Which grain mill is the best?
The answer really depends on your individual needs...
If you don't need a non electric grain mill, then an impact type mill
is ideal. They're very fast and they grind all of the dry grains,
most beans, and some non-oily seeds, into very fine flour. If they
require any adjustment, it takes literally a second or two to do. The
original impact grain mills of 15-20 years ago had a high-pitched
(ear splitting!) shriek, but the new impact mills have a nice,
civilized sound level. The best way to describe it is to say that
they sound like vacuum cleaners. If your electric vacuum doesn't
offend your ears, then you'll get along wonderfully with a modern
impact mill. Impact mills never glaze over like stone burr mills can,
and unlike stones, the milling heads of the impact mills we carry
won't break and virtually don't wear at all -- if you could ever
possibly wear a set out, they'd be replaced free of charge by the manufacturer.
So then... which impact grain mill? Here are some thoughts that may
help you choose the grain mill that's right for you:
The Ultramill is the least expensive of the modern impact grain
mills. It has a 20 cup flour capacity and features a pre-cracking
chamber that lets you add grain before starting the mill, without
plugging. The fineness of grind is excellent for most breads, but the
Ultramill's fineness is not adjustable. Removing its flour bin
requires some finger strength and dexterity -- it's no problem at all
for most people, but we do not recommend it for those with arthritis.
The Ultramill is louder than our other models, but it does not have
the high sound pitch of the old, original impact mills (like the old
Magic Mills.) It also requires a bit more cleanup, though still not
much. The Ultramill is a good and serviceable grain mill for its price.
(I do take it to the garage with cotton in my ears... but part of the
garage thing is because of my elderly mother. It cleans easily, but
we have a compressor in the garage so I'm a little OCD and blow it
out when I use it. It doesn't require it, though. ~ Linda)
The Whisper Mill (We no longer offer the Whisper Mill; it was an
excellent mill for many years but the company had a change of
management and the service that we and our customers have received
since that time has left us no choice but to drop it. Service has
declined to the point where it's grossly inadequate, their treatment
of customers has been rude, and we've had to return too many mills
for defects after checking them upon arrival here. The Nutrimill --
from a different and very reputable manufacturer -- offers everything
the Whisper Mill did, and more.)
The Nutrimill is the first really new impact grain mill design in
fifteen years. The Nutrimill combines the most popular features of
earlier designs, and adds some great new features that will make your
baking easier and more fun. The Nutrimill's 20+ cup flour capacity is
2/3 greater than that of the Whisper Mill. It has a pre-cracking
chamber, so you can add grain before turning the mill on if you wish
(doing so would plug the Whisper Mill.) The Nutrimill is the first
impact grain mill ever made that will produce either a coarse ('meal
coarse") or fine grind, and its finest setting produces finer flour
than any other impact mill. Its 400% range of adjustability not only
makes Nutrimill ideally suited for every kind of wheat bread, but
also for perfectly textured cornbreads and the lightest whole grain
pastries. "Everything you'd want in the perfect grain mill" is an apt
description of the Nutrimill, and coming from a maker with many years
of experience in grain milling, you can expect a lifetime of
excellent service from the Nutrimill grain mill.
The Family Grain Mill offers the choice of hand or electric
operation. With the Family Grain Mill you can buy the hand base
alone, or the electric base, or both. Despite its modest price, the
Family Grain Mill is a high quality tool (unlike most hand grain
mills on the market), and it's very versatile, offering the ability
to grind flour, crack grain for cereals or to add some nice chewy
grains to your bread, grind meat, stuff sausages, even process
vegetables. With the popular flaker mill attachment, the Family Grain
Mill will also flake oat groats for fresh oatmeal -- and most people,
when they've had fresh oatmeal, don't want to go back!
The Country Living Grain Mill (see the Country Living Grain Mill) is
a very heavy duty, hand operated, steel burr mill that's really built
for the long haul. It produces very fine flour as well as adjusting
to coarse settings for cracked grain. It features exceptionally
large, high carbon steel burrs and it turns easier than most hand
grain mills, particularly with the available "power bar" option. A
motor drive option also is available for the Country Living Grain Mill.
All of these grain mills are quality machines that will provide years
of enjoyable service, time savings, and healthful nutrition. If you
have questions about grain mills that we haven't addressed, we'll be
happy to try to help further; our toll-free phone number is just
below. Thank you very much for shopping with us!