Equipment Expert's Guide to Pepper Mills
Vložit
- čas přidán 2. 10. 2022
- Equipment expert Adam Ried shares with Bridget his top picks for pepper mills.
Buy our winning pepper mill: cooks.io/39ZEKsa
Read our full review on Pepper Mills: cooks.io/3Uyu4De
Read our full review on Black Peppercorns: cooks.io/3R6Pt3D
Get our recipe for Parmesan-Pepper Popcorn: cooks.io/3LxQyjP
Get our recipe for Skillet-Roasted Broccoli with Black Pepper Topping: cooks.io/3UyuyJy
ABOUT US: Located in Boston’s Seaport District in the historic Innovation and Design Building, America's Test Kitchen features 15,000 square feet of kitchen space including multiple photography and video studios. It is the home of Cook’s Illustrated magazine and Cook’s Country magazine and is the workday destination for more than 60 test cooks, editors, and cookware specialists. Our mission is to test recipes over and over again until we understand how and why they work and until we arrive at the best version.
If you like us, follow us:
americastestkitchen.com
/ americastestkitchen
/ testkitchen
/ testkitchen
/ testkitchen
While I am on my high horse, the unique feature of the OXO is that the grinder is in the top and does not dump pepper grinds all over your table when you put it down, unique to some people while your #1 is as messy as most other grinders.
Oxo is my favorite too. Easy to fill, easy to adjust...and I have had mine for over 11 years and they both still work beautifully(salt and pepper grinder set). While I don't have the ATK favorite, even at today's prices, the ones I have for the set are less than ATK's favorite.
I used to love my oxo but now it takes forever to grind enough pepper. Plus no matter what I set it to the grind is always the same!
Yes!
You recommended Cole & Mason several years ago and I bought both salt and pepper grinders. They are by far the best grinders out there!
Agree with OXO being the top grinder. It has all the features of the "winner" but yet does not make a mess once you set it down. We've only had ours for about three years but both the salt and pepper grinder are still working well.
hard for me to give up my 45 year old Peugeot Paris mill, I purchased it for working as a waiter and its been with me ever since. I use it daily.
ATK also recommends the Paris u'Select.
I have the Cole & Mason because of one of your previous reviews. I adore it and bought one for a friend. Here is something not mentioned in the reviews that is really important. If you have hand and wrist pain it is still really easy to use. It is easy to pull the top straight off and fill with peppercorn, it is easy to adjust the size of grind and it is easy to grind. I have a lot of hand, wrist and elbow pain due to decades of blue collar redundant work and I use this easily.
thank you for mentioning this! i have wrist and hand issues as well and it's good to know. do you know if this would also work for salt, or would i need a different model for that purpose.
@@MiauxCatterie They sell a set of both of them and based on how they are named I believe it's the same thing for both salt and pepper.
@MiauxCatterie
They come in a set. Salt and pepper grinder. I've had the set for a couple of years, and they're awesome. As mentioned by others, I also have issues due to MS, and these are so easy to use!
For Christmas, I got a set of the recommended Cole & Mason ones. We had a set of wooden Cole & Mason ones. The biggest thing I hated was the tiny "P" or "S" on the top to tell them apart on a shiny surfaces. I need reading glasses now and I'd have to resort to smelling the bottoms to tell which was which. The new ones are super easy to distinguish, easy to clean, and easy to tell when you're running low.
I have had the little black Unicorn pepper grinder as well as their salt grinder for over 10 years, and they both work great. Filling them is very easy for anyone who has a brain, you simply hold it in on hand and fill them, it takes less than a minute. They both have little trays that the sit in to catch any grinding that may somehow fall out, though they don’t really spill that much.
I own the black pepper mill they were criticizing
It works really well and is very easy to fill. But to each their own!
High output as well. And I believe it’s made in Massachusetts
I bought the winner many years ago and have been super happy with it. The opening to add pepper corns isn’t big, but I’ve found a funnel that works for this.
In a rare epic failure, there is no mention of the OXO Good Grips radial pepper mill, the easy hands down winner in my extensive pepper mill testing. End cap, hand crank, adjustable precision mechanism, easy loading hopper, fast grinding, cheap and durable.
I guesss they sort of mentioned it by their opening of basically "we don't like hand cranks". XD
OXO is a major sponsor of America Test Kitchen.
