Friday, December 11, 2009

Troy's Take on the Back to Basic Hand Grinder

My brother-in-law purchased the Back to Basics Grain Mill (Hand Grinder) and it has been permanently attached to his countertop ever since.   Why is it a permanent fixture you might ask???  Because of its versatility.
back_to_basic_hand_mill II

For everyday use, there really is nothing better than a great electric grinder like the WonderMill or NutriMill.  However, these mills have their limitations.  They do not crack grains or process courser grade flours or meals.  My brother-in-law uses this hand grinder on a fairly consistent basis to crack wheat for breakfast cereal.  I prefer cream of wheat, so I tighten the head down a bit to make farina.  (For some reason I just love the "lumpy-ness" of cream of wheat!)

This grain mill will crack cereal, grind to farina grade cereal, grind corn into corn meal and do a medium grade flour that is good enough for bread, rolls, pancakes, etc.  It takes a couple of minutes to grind a cup of cracked wheat and about 5 minutes for cream of wheat.  Unfortunately it takes over 10 minutes for a cup of flour, hence the need for an electric mill if you mill flour on a regular basis.

This mill is probably the most popular backup grinder in case of emergency and also couples as a nice primary grinder for cracking your own wheat.