding them in a coffee blender. It’s also a handy place to put things away.

Flour

For those who have the knack for it, a coffee grinder can be a lifesaver when you need only a pinch of flour ground. The coffee grinder saves you the effort of assembling a flour grinder (my opinion though).

However, coffee grinders are only enough for making a limited quantity of flour. To get the quantity you need, you need the proper equipment; a coffee grinder won’t cut it.

Tea Leaves

Using a coffee grinder, you may easily create your own tea blend from bulk-purchased dried spices, dried fruits, dried flowers, flavours, natural items, and so on. Assuming the ingredients are suitable for your tea recipe, a coffee grinder should perform an excellent job of mixing them together evenly.

Paper Confetti

You may use a coffee grinder to make decorative confetti out of blended papers, perfect for sprinkling on the table at a kid’s party if you think a mixture of used papers would add a touch of class.

What Can I Use Instead Of A Spice Grinder?

You can use the following tools in addition to the standard spice grinder to extract the spicy flavours from your spice, but keep in mind that some of these tools work better with particular textures of spices than others.

Mortar And Pestle

There’s good reason why so many people favour using a mortar and pestle to crush their spices. Mortars have been in use for thousands of years, but their significance has not diminished.

Some chefs prefer to use a mortar and pestle when they need to get a very fine texture out of their herbs, grains, or seeds, and many food experts will tell you to use one if you want to extract oil from fresh herbs or spices. View a mortar that is ideal for your kitchen in all its forms by clicking here.

While it’s simple to clean a modern mortar and pestle, experts recommend limiting the amount of dishwashing detergent used to avoid damaging the surface of the mortars over time.

Grater (Microplate)

You can’t put a price on a good Microplane grater, especially if you get one that comes in a variety of sizes. Microplane graters are more versatile and work well with roots and other spices that have strong opinions about being grated.

Yet, when dealing with tiny seed spices, Micro plane graters are essentially useless. The Micro plane grater is dishwasher-safe for simple clean up, and its compact design means it can be kept in virtually any kitchen cupboard.

Coffee Grinders

Coffee grinders are an essential item that is missing from the list. Whether you choose a manual or electric coffee grinder, you can be confident that your spices will be finely ground. They require little in the way of upkeep and can even be used to grind your coffee beans.