Advice on Grinding Our Own Flour - Grain Mill

I've been using "The Kitchen Mill" by K-Tec regularly since 1998. It is literally falling apart but it is still working great! It is very noisy and now I hear they have "whisper quiet and dust free" mills. This is very messy and noisy but hey it's still working so I can't complain... It wasn't messy when I first got it, it's just very used and old. :)

Hi S.:). we have had a family grain mill for 6yrs. we started w/ the hand crank. now we have the motor base, w/ the oatmeal flaker & the meat grinder attatchments. i don't know about other experiences w/ making the bread but i wasn't very good at converting reg recipes to whole wheat. i had lots of bricks on the outside or mush in the middle the birds eat great. i now have two great cookbooks 1. cooking and baking w/ fresh ground flour by christine downs. 2. the laurel's kitchen bread book- a guide to whole grain breadmaking by laurel robertson. it took all the guess work out of making bread and other things. we also have a vita mix for making peanut butter and stuff. i actually use them both enough that i made dust covers for them cuz they are always on the counter. happy shopping and healthy eating :>).
K. B

I have a Kitchen Mill by K-Tec. It's noisy, but works great. My mom has had hers for over 10 years. It's the only one under $200 that I've seen. They do make ones that are incredibly quiet, but they are also very expensive, at least $400 though I did see a promotional sale once for $250. I don't know where you're located, but there's a store called Shar's Kitchen out in Gilbert. They are also online www.sharskitchen.com. I know they are out to sell their wares, but they did demonstrate a couple of their grinders for me.

I've used a hand grinder and they are quite easy to use...you can enlist the kids in the grinding process...but it does take longer than an electric grinder.

Hope this helps...

I have a nutrimill and have had it for about 4 yrs. I like them because they have a lifetime guarantee. About a year ago the motor seized, but I took it into the store I bought it from and they replaced it no problem. I use mine at least 2 to 3 times per week. Although it does not have a nut auger on it. I would highly recommend a Nutri Mill. You can find them online or at Shar's Kitchen store.

Good Luck,
K.

HI S.-
My sisters and mom swear by the "Whisper Mill"... I think you can google it..not sure who sells it. They all love theirs; however, I've never had one, so I can't tell you the features. I believe they have a couple of different kinds. I think they are kind of expensive, but definitely worth looking into.
Have fun!
toni

I have a Whisper Mill electric. It's great for flour but I dont think it can do nuts or anything more moist than grains. A word of caution though - I recently was grinding up a lot of flour and overfilled the tub the flour goes into, so it backed up and then next few times I used it, flour would come out the sides and it was VERY MESSY! But my husband took it apart, pushed the foam back where it was supposed to be and it's fine again. I'm just not to overfill it again, my husband says! :^)

It's a whisper mill, made to be quiet but I think it's still loud (as in, I wouldn't use it if a baby just went down for a nap) It's very quick tho!! and nice to have finely ground wheat flour!

Oh and I've got a yummy recipe for a poured whole wheat bread (no kneading). If you're interested, email me!

we have a crank kind, because it's useful to have for emergengies (it doesn't need electricity), but i plan to buy an electric one for convenience, it actually doesn't take as much strength as i thought it would. we usually grind as much as we need as we go, or my husband will grind up a bunch in 30 min for us to use. as far as brands, i don't know that there's much difference in the manual kind.

Hi S.- Do the research on the hand-cranked. Consumer Reports or Cooks magazine may have reviews. S.

I have ground my own flour and have a mill but can't use it right now because it is noisy and I live in an apartment with tile floors. I would rather buy flour than a hearing aid! In the past, I have used it outdoors. The machine I have is about 10 years old. It is a Kitchen Specialties brand Whole Grain Flour Mill - Model 100. Since I am not using it right now, I would be willing to sell it to you as a starter. Call me at ###-###-#### and make me an offer.

Hi! I make almost all of our bread and grind the flour. We have a Whisper Mill. Honestly, I have not tried other types of mills, so I can't compare, but this one is supposed to be a lot quieter. I have been using it for 5 or 6 years at least, and have never had a problem with it until the other day, when I didn't measure the wheat carefully and it plugged up. Luckily, my husband monkeyed with it and it is working great again. As long as we have followed the instructions, we've never had a problem. I have never tried nuts and don't know if you can do them with this mill or not. You could try their website for more information. Overall, I have been VERY HAPPY with the Whisper Mill.

You have got to look at the Vita-Mix! It is the best for grains, nuts, smoothies, baby food, soups, sauces,grinding meats, chopping veggies, desserts, salsa, whole foods made into healthy, delicious meals! I can't say enough. The company has been around for 85 years, made in the USA, great warranty. Web site www.vitamix.com . I bought mine at Costco over a year ago for $379, then purchased the 32oz container and then the dry blade container for grains. You might think it's expensive for a blender but it is worth every penny! Costco has it on their web site for $50 off the whole set. Check out the web site, many utube listings for recipies also. If I could only keep one appliance it would be the Vita-Mix. Good luck!

I also have a nutrimill and really like it. I got it at Shar's for about $250.

I have both a crank and electric. I've only used my hand crank once when I did a demo on grinding flour and making bread, the electric is just easier (the crank wasn't hard, it just took time, it doesn't grind the flour as fine, so if you want it really fine, you have to send it through the crank twice) I am glad to have the crank, just in case, but I don't use it. One piece of advice with an electric, make sure to get one that you can adjust the fine/courseness of the grind. Mine doesn't and I wish it did. Maybe a little finer when I am trying to hide wheat flour in things :) and a little courser for other stuff.