I love that thing. I have one of the older ones. I looked and looked for another one but they stopped making it. Then they made a new version. I now have something like 5. I use it with white, black and multicolor pepper and salt.
I'm a fan of the Unicorn mill shown in the video. I have the larger model and it's fairly easy to load using a funnel which I would recommend for any mill. It has a great output. The only upgrade for me would be the Pepper Cannon. Maybe one day.
I have both. The pepper cannon is awesome for the volume, and I like the little attached cup. But I kinda like how the unicorn has a variable grind so you get different textures of pepper all at once. Their both great, but overall I prefer the unicorn unless going for mega volume. There's nothing like getting a tablespoon of precise grind in like 30 seconds lol.
I have the same Cole and Mason pepper mill as shown here, but in the wood and love it. I have it for black peppercorns, an older Oxo mill for white peppercorns that I bought at Marshall's for $5.
I have no problem with filling the unicorn mill which is the black one and it’s the best pepper-mill ever!! Highly recommend
Right? His little dramatic display felt like one of those black and white infomercials where they knock a stable pile of tupperware all over themselves and make a face at the camera. Extremely easy and fast to fill, zero problem with the grind.
I use the Cole & Mason salt and pepper grinders and they're the first ones I've bougth that I wasn't tempted to try something else. I also like the Unicorn Magnum for consistent grind quality and ease of grinding. The Peugeot wood grinders sit unused as they don't hold the grind long and need constant adjustment. I also use a Peppermate like Ina Garten uses because it has a collection tray that snaps on the bottom and I find that very useful to pre-grind pepper when I need more than usual and then to measure from that tray.
m
my Peugot S & P grinders have been a nightmare. Hard to fill and constantly stuck. I'm going for Cole & Mason!
I started using an electric pepper mill more than a decade ago, and I will never go back to these old manual types. If you have arthritis, it is a no-brainer. The one-handed operation is so convenient, especially when seasoning meat and you have one dirty hand. I have both the Trudeau One-Hand and the Latent Epicure. Both can be found on line, and they cost less than any of the manual ones reviewed in this video. I have four total mills that are loaded with two kinds of pepper and two kinds of salt.
I don't have arthritis yet, but I totally agree what the one-handed convenience of an electric pepper mill is great for avoiding contamination.
I have and love that black one. It is easy to load. Take a piece of paper and make a funnel. Fill it up. Dispenses pepper very well.
I own the Unicorn Magnum (little black one, but larger model) and I love it! Barely have to grind it to get the amount of pepper I need, easily adjustable grind size that stays consistent. The company is based out in Nantucket, MA and use a stainless steel grinder from Italy.
ATK, you read my mind! I was searching for this exact video from you last week 😂 Thanks for coming through
I have the Oxo, which is the one on the far right. It's not hard to fill and has the same adjustment as the winner, goes from super fine to fairly coarse. I think it was $20. I love it.
That is certainly more reasonable than a $50.00 one. And now yours is in my wish list. lol
I've also got that one! Wish they had mentioned it as a "Best Buy" option
ATK updated this review after this video and added two new mills: the Männkitchen Pepper Cannon and other OXO - the Mess-Free pepper mill - which is their new best buy.
I've had the OXO pepper mill which was recommended by many sites for a very long time. If the peppercorns were small enough, it worked great, but almost 100% of all black peppercorns Ivd bought didn't work at all with this mill. I now use this mill exclusively for white pepper which works amazing.
The Cole & Mason on the other hand, I bought two years ago for my black peppercorns and it's absolutely perfect. I would say that it isn't as easy to fill with the metal rod taking up quite a bit of the diameter for filling. Id have to fill with a funnel and tap a few times to get it.
thx for sharing your experience
was deciding between OXO and Cole as I wanted the quick adjust....shame the OXO has some issues as I like that the grinder is on top and therefore mess-free
@@HeadBassVTEC, i would say, independent of peppercorn compatibility, the OXO has the best grinding experience. it grinds very smooth, doesn't strain the wrist, and makes the least mess. biggest issue of course, is the fact that it only accepts smaller diameter peppercorns. i still have yet to find a black peppercorn that would grind through this mill. still, only the white peppercorns, which has the outer shell stripped and thus a smaller diameter, is the only peppercorn that would pass through this mill. maybe they fixed it with newer models.
