Grain mill suggestions

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  • dprimm

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    Jan 13, 2013
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    Just West of Indianapolis
    One of my next projects requires a grain mill. We have a nice kitchenaid mixer and there are two different mill attachments for it (two different companies -- KitchenAid and Mockmill). They run between 140 and 200. The Mockmill reviews talk about how hard it is to clean.

    I have looked at some of the hand-cranked ones -- but it is hard to tell if you can really get the berries fine enough for baking flour.

    I don't want to invest $300 or more into some of the nicer ones until I know if the expense will be worth it. Yes, I believe in Cry Once. But I also think going low cost to experiment and determine what you need/want in something is also smart.

    What suggestions does INGO have?

    Thank you
     

    Nevermore

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    Feb 27, 2018
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    I used to sell all the major makes and models of standalone grain mills about, oh, 6-7 years back. The website my dad and I ran is now defunct, but our videos we made about the models then in existence can be found here

    It depends on what you're looking for:

    Country Living is the (relatively) expensive beast for hand-cranking and yes it is built to last 'till the next millennium. They do make accessories for if you want to attach to a pully type system and be more efficient than cranking the handle.

    The Wonder Jr. Grain mill is the smaller version of the same concept from a different manufacturer, and I've personally used it to make flour for bread. The reason I like it over the Country Living is that the additional stainless steel "blades" you can order can be used for grinding peanuts into peanut butter and whatnot, giving you more variety of use for not a lot extra invested. It has both a pulley wheel attachment and even a drill-socket attachment available last I checked, in case you prefer some kind of automation.

    For a cheap quasi-throwaway option the Victorio line did technically do the job, but if you want it for any kind of long-term use the things are largely made out of plastic and the blades are the cheapest level of surgical steel they could find. Definitely will make bread-quality flour, but not what I'd want for a primary grain mill.

    If you just want to grind wheat for yourself and trust in having power available, the Nutrimills and Wondermills both made good flour and had optional bagging attachments that made it easier to keep your kitchen clean once it was done.

    The Komo grain mills are more of a nice-looking appliance, so the extra cost isn't necessarily in better quality of flour (IMO the fineness *was* better but not enough for me to notice in the final bread product as I'm no professional baker) but rather because it does look darn nice on your kitchen counter and is more quiet when running.

    Sadly I had no experience with the Kitchenaid attachments and the like, as they were out of our wheelhouse.

    If you have any other questions I'd be happy to do what I can: I've used most of the major brands extensively and can tell you stuff from experience.

    EDIT: Realized I didn't actually put my own personal conclusion:

    For prepping I personally prefer the Wonder Jr with some bells and whistles like the SS grinding wheels and maybe the pulley attachment over the Country Living. CL is an excellent mill, but I don't see what I'm getting for my money unless I wanted to set it up to really grind on a regular basis, perhaps with a small engine or motor for the pulley in which case the heavier and more robust frame would obviously be an asset. General use I found the Wonder Jr. better for hand cranking.

    Electric Mills I was much less picky on. I personally use one of the Komo mills because I had one left over at wholesale price so why not. For someone just wanting to grind for baking Nutrimill or Wondermill are a tossup for me, very hard to differentiate in actual use. I liked the Wondermill better because I knew the owners of the company at that time, but that's neither here nor there for the average person.
     
    Last edited:

    Nevermore

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    I had not specifically worked with rolled oats, but the company that makes the Wondermill and Wonder Jr have a nice website that at least give you an idea of what their mills can grind up, and any instructions that might help (i.e. they recommend feeding rolled oats slowly into the electric mill).
     

    dprimm

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    Jan 13, 2013
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    Turns out my mom already had the kitchenAid attachment.

    This is will be s decent start. I have a mixer I need to rebuild that I can dedicate to misc use like this.

    We do do lots and I will invest in a high end mill.

    Will watch those videos. Thanks
     

    csaws

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    May 28, 2008
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    If you want a high quality mill check out model 99 at grainmaker.com

    Do you have comparison experience between the Model 99 and Country Living or Wonder? What made you link that one? Are parts readily available for repairs? That's a ton of coin (2x Country Living brand, which I consider to be a reasonable price) for a grain mill.
     
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