spice-grndng-msg – 8/12/12 Grinding spices in period and now. NOTE: See also the files: spices-msg, spice-mixes-msg, spice-storage-msg, merch-spices-msg, herbs-msg, herb-mixes-msg, esential-oils-msg, F-It-spce-mixs-art. ************************************************************************ NOTICE - This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday. This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter. The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors. Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s). Thank you, Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous Stefan at florilegium.org Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 18:28:35 -0400 From: Philip & Susan Troy Subject: Re: SC - The siege cook challenge. S. Noss wrote: > When you honored folks grind spices for all kinds of things and for > mustard as below - what are you using to grind with? The old mortar and > pestle or food processor? > > Shirley A mortar and pestle is easier than it sounds, once you get used to it. Failing that, go out and spend $20 (about what you'd probably pay for a decent mortar and pestle, anyway) on two (2) electric coffee grinders. Label one "Coffee". Label the other "Spices". Learn to clean them well. They will be your friends. Those who don't drink coffee might need only one. Adamantius Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 23:15:28 -0400 (EDT) From: Uduido at aol.com Subject: Re: SC - The siege cook challenge. << to grind with? The old mortar and pestle or food processor? >> I use a mortar and pestle for small amounts (e.g. less than 1/4 cp). For larger amounts I use a coffee grinder (translate>spice grinder). For messy things in large amounts I use the food processor or blender. For small amounts, I would recommend the mortar and pestle as the flavor and texture have a pronounced difference in flavor to a trained palate than the other methods used. Lord Ras Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1998 11:19:34 EDT From: LrdRas at aol.com Subject: Re: SC - Spice/Herb Grinders (was Rosemary Usage) THLRenata at aol.com writes: << Please tell me about spice grinders, as it looks like I'n going to need one. (I just got a shipment of Grains of Paradise and Cubebs!) What kinds do you listfolk recommend? How does one clean them between herbs? Renata >> I use a coffee grinder for my herbs and spices when I don't think my mortar and pestle will be sufficient. The grinders are available at any department store and are rather inexpensive. I think mine was around 10 dollars. I only use it for spices and herbs. Since you will never be putting liquid ingredients in it or grinding anything that is not in a dried state cleaning is really unnecessary beyond normal maintenance. A simple swipe with a paper towel is all that is really necessary. Ras Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1998 08:15:17 -0700 From: "Anne-Marie Rousseau" Subject: Re: SC - Spice/Herb Grinders (was Rosemary Usage) Hi all from Anne-Marie we are asked about spice grinders. I use (as does Tony of WorldSpice) a Braun coffee mill that has never seen coffee in its life. I use this for small batches of almonds for almond milk too. I use a large natural bristle pastry brush to clean it by brushing out the moving bits, etc VERY thoroughly immediately after use. Occasionally I'll wash the lid with soapy water (like when I grinded chocolate in it and it all melted, rats!) The little braun mills have a good strong motor, and they're cheap enough that when you finally kill it (mines been going strong for about five years now, but Tony goes through one every couple months) you don’t feel bad. For nutmeg and cone sugar, I have a small cheese grater. For pepper, I have a dedicated pepper mill (got a lovely german wood one from Tony), and for grains I have a dedicated pepper mill (a cheap small plastic one, not from Tony!). I also have a marble mortar and pestle, but hardly use that anymore. For smaller amounts of fresh herbs (or at a re-enactment event), I use a very sharp knife and elbow grease. For large batches, I use my Cuisinart. - --AM Madrone/ An Tir Seattle/WA Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1998 14:40:45 EDT From: DianaFiona at aol.com Subject: Re: SC - Spice/Herb Grinders (was Rosemary Usage) LrdRas at aol.com writes: << Since you will never be putting liquid ingredients in it or grinding anything that is not in a dried state cleaning is really unnecessary beyond normal maintenance. A simple swipe with a paper towel is all that is really necessary. Ras >> Ha! Tell that to my grinder when I try grinding a sweet spice after all the cumin I'm constantly using! ;-) I've occasionally resorted to very carefully washing and rinsing the bowl, wiping dry, then letting it air out well before using again. Ldy Diana Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1998 16:56:52 -0400 From: "Margo Hablutzel" Subject: SC - Reducing feast fees and cleaning spice grinders For the latter, I was taught to run a bit of bread through to clear out the bits of spice, or coffee, as bread is usually cheaper and more expendable (and you get some interesting-flavoured crumbs for breading, cakes, etc.). - ---= Morgan Morgan Cely Cain * Steppes, Ansteorra (although temporarily in Atlantia) Date: Fri, 09 Oct 1998 23:21:36 -0400 From: Phil & Susan Troy Subject: Re: SC - Reducing feast fees and cleaning spice grinders Margo Hablutzel wrote: > For the latter, I was taught to run a bit of bread through to clear out the > bits of spice, or coffee, as bread is usually cheaper and more expendable > (and you get some interesting-flavoured crumbs for breading, cakes, etc.). This little bit of wisdom is, I recall, the _very first_ thing mentioned by le Menagier de Paris in his section on cookery. Adamantius Østgardr, East Date: Sat, 10 Oct 1998 14:54:50 -0400 From: renfrow at skylands.net (Cindy Renfrow) Subject: Re: SC - Reducing feast fees and cleaning spice grinders Adamantius sez: >This little bit of wisdom is, I recall, the _very first_ thing mentioned > by le Menagier de Paris in his section on cookery. "Primo, in all sausages and thick pottages, wherein spices and bread be brayed, you should first bray the spices and take them out of the mortar, because the bread which you bray afterwards requires that which remaineth from the spices; thus naught is lost that would be lost if 'twere done otherwise." Power, The Goodman of Paris, p. 223. Cindy/Sincgiefu renfrow at skylands.net Date: Sat, 06 Feb 1999 21:17:07 -0800 From: Anne-Marie Rousseau Subject: Re: SC - spice grinder At 06:54 PM 2/6/99 -0500, Seton1355 at aol.com wrote: >I've decided that I need a new spice grinder - a better spice grinder. The >one I'm using now is, in fact a coffee grinder and it doesn't grind my spices >fine enough. Can anyone suggest where I can get a good spice grinder? > >Phillipa Hi all from Anne-Marie I use a Braun "coffee mill" with great results. It comes highly recommended...that's what Tony Hill uses at Worldspice (except for the large batches of curry, etc, then he uses a bigger commercial one). If you dont overload it, and use a pulsing motion, I find it grinds as fine as storebought. - --AM Date: Wed, 1 Sep 1999 15:13:55 EDT From: Seton1355 at aol.com Subject: SC - Spice grinders For years I have been looking for a way to remove the spice smell left in my grinder after I grind spices. I just got this info from a curry list that I'm on. It seems like a good idea so I;m passing it on. Phillipa << Grinding a handful of salt afterwards will remove all the oils, rendering the grinder usable for other purposes. >> Date: Wed, 01 Sep 1999 22:35:01 -0400 From: Philip & Susan Troy Subject: Re: SC - Spice grinders Seton1355 at aol.com wrote: > For years I have been looking for a way to remove the spice smell left in my > grinder after I grind spices. I just got this info from a curry list that > I'm on. It seems like a good idea so I;m passing it on. > Phillipa > > << Grinding a handful of salt afterwards will remove all the oils, > rendering the grinder usable for other purposes. >> It should work, but I'd be concerned about dulling the blades of my grinder with salt. You might try a couple of crackers. Le Menagier recommends bread be ground _after_ the spices when you're using bread to thicken a sauce or something, because the bread ground in the mortar will absorb the spices and eliminate waste. Adamantius Date: Thu, 02 Sep 1999 10:27:33 -0400 From: Philip & Susan Troy Subject: Re: SC - Spice grinders Seton1355 at aol.com wrote: > Thank you Master! That sounds like a good idea too! But will table salt > from the cheap box of salt (nothing fancy) dull the blads any faster than > hard, crusty bread? > Phillipa Probably not. High-gluten breads, dry or otherwise, aren't known for kindness to edges, which is why serrated bread knives are used. This why I suggested a cracker or two. On the other hand, salt probably wouldn't harm the grinder unless you used it frequently. I'm assuming a grinder like an electric coffee grinder. Mills, such as a pepper mill, would work differently; salt would probably be better in that case. Adamantius Date: Thu, 02 Sep 1999 10:46:34 -0500 From: Helen Subject: Re: SC - Spice grinders I most often use a fresh white bread heel to clean my blades. You can grind up fresh white bread for crumbs in your grinder for meat loaf etc. It does not gum up or seem to dull the blades. Helen Date: Tue, 07 Nov 2000 09:55:34 -0600 From: "Michael F. Gunter" Subject: non-member submission - Re: SC - Crown Touney/Queen's Tea >>> Jenne Heise 11/7/00 10:13:02 AM >>> <<<<>>>>> I find that it just takes a long time and much effort for the fibrous herbs/spices. Others may have a trick. The rougher the mortar, the easier to grind. My smoothish marble one has problems with whole cinnamon that my coffee mill doesn't have (that is a hand cranked jobber). niccolo difrancesco Date: Sun, 13 Oct 2002 19:31:53 -0400 To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org From: "Phil Troy/ G. Tacitus Adamantius" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] QUESTION ABOUT MACE Also sprach Heleen Greenwald: >I made a Regency recipe for Shabbat, last. It was chicken >friccase. It called for mace, which I had. As I'm sure y'all know, >the mace was in (almost) little sheets, not being ground mace. I >tried to crumble it up as best I could but aparently I didn't do >such a good job because some of the mouthfulls of friccase tasted >VERY stongly of mace. > >How do people on list crumble up their mace? Do you grind it? grate >it or what? > >Phillipa Grinding in a spice grinder or mortar seems to work, but