Thanks so much for this video, ATK. I looove my Cole & Mason Derwent pepper mill. Bought mine on sale for $23. I have a hand crank one that I bought from an antique shop, so naturally I just use it for décor.
Absolutely agree. Bought Cole & Mason and started really consuming black peppers.
I have one for salt and one for pepper of your winner and liked them. Personally, I’ve moved on to hand cranks. I just like them better. In fact, my pepper grinder is one made to hand grind coffee, but it works wonders for grinding pepper. When required, it will grind a metric butt-ton of pepper in just a few seconds. It’s not a perfect sized grind, but plenty good enough for my tastes.
Thanks! What perfect timing!
I got an electric pepper mill for Christmas several years ago. Unless I want some big pieces of crushed black pepper (mortar and pestle), the electric is how I grind pepper. I only need one hand to use it, which is really convenient if I'm touching raw meat with my other hand.
I own the short black one (Unicorn Magnum Pepper Mill) and it takes about 5 seconds to load. You don't try to balance on the table like Adam Reid attempts. You hold it sideways with one hand, and use your thumb and index finger to create a funnel.
I have to agree. His example of how frustrating it is to fill it was not only incorrect, it was unintuitive.
Plus he didn't mention output, which the unicorn is amazing at. It seriously grinds like 2x faster than most other mills.
Once upon a time this was their recommended brand, and I bought one - then bought more for friends. Apparently the testers can be fickle... this brand is very easy to load, holds a lot of peppercorns, and produces a shower of ground pepper very quickly. And one thing they used to tout as a benefit was - unlike most top-loaders - refilling does not disrupt your grind setting. I still think mine is great.
@@Jeffsd17 I also buy them for Xmas gifts-- same quality as the MannKitchen but way cheaper. I looked for a good pepper mill for years and the Unicorn and MannKitchen are the only ones which I truly like.
You made a mistake, at 1:21 you said you adjust the grind size with the Peugeot Pepper Mill on the top. I have that pepper mill and it adjusts on the bottom and has 6 grind sizes. You can even see the lines for the size indication on it at 0:38 .That piece on top that you said adjusts the grind size actually just unscrews so you can remove the top and refill the peppercorns. I feel like it was an unfair mark against the Peugeot because you said it has a problem that it actually doesn't have.
In my opinion, the Peugeot Paris u'Select Pepper Mill is the best pepper mill. I've had mine for years and I feel like the wooden pepper mills look classier than the stainless steel.
Interesting that the reviewer missed that important detail.
@@grahammcfadyenhill9555 More like the producers(?) for the segment who are actually part of the Reviews team. They should've stopped Adam and Bridget from gesturing to the wrong pepper mill.
I agree. I love my Peugeot Pepper Mill. It's easy to fill, easy to change the grind level on the bottom of the grinder, and quite stylish.
Peugeot make both the Paris Classic (top "adjust" as shown in the video) and Paris u'Select with the bottom adjustment.
I love my Unicorn, I've had it for nearly 20 years and never a problem. If you have opposable thumbs loading is simple. I also have a small white Unicorn salt grinder, they replaced the ceramic salt grinding mechanism with metal and I use it for white pepper.
I wish they still made the salt grinder. 😭 Or the adorable mini mills!
Love the Unicorn. I’m not sure what makes it hard to load. Quite easy.
I like the hanno wooden paper mill at crate and barrel. It’s easy to load, easy to grip if you have oil on your hands, easy to use, and only $30
I never see the William Bounds grinder in these comparisons. Still my favorite after many years.
OXO hand crank is hands down best and cheap. They only last for a few years, but they are fast and easy to use and adjust.
The Peugeot one also has a dial at the bottom, no need to adjust it with the top screw.
It also looks and feels about a billion times better than the Cole & Mason.
Yeah, how the heck could they miss that? They must've tested an older variant or something
@@BenRangel Don't think so, you can clearly see the markings on it.
I have the PepperMate (just like Jacques Pepin!) and love it. I realize it’s a different configuration from the ones reviewed here (a la a side crank), but I would have liked to have known how it measures up to their winner. I love it and plan to stick with it for as long as it keeps working.
I have the one which loads from the side. I really like it.
The Peugeot is the Paris u'Select model. It has a grinding selector like the Cole and Mason you chose as number 1. What a big mistake to point out that the Pegeout is set at the top and that this is a serious problem.
