If you are anything like me, the idea of buying, let alone actually USING a wheat grinder can be pretty intimidating. I am determined to accumulate a healthy-sized food storage and wheat is going to play a big role in that. I am also a fan of the mantra "store what you eat and eat what you store". Thus it quickly became apparent to me that I needed to do some heavy duty research in order to uncover all the mysteries surrounding "wheat grinders" or "grain mills" as they are officially called. With the help of internet research, some hands on research at several neighbors' houses, and multiple failed attempts in the kitchen, I have come up with a pretty good summary of what you need to know.
Types of Wheat Grinders
Manual Wheat Grinders
Pros
Inexpensive
Can be used with no power source
Small to store
Cons
SLOW to grind (mine took 6 minutes to grind one cup of flour)
Except for the very high-end models, you cannot grind a fine flour
Inconvenient (messy and hard to fit a large bowl underneath)
KitchenAid Attachments
Pros
Less expensive than an electric grinder
Small to store
Convenient to use and then mix bread in the same machine
Cons
I have heard from multiple sources that these units will BREAK your KitchenAid mixer
Not as fast at grinding as electric grinders
Electric Wheat Grinders
Pros
Grinds very fast
Useful for many types of grains, beans, nuts, etc.
Easy to select how coarse or fine to grind, and has a large range
Cons
Fairly expensive, even for the lower-end models
Must have a generator or battery pack to use with no electricity (unless you buy a high end model that comes with a manual crank)
A large appliance to store in your kitchen
Prices of Wheat Grinders
Manual Wheat Grinders
Low: -30 models will not grind flour, only coarse corn meal, etc. Not very useful.
Medium: -5 is a good price range. Back to Basics Grain Mill is . It can grind fine enough for bread flour but not for very fine cake flour. Wonder Junior is higher-priced at 9 but it can grind into cake flour.
High: Up to 0 for the Country Living Grain Mill. It is quicker than other manual grinders and is able to grind a fine cake flour.
KitchenAid Attachments
0-120, some may be used on any stand mixer.
Electric Wheat Grinders
Low: Under 0 for grinders such as the Blendtec Grain Mill. Its drawbacks are it is very noisy and cannot do very coarse grinds.
Medium: 0-0 can get you a great grinder. The two most popular electric grinders are the WonderMill and the NutriMill. In my tests I found the WonderMill to be faster, quieter, cleaner, and easier to store. And priced at 9 it is even cheaper than the NutriMill which is 9.
High: Over 0 is an unnecessary amount to spend in my opinion. There are heavy duty models out there but you can get the job done with the mid-range models.
How To Use Wheat Grinders
Manual Wheat Grinders
Attach wheat grinder to your counter top
Place a bowl underneath
Pour the wheat in the funnel
Turn the crank (for a LONG time)
Wheat will filter into the bowl below
Electric Wheat Grinders
Select how fine or coarse you want to grind
Turn on the machine
Pour the wheat in the top
Wait for it to grind into flour (super fast)
Turn off the machine and pull out your canister of wheat
How To Use Fresh Ground Whole Wheat
Whole wheat bread can be delicious! I have gone through a lot of recipes trying to find the perfect balance of flavor, nutrition, texture, etc. for my wheat bread. Experiment with different recipes and types of wheat until you find what your family prefers. We liked using hard white wheat in a recipe that included gluten and oatmeal.
Pancakes even your kids will love! I took an IHOP corn cakes recipe and simply swapped all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour and it was amazing. My kids ate 3 each at one meal. They are delicious drizzled with honey over top.
Whole wheat oatmeal cookies you can't resist. I haven't tried any of these recipes yet but several of my friends said they prefer whole wheat cookies to regular cookies. Who wouldn't want an excuse to make cookies, hey it's rotating your food storage.
Much much more. I grind up a large Tupperware full of hard white wheat flour and store it in my freezer (it retains the nutrients that way). Whenever I do any baking I replace half or all of the flour called for with my whole wheat flour. If it is as good or better I add that recipe to my food storage recipe binder. It's a great way to experiment until you find what works for you.
My Recommendations
Emergency-Only Usage
If you are planning to use your food storage and wheat grinder only if an emergency situation arises, it is not worth the expense and hassle of buying and storing an electric grinder. At a minimum you should get the Back to Basics Grain Mill but I would highly recommend splurging for the Wonder Junior.
Every-Day Usage
If you plan to "store what you eat and eat what you store" I highly recommend the WonderMill Grain Mill electric grinder. If you are not planning to find an alternative power source for an emergency situation, then eventually pick up a Back to Basics Grain Mill as well. The price of these two combined are still cheaper than high-end electric grinders that have a manual crank option, and the functionality of the WonderMill is better for frequent usage.
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