Other spices in pepper grinder? Revisit old topic
I like freshness in spices and use mostly whole, grinding when and as needed. From your experience or heard from manufacturers, is it safe and good to grind small whole spices in a mechanical (not electric) pepper grinder?
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The electric motor is just a convenience and doesn't change what the device is doing. In the same way that you can beat egg whites with a whisk and some elbow grease rather than in an electric stand mixer.
Note that the pepper mill is not the only option. People have been pulverizing spices with mortars and pestles centuries before the modern pepper mill was invented. I still have a couple of mortars & pestles in my kitchen cabinet.
I keep one pepper mill permanently loaded with black peppercorns since I use this spice daily. The other one is used for grinding whatever spice I desire.
They are sold pre-ground for convenience because whipping out a grater for a whole nutmeg doesn't appeal to Joe Consumer.
Other update - I'm using a grinder that came with store bought pepper to grind home blends, so I don't ruin my fancy steel mechanism in regular grinder. If anything goes wrong, no loss.