Mannkitchen Pepper Cannon. I've never had a better pepper mill. Talk about a hyper engineered piece of equipment. Precise, easy to use, easy to fill, lots of settings, way huge output.
Gadgety, but recommended by ATK in their updated (and linked) review.
was gifted one of these and will never go back. I didnt even know i NEEDED one
I have both - MannKitchen and Unicorn Magnum- and they both work great. Mannkitchen has a bottom to collect the residue and is more sturdy but it is also way more expensive, I use the Unicorn most of the time but both are excellent.
Still using my little Oxo I bought for maybe $8 nearly 10 years ago. Have never had a problem with it.
I get the cheap McCormick pepper mill off the spice shelf at the supermarket
3 settings on the cap and usually on sale for $2.99
I have that one too. Most times nothing comes out when I turn it, I have to switch through those 3 levels to unclog it! It cheap, you get what you pay for!
I have the OXO mills. One day I apparently left them too close to my stove and the plastic grind selector on the pepper mill melted. It still kinda sorta works, but I realized having plastic utensils that store near the stove is not a good idea.
I am so happy you made this video
I have a big wooden, would-see-at-Italian-restaurant style one, just barely fits under my cabinets. Wish I went smaller, lol. But it mills just fine.
I've been using the $18.99 OXO brand for years and its awesome.
I like my Unicorn. It loads on the side, which I do over a bowl or sheet tray.
Yeah I just put in a mixing bowl to load. That Cole and Mason looks interesting but not sure if any advantages are worth buying one over my Magnum Plus.
@@Siloguy
Try settling it on a bag of rice to stabilize it.
The Oxo one is my favorite. You failed to point out that it also has a dial for selecting the grind size.
If you have a funnel with a decent size spout, use the funnel when adding peppercorns. Then it doesn't make any difference if the pepper mill is easy or hard to fill. Then you can choose your mill based on actual use preferences.
had a cole & mason for about 3 years now and it's been great. if it broke tomorrow, I'd replace it with the same
I have the winner since last year. Ridiculously easy to take off the top and load, very precise increments for grind size. $50, seems a lot, would do it again. Last mills I'll probably own.
When the grinding elements wear out, get an unicorn pepper mill. It side loading is easy and holds enough pepper that loading wouldn't be an issue anyways, and cranks way more pepper per grind. Pepper cannon is more efficient but no need for that efficiency unless you are seriously using pepper by the bulk.
@@dizzyboy92 No.
Yes
The winning grinder seems like it still might be difficult for people with grip strength problems, or perhaps arthritis. Wish that was part of the consideration...
You could always apply some grip tape on the top of the twist head
I mean... it likely won't be. I have arthritis myself, and I use the Oxo pepper mill, without discomfort, and it's smaller in diameter. I suppose there are a percentage of people who have severe arthritis who can't hand grind pepper at all, but they're a small percentage of the audience that this info would be targeted at.
They don't do knife or other hand tool suggestions for arthritic hands, and I DO think there's a market for that kind of research, so...maybe do it yourself? I'm a big believer in that, if you want to see something you need, especially on public access social media like this, film it yourself! It's not that hard, and you're meeting a niche need that is important to a select demographic. I believe in you, it doesn't have to be a huge comparative thing like ATK, if you have tools you find comfortable, put them together, do a short demo of the products, and put links in your description for the tools. You bring to the table something ATK doesn't: real world experience. Start a channel called the Arthritic Kitchen or something, if you have techniques or recipes you've had to modify to negotiate your disability, makes notes, shoot those videos! I definitely have had to either learn to suffer or try new grips, that kind of thing. The only reason I'm not shooting these videos myself is my arthritis isn't that bad, I don't feel lie my voice would adequately represent the community. Maybe we should both start shooting anyways and letting v the community decide for itself how useful our insights are?
Plenty of motorized grinders out there
I’ve had the older version for years, it can be a bit slippery particularly if my hands have something on them (and I’ve no grip issues normally). Throwing some 3m Mastic tape on might be worth considering.
@@custos3249
At a lot more expense.
I bought two of these based on your review and gave one to my mom. 👌. But the price has gone up so much!
Y'all said we could just say hello, so I will.
I cannot count the number of times I say to my wife - who doesn't cook (she's a brilliant academic & author, but just stay outta my kitchen love...) - "I'm so glad we subscribed to ATK. They rock."
