How many Peppermills have you owned?
I must have had dozens; most of which didn't really work. I've probably spent more time taking them apart to try to make them work properly, than I ever did getting pepper out of them. There are some terrible peppermills out there, mostly, I suspect, at boot sales.
However, at last I have found one that (fingers crossed) works very well. It is not only a Pepper grinder, but it's also a Salt cellar. The top transparent bit contains the salt, and the lower transparent part, the pepper. Turn upside down for salt, screw for pepper. It's very good.
I used to have a friend called 'Lanzarote'. He was fanatical about Pepper, and Peppermills. So much so that he never went anywhere without his small, almost antique, wooden Peppermill that had a hand-cranked metal handle on the top to do the grinding work. As soon as the soup was served, out came his little mill, he'd work its magic, then it would go back inside his pocket. This would happen each time some pepper was required. No-one never talked about it.
A bad Peppermill is a pain. A good one is a delight. I wish I could tell you the maker's name of this one above, and where it came from, but I can't. But if you see one that looks like it, and you're in the market for a new one, then it's probably worth paying a few quid.
I've had just one pepper mill, and when the grinder jams I just take it apart and clean out the jammed peppers, put it back together and keep grinding. It was a cheap thing at the supermarket with pepper already in it and I bought a bag of extra peppers to keep refilling it as necessary.
ReplyDeleteYou're lucky. I've had v expensive ones, and v cheap ones, and they've all up in the dustbin. The one above works perfectly; which (to me) is a miracle.
DeleteMine is a clear one as well and came with a matching salt grinder which is long gone. I know I had a wooden one before this one which I must have had for 25 - 30 years or longer. I just checked and the brand is Peugeot. For salt we use a salt/kelp mix.
ReplyDeleteMine has a Peugeot mechanism too, I think they are the main manufacturer of such things. When you get a good one, treasure it.
DeleteApparently Peugeot invented the small wooden peppermill as we know it, before they moved on to bikes....and then cars
DeleteThey have the best reputation.
DeleteF has a small wooden peppermill with a cranking handle on top (at least 45 years old) but has never thought about taking it out to dine.
ReplyDeleteGive him time; although I must say that Lanzarote was a tad nutty.
DeleteI remember feeling very sophisticated when I bought my first (only?) peppermill. Pepper came in a little cardboard tub when I was growing up!
ReplyDeleteI think as a child we had a salt and pepper set; probably glass. The big wooden Peppermills were very flash when they first appeared.
DeleteWe have a plastic, prefilled peppermill from the supermarket. Stupid thing's always getting jammed and it seems impossible to take the top off to fix it.
ReplyDeleteI know the ones you mean. The fact that they're FREE with the peppercorns tells you a lot about them.
DeleteJayCee, try a different brand, mine is supermarket, but glass not plastic and came prefilled, but the top screws off for refilling and unjamming the grinder bit. I can't find as brand name on them, but the labels have a big S and P on them.
DeleteMy metal one lived in my handbag and has a walking stick rubber ferrule on it to keep pepper dust out of my bag.
ReplyDeleteBTW where is the post re fashion photography?
DeleteI took it off; it annoyed me too much
DeleteI've had one from Lakeland for about a year now. So far, so good.
ReplyDeleteKeep those fingers crossed.
DeleteWe've had oodles of them but they all fail eventually. The current mills are supermarket chaps.
ReplyDeleteIt's about time that someone made a definitive mill, that would last for ever.
DeleteWe have four pepper mills at the moment and two for salt. I love the salt mills. One we refill with chunks of salt and the other is one you use and chuck out, from Lidls.
ReplyDeleteAs for pepper mills. We seem to collect the damn things. One turned up recently from a house emptying. It's one of those useless ones that are huge and used by waiters who hover trying to impress. For show only. The others we've had for ages . We empty and refill. I love fresh milled pepper. Some grind it finely but the one I like best grinds it roughly . Is that the word? Lovely on scrambled eggs
Freshly ground pepper must be 'chunky', otherwise there's no point in milling it yourself. Nice old (useless) pepper mills are difficult to throw away; they linger at the back of cupboards.
DeleteFour peppermills so far - either the grinder gave out, they required too frequent filling or the larger ones fell over and smashed wine glasses too often. Now have one in the shape of a large chess piece. Stable, capacious and excellent grind, I think the maker even replaces the grinder if need be.
ReplyDeleteA 'lifetime guarantee', that sounds perfect.
DeleteI ran a across a Peugeot pepper mill on special offer a few years ago, by far the best I have ever used. It was pricey.
ReplyDeleteAs long as it works, it's probably worth the money.
DeleteI have two peppermills now, a very small wooden one from an ancient Swiss picnic set and a larger one from Ikea. These days I don't use either of them - the few times I buy peppercorns they come in a glass bottle with a top that incorporates a reasonably good grinder - depending on which supermarket I buy it from.
ReplyDeleteSomewhere lurking in the back of a cupboard is a set of clear plastic pepper and salt grinders, and I have a feeling they might be battery operated. They were a gift, and I don't think I've ever opened the box!
The battery operated ones usually work quite well, but I wouldn't really want them.
DeleteMy pepper mill is made of copper. It is the only pepper mill that has passed the test of time. Many others have failed miserably. I will look for a Peugeot pepper mill. Having two would be ideal when everybody is sitting at the table for a holiday meal.
ReplyDeleteI have a wonderful pepper mill, at least 80 or 90 years old, that I inherited from my family. Small, metal, round, the handle has a mother of pearl knob at the end and it's always slightly tarnished. Perfect. I forbid anyone to use it except me.
ReplyDelete