I can count on one hand the number of recipe websites I trust without testing - Bittman, Keller, and y'all. I know that if I find something to cook from your recipe database, it will turn out well. Thank you for that. I can't begin to think of the work required to be that trustworthy, but you should know it is appreciated.
The Pepper Canon from Mankitchen is expensive but built like a tank, easy to load, easy to measure out pepper for cooking and will deliver massive amounts of consistent grinds with less effort than the budget grinders. Worth every penny - especially if you’re trying to fresh grind pepper for a brisket. Keep up the good work!
Got a Pepper Canon for my birthday. It is hands down my favorite kitchen utensil. Worth the price.
Gadgety but recommended by ATK when they updated their review (link included!) after this segment was recorded last year. Also, the OXO Mess Free model is highly recommended and their new best buy.
the Pepper Cannon puts everything else to shame, I love mine
that pepper grinder is a joke at that price.
@@chonzor depends how much pepper you use and how often the competition has let you down
I love this Peppermill so much I have four One for the dining room table one with mixed peppercorns one with black peppercorns and one with white peppercorns it makes me feel like I’m a real chef😂
I often watch and enjoy your videos! This one I found frustrating because it did not address the other pepper mills: how do they compare? Do you consider the two I own (Oxo and Peugeot) close to your top pick, e.g., or would your top choice be a real step up? That’s the sorts of comparisons I’m looking for. Thx!
I have both of those. I also have the Magnum (large size version). I think the Cole & Mason is the best, but I also like the grind quality and consistency of the Magnum. The multiple Peugeots I've tried over the years are a pain. Constantly trying to adjust. The thing that boggles my mind is I've been to restaurants where they give you individual pepper grinders and those seem perfection, but I've found nothing comparable, including the Cole & Mason, compared to those. In the end, though, the Cole & Mason salt and pepper grinders are the ones I have continued to use and that stopped me feeling like I wanted to try others. The Peugeots sit in a cupboard unused. The Cole & Mason is also easy to fill. I just bought a small funnel on Amazon. I think it was a bundle of Oxo funnels in two or more sizes..
A link to the full review is provided…
I see my OXO grinder. I love it. Cant wait to see which one wins.
Amazing video America’s test kitchen! I would love to see a high-end Peppermill video and a comparison between of these and more expensive ones, such as the mannkitchen paper Cannon.
I use fresh pepper all the time and have no if you pay more money for a really good one. Would love your recommendation
The Pepper Cannon was considered gadgety, but recommended by ATK as indicated in their (linked) review that was updated after this video was recorded for their PBS TV show last year.
@@sandrah7512 Unless you work for ATK you need to get yourself laid, all this tutoring and correcting in these threads smacks of loneliness and control issues
Pepper mills that have an open bottom leave a mess of pepper everywhere you put them. The Oxo pepper mill on the far right is the best because its dispensing end is on the top.
After owning that oxo, I quickly replaced it. Sloppy action and it somehow got gummed up with peppercorns that have yet to do so for it's replacement or the mill the oxo replaced.
The salt grinder I got of that series from OXO, great. No issues
That is the one I have, and a matching with ceramic grinder for salt. 💓
Peugot....my go to for decades.
I have an OXO softworks best pepper mill I have ever used. Loads from the bottom. Grinder is on top. So no pepper on the table. It grinds fast so if you need a lot of pepper for blackened fish or cream pepper sauce. Your not twisting all day.. Nice grind size selector switch on the side. I've had mine for 3 years and beat the tar out of it. Wipes the floor with there pick. O yeah it's only 20 bucks. Actually $18.99 to be exact.
I have purchased and used at least a half dozen pepper mills over the years. For those that like to smother steaks in fresh ground pepper, or simply crank out vast quantities, AND are willing/able to make the investment, the Pepper Cannon cannot be beat. I backed their matching salt grinder and am looking forward to using that as well.
That grinder is massively overpriced for any homecook.
@@leonawroth2516 A quick look at the comments of this video confirms your statement is demonstrably false. For some of us, the Pepper Cannon is well worth the price. Obviously for others, it isn't - and that's fine. Some don't bother with pepper grinders at all and just buy/use pre-ground pepper. The fact that they provide options, and usually make budget suggestions, especially when their first choice is expensive, is one of the aspects of ATK reviews I really like,
@@h82bcold buyers who already paid the price are psychologically inclined to believe it was worth it, so I don't care must about comments.
Fact is that a good 60-80$/€ grinder is plenty strong enough for homecooking. I have a modern Peugeot grinder, which looks similar to the winning grinder and it's fine.
That doesn't mean it's "wrong" to pay as much. Some have multiple 200+$ knives, while they only need one. If it's your hobby and you like buying nice things, go for it.
But don't pretend in the comments as if it makes sense to pay 3 to 4 times the price for more ground pepper per revolution.
I'm a big fan of the Kuhn Rikon Adjustable Ratchet Grinder. The lever mechanism is by far my favorite for a spice grinder, especially one I use so often.
I, too, like that model, BUT the little door for filling it popped out and now it's closed with a strip of electrician's tape.
Do you recommend a best buy second?
I would love to see a comparison of single-handed-operation pepper mills. I cook one-handed since I cook along, and this would allow me to season meat on both sides without having to stop to wash my hands so many times, or stir while seasoning.
You can just grind your pepper ahead of time and use your hand to sprinkle it...
I would love to see that too as only use of right hand.
100% agree!
We at Grind Gourmet the inventors of the single-hand operated Pump & Grind mills would have appreciated them including our innovative salt and pepper grinders! Please don't be fooled by copy mills of the Grind Gourmet Originals, they are harder to use and have a plastic core, the Grind Gourmet Originals are high quality stainless steel!
Pepper Cannon is my favorite.
Well, there ya go, my Christmas list begins...thinking the gift set of salt & pepper. ;)
What about easy to clean, grinders can get funky catching steam grinding over pans. I tossed an acrylic one we had cause I couldn’t take it apart to clean it properly. Funky smelling pepper corns and dust got caught in the gaps and crevices of the grinder.
Was the MännKitchen Pepper Cannon not available when you made this video, or was it just too expensive to consider. Just curious.
Can I assume the matching Derwent salt grinder test to be the best? I bought them both. Now...isn't it high time to test and review salt grinder replacement salt?
I just keep refilling the $6 costco pepper grinder I got a few years back.. 🤷♂
Great video but I still enjoy my crank Peppermill. 4 rotations and everything turns black. 1 or 2 cranks is perrrfection. 😁
I'mma speak up for one you didn't choose to review: the Männkitchen Pepper Cannon. At $199 it's indeed crazy expensive, but its engineering is A-EFFING-MAZING. The body's machined from a single billet of aerospace-grade aluminium, the burrs are high-carbon stainless, and it reloads a full half cup of peppercorns from a top that pops off with a single button push. It grinds huge quantities of pepper all the way from 8 mesh to 60 mesh, which I bet your Cole and Mason can't do. I don't at ALL regret shelling out for a Pepper Cannon. It's something that'll probably be willed to my daughter when I die, and last her whole lifetime as well.
Should’ve checked the full and updated review through the provided link…
@@sandrah7512 Well, I suppose I should, and I have to say I don't disagree with 'em at all.
Peugeot make both the Paris Classic (shown in the video) and Paris u'Select. The latter has an adjustment similar to the Cole & Mason Derwent, and thus would've been a fairer and more helpful comparison.
Maybe it's not available in the US market, but I would DIE for my Ortwo pepper grinder by Dreamfarm. It's robust, flexible and very pleasing to work with.
Interesting design. I'd be curious to see how it fared as, apart from their pizza scissors, ATK hasn't had much luck finding anything to recommend by Dreamfarm in the past.
Time to do an updated video. Hexclad looks like they make a great one. Only draw back? $125
I have the amazon best seller that looks like their pick and it works great
You should try a Finamill, they are amazing. You can switch out the peppercorns with a click.
I’ve had that oxo pepper mill for about 15 years lol.
I own the Unicorn Pepper Mill (Short Black One). Usually I take what ATK has to say with no questions asked but I wholeheartedly agree with this assessment. The side port is not difficult to load, comes with a little plate to catch the extra "drips", it has a huge output, and is made right in their neck of the woods. I have many more positive things to say but I will keep it at that. I hope this is not a sign of the end of trust worthy reviews from ATK
The Pepper Cannon is awesome.
I really wish they'd reviewed that alongside these, but it would definitely have blown their budget to space. I had a Cole and Mason before and it was fine, but the Pepper Cannon wipes the floor with it.
@@GaryVirta They updated the equipment review (link provided!) after they shot this video last year. Gadgety, but recommended.
@@sandrah7512 I did see that via one of your other comments after I wrote this; thanks!
What’s wrong with the hand crank ones? I like them. Also good for people with arthritis, etc.
In previous testings of pepper mills, they actually liked the speed at which the crank mills could produce pepper due to the ability of continuously grinding without having to move your wrist. However, of the crank models they tested, the grind quality wasn't the best.
After looking at lots of options, I realize how much nicer it is to have a grinder with pepper that comes out of the top instead of the bottom, so that you don't dispense pepper dust all over the table/counter every time you put it back down. This Cole & Mason pepper grinder doesn't comply.
I’ll let the peasantry working in my kitchens know. Usually I demand hand pounded pepper from the mortar and pestle, but since the big uprising of 2017, I learned I should throw them the occasional bone.
I gave up on pepper mills. I'm so sick of 200 twists, and not even a quarter teaspoon.
I have a coffee grinder I use. There again, I was fed up with my 300 crank coffee grinding every day. I use it for pepper. Not easy to adjust, unscrew the crank arm and remove the crank of the ceramic burr coffee maker, and lift the stop, then rotate a nut to adjust, put it all back, Test, and further adjust. I found my grind, and leave it there.
Well, I think you missed a couple of things. Uniformity of grind and grind speed. The one you hate(Unicorn), although fussy to fill, is very uniform in grind compared to the OXO I had before. Most of them seem to be just table grinders, but the Unicorn will grind out a measured amount, like a teaspoon, for a recipe with not many turns and the others take minutes to do that. The Unicorn is made in New England with an imported Italian grind mechanism to avoid the same junk Chinese grinder most of them have. I use my small kitchen funnel to fill mine. And, thankfully, it does not look like a leftover artifact from the 1960s.
It's weird. A larger version of the Unicorn Magnum was ATK's favourite grinder for years until about a decade ago when the Cole & Mason topped it, and grind speed was always taken into account in their previous tests of pepper mills. As part of this current review, they even grind out a tablespoon of pepper from each mill and also grind each model on fine, medium and coarse settings for one minute on each setting. But when it came time to rate the pepper mills, they rated them on 1) how easy they were to fill and grind, 2) the quality of the grind - was the "fine" fine, was the "coarse" coarse, etc. - and 3) whether the mills had clearly marked settings. Only when they updated the review after this segment was recorded last year, was any mention of grind speed published and that was because one of the updates* was to include the Männkitchen Pepper Cannon which is marketed on its grind speed; the PC was more than twice as fast as the other models at grinding out a tablespoon of pepper.
*ATK also added the OXO Mess Free pepper mill which is now their new "best buy".
I just washed out and re-use old bottles from previous purchases of supermarket table pepper. The bottles have a couple settings so I just refill 'em, and they work well enough for free. Yeah, I have to clean the grinder caps periodically, which takes five or ten seconds. MacGyver wouldn't buy no 50-dollar peppermill.
i would disagree on the hand crank. i have chronic tendonitis in my hands and the best pepper mill for me to use is an old hand crank mill my mother's great aunt gifted her as an engagement present. it does need refilling frequently because it is very small, but that also means it is quite light in weight. it has a square belly with a round neck which lies easily between thumb and fore-finger (won't slip even with stiff hands) and the crank doesn't need grasping to turn as top grinders do. it's a lot less painful for me to use than other grinders.
Usually you have a winner or best and a good econnomy one or best for the buck. What happened, what if we are looking for pepper mediacracy at a bargain price?
Due to a stroke in 2008 I have only one good hand, so no twist top pepper mills for me. I’d already had a cute set of salt & pepper grinders for the table that can be used one handed with a thumb.
For the kitchen I had to get a battery powered one. A few years ago I got a very nice Cole & Mason pepper grinder for a friend- it could be used one handed. Later wanted to get her the marching salt grinder plus a set for us - no longer made. Ugh.
Grind Gourmet makes environmentally friendly thumb operated salt and pepper grinders that work great!
I have tried many brands of pepper, and it just doesn’t seem to taste like anything, except sometimes a little warm. I used it love the flavor, but I have all but stopped using it. Not sure if it’s me or the pepper
How about a one handed pepper mill? It's a pain to grind pepper with two hands when one is greasy or dirty. I used electric grinders but some are pretty bad and get stuck.
Glad you like the one-hand operated S&P mills. Grind Gourmet has been offering the Original Pump & Grind Salt and Pepper Grinders in a variety of styles, sizes, sets, and singles since 2001!
The one pointed at as being too loose is the Peugeot that you rotate the bottom like the winner to select the grind size. You don't unscrew the top unless you are trying to remove the top to fill it.
So you're saying they messed up/misrepresented it?
@@b_uppy They messed up pointing out that particular dark brown mill
@@Stephen.R
Thank you for clarifying.
Yeah, that annoyed me. Whoever was present from the ATK Reviews team for this segment should've stopped Adam and Bridget from gesturing to the wrong pepper mill. 🙄🤦🏼♀
I LOVE my ratchet grinder! People with arthritis, try these, you’ll love them!
Always go electric. Makes your life so much better. Especially the gravity ones that you just flip upside down to turn on
HARD TO FIND😢😮 ELEC.
I literally broke my old pepper mill last night. Good timing 😂
The one on the far right is better. Still has a precise control settings.
But it releases pepper from the top.
The bottom opening style gets your counter covered in pepper dust.
You need to keep it in a dish.
Do you know where to send a pepper mill if it is broken?
My Cole and Mason salt grinder died last year...the bottom plate, which had cracked, is plastic to thwart corrosion...and one letter later I received the replacement part, free of charge. Now that is customer service!
Peugeot. It's the Original that everyone copied. I love mine.
i love pepper corns
I own that black 6" Unicorn Magnum that Adam decided to verbally eviscerate. I mean, cmon dude. Owned the thing for 11 years now. You hold it with one hand, slide the side open, and gently pour in the peppercorns while funneling them in with the thumb/index finger of the hand you're holding the grinder with. It aint rocket science. I've never even touched that bottom dial. But I've never heard anyone having an issue with it. It's built like a tank, and pours out a ton of grinds. Easy to turn. Never had to do anything with it other than add peppercorns and use. That's it. Done & done.
I went with your recommendation of the Cole & Mason grinder. It is worthless. The adjustment for grind size failed. It is stuck and will not move. It does not grind easily. Pretty expensive paperweight.
I dont' get it.. Doesn't the Peugeot adjust coarseness from the bottom?
No mention of burr styles? Metal burrs vs. ceramics? Coming from the coffee world, this seems a bit too brief. People spend hundreds of dollars on a set of machined metal burrs for a high end coffee grinder. At the very least I think you could definitely get some decent metal burrs for grinding pepper.
Good point but probably easier to buy a hand grinder just for pepper.
I genuinely don't think that would even matter. It's like buying a 4090 TI to browse CZcams. What's the point.
That's an interesting point - I wonder how different pepper tastes between flat and conical, and different burr types... Are there pepper nerds that are picky about it like coffee? 🤣
@@cloudyview Kenji Lopez-Alt recommends a pepper grinder with a metal burr. The ceramic ones I've used over the years tend to be really slow, requiring many turns to grind a reasonable amount of pepper. This can be especially bad if you're cooking a recipe that needs a lot of ground pepper, such as carbonara or pepper-crusted steak.
Not mentioned in the full and updated review (which is linked), but most of the models tested had metal burrs. Only two by OXO (including ATK's new best buy, which is not in this video) and the LeCreuset have ceramic grinding mechanisms.
I'd still use the hand crank models for times when you need a whole lot of freshly ground peppercorns. Twisting any of these would just cause your hands to strain.
Yeah, when ATK last tested pepper mills and included hand crank models, they were actually impressed by their grind speed as the crank allowed for continuous motion while the others have you move your wrists and reset your hands/grip repeatedly to continue grinding. Ultimately, it was the grind quality (coarse, medium, fine) of the models they tested that didn't impress them, which doesn't (to me) warrant excluding all crank-type models from the lineup.🤷🏼♀
It is a shame you didn't include one of the McCormick jar-with-a-gringer-cap devices that sell in the spice section of the supermarket. Basically a small 1.26 oz jar of peppercorns (black and white) with a cap that acts as a grinder. The cap has three setting for coarseness! I got one of these when I had two kitchens during an extended move and needed to cook in both places. A satisfactory substitute for a proper grinder - and way better than buying ground pepper - that I will keep around after it is emptied Just In Case.
The grinder on those are plastic. You're creating and eating micro-plastics.