the period solution seems to be simply to eat around the whole blades (like the bay leaf in the stew), or remove them before serving, possibly using a little cloth bag to assist... Adamantius From: jenne at fiedlerfamily.net Date: Mon, 14 Oct 2002 00:33:33 -0400 (EDT) To: "List, SCA-COOKS" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] QUESTION ABOUT MACE > How do people on list crumble up their mace? Do you grind it? grate it or > what? If I have to, I break it up and then grind it in a mortar & pestle or an electric grinder. But mostly I cheat-- I keep blade mace and powdered mace both around the house. -- Jadwiga, who has run out of space in the spice cupboard in the kitchen, the herb cupboard in the dining room, and also in the linen cupboard where everything else goes-- and still isn't completely unpacked... -- Jadwiga Zajaczkowa Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2003 12:49:30 -0400 (EDT) From: Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] coffee mills, was: galangale To: Cooks within the SCA > Speaking of using coffee mills for grinding spices, how do ya'll > effectively clean your coffee/spice mills? Obviously, I can't really > put mine in the dishwasher. It has so many hard to reach places around > and under the blades that I never feel it's effectively clean. Not that > it's a germ hazard, but I really don't want my cinnamon to taste like > cumin and vice versa. I run toast pieces through mine, though I hear that rice will also work well and might be good for stubborn stuck on stuff. [Le Menagier's Household Hints strikes again... "First, when you grind spices and bread for any sauces or soups, you must grind the spices first and remove them from the mortar, for as you grind the bread it will gather up any spices remaining; thus you do not lose any speck which would be lost otherwise."] -- Pani Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, Knowledge Pika jenne at fiedlerfamily.net Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2003 14:03:38 -0400 (EDT) From: Subject: RE: [Sca-cooks] coffee mills, was: galangale To: Cooks within the SCA >> I run toast pieces through mine, though I hear that rice will also work >> well and might be good for stubborn stuck on stuff. > Do you mean dry rice, or cooked rice? (I'm guessing dry?) > > -Irmgart Yes, uncooked rice. Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2003 11:37:28 -0700 From: lilinah at earthlink.net Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] coffee mills, was: galangale To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org > Speaking of using coffee mills for grinding spices, how do ya'll > effectively clean your coffee/spice mills? Obviously, I can't really > put mine in the dishwasher. It has so many hard to reach places around > and under the blades that I never feel it's effectively clean. Not that > it's a germ hazard, but I really don't want my cinnamon to taste like > cumin and vice versa. > > -Magdalena vander Brugghe Many spices are oily and cling to the inside of the grinder. Just brushing doesn't get them out well enough, in my opinion. First i put a bunch of white granulated sugar in and give it a whirl. The sugar picks up particles of spices left behind. Then i brush out any sugar residue. Then i wipe with a paper towel. Anahita Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2003 07:22:32 EDT From: DeeWolff at aol.com Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] coffee mills, was: galangale To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org > Speaking of using coffee mills for grinding spices, how do ya'll > effectively clean your coffee/spice mills? I wipe it out with bread and then with a vinegared cloth. Let air dry. Andrea Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2003 16:06:41 +0000 From: "Olwen the Odd" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] OT: Kitchen appliances and gadgets To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org > I am getting married next year and am getting ready to do the bridal > registry thing. > > I am wondering what tools and toys people like the best in their kitchen > and why. Have you tried a particular tool only to prefer a different > brand. > > Marina I have 4 different types of morter/pestle sets for different types of hand-work. I aso have over half a dozen small coffee/spice grinders each reserved for differnt types of things. One for coffee only, one for cinnamon sticks/bark and galengale (it has a tall stack on top to feed into and a front removing cansiter), one for savory seds, one for spicier seeds (cubebs, peppers, etc.), one for seeds and nuts, etc. Several has it's own type distinction which makes it more practical for differnt things. I am quite fond of the one that has the motor on the top part and the clear caniser is the bottom, unattached to the cord, easy to clean and portable! OK, maybe I'm obsessive... Olwen O Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2003 21:48:15 -0600 From: Sue Clemenger Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] coffee mills, was: galangale To: Cooks within the SCA Grinding a bit of (white) sugar in mine seems to help.... --maire, going back through old emails.... Heleen Greenwald wrote: > We have a coffee grinder and a spice grinder. I use my spice grinder > mainly for Indian cooking. I clean the grinder each time with a dry > brush and then I leave the lid off for a few hours to air out. But it > always still smells vaguely like Indian food. In the past, I've > ground a bit of dry rice in the container after using it (and before > cleaning it, but I don;t think it works 100%. Any more suggestions to > nutralize the smell? > Phillipa > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Avraham haRofeh of Sudentur > NONONO! You do NOT want to use one grinder for both, even minimally! > You *WILL* cross-contaminate your flavors, no matter how well you clean > it. Date: Sun, 27 Feb 2005 23:51:55 -0800 (PST) From: Chris Stanifer Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Re: rosewater To: Cooks within the SCA > and since it isn't easy to get all the scent out of > a dedicated spice grinder for the next spice- pick > up several pepper grinders at thrift stores and yard > sales for storing granular spices Grinding up a batch of rice or oats in your grinder between spices will help to get rid of the previous scent, as well. Of the two, rice is better. William de Grandfort Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2005 10:38:31 -0500 From: Jadwiga Zajaczkowa / Jenne Heise Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Re: rosewater To: Cooks within the SCA >>> and since it isn't easy to get all the scent out of >>> a dedicated spice grinder for the next spice- pick >>> up several pepper grinders at thrift stores and yard >>> sales for storing granular spices > > Grinding up a batch of rice or oats in your grinder between spices > will help to get rid of the > previous scent, as well. Of the two, rice is better. Le Menagier suggests breadcrumbs to get spices out of the mortar, and I've found it works well. However, I now have a Kitchenaid spice/coffee grinder whose grinding chamber comes off the base and can be washed. This is a very good thing, even though using it for high authenticity activity would be bad. :) -- - Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, Knowledge Pika jenne at fiedlerfamily.net Date: Wed, 8 Dec 2010 14:46:50 -0500 From: Saint Phlip To: Cooks within the SCA Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] OOP: coffee grinders On Wed, Dec 8, 2010 at 12:14 PM, Sandra Kisner wrote: <<< I'm not a coffee drinker, so I know nothing about coffee grinders. Every now and then, though, I think having one would be a nice alternative to a mortar and pestle. Is anyone familiar with the Proctor Silex 75W Fresh Grind coffee grinder? (Or have some other make/model to recommend)? Sandra >>> I had several, at one point one for green herbs, one for spices, and one for coffee. I just got very basic cheapies rather like this one - http://www.amazon.com/Proctor-Silex-E160B-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B00006IUX5 although I don't remember the brands. They're quick, they're cheap, and they're easy to clean for powdering or otherwise minimizing a lot of different materials. However, if you have one you use for coffee, don't use it for anything else, because while you can easily get them reasonably clean, it's almost impossible to get them spotless. While cinnamon tastes good in coffee, coffee doesn't always taste good in cinnamon. And, pulse them, rather than try to run them hard for a while. Otherwise, they'll tend to heat up your spices, which is often not a good thing. -- Saint Phlip Date: Thu, 9 Dec 2010 16:22:17 -0600 (CST) From: "Pixel, Goddess and Queen" To: Cooks within the SCA Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] OOP: coffee grinders On Thu, 9 Dec 2010, freyja wrote: <<< You can "clean" your spice grinder further after wiping out by running it with white rice to pick up more of the oils.  Still, don't put anything in your one dedicated for coffee beans!! -Kitta >>> This is why I have three (two Brauns and one that...um...is another brand), labeled "mustard", "spices", and the one for coffee isn't labeled. Because although I don't drink coffee, houseguests, do, and I am told that mustard-flavored coffee is particularly nasty. Braun makes a perfectly reasonable grinder. My one complaint is that if you grind a lot of hard seeds the inside of the plastic top gets "frosted". Margaret FitzWilliam Date: Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:08:02 -0500 From: Johnna Holloway To: lilinah at earthlink.net, Cooks within the SCA Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] ground powder sugar I use bread or raw rice in my dedicated spice grinder. Spice Grinder Cleaning?  http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/381909 http://www.thekitchn.com/try-this-clean-160549 There's a warning here not to grind cloves or allspice in a grinder   with plastic parts. http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/85/Krups-Spice-Grinder Johnnae On Jan 26, 2012, at 1:15 PM, lilinah at earthlink.net wrote: <<< I long ago read or heard somewhere that running granulated sugar   through blenders and electric grinders was good for cleaning them   and removing unwanted mystery flavors. Naturally one cleans the item   well before hand, but "stuff" can lurk in places hard to reach. >>> Date: Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:35:20 -0600 (CST) From: "Pixel, Goddess and Queen" To: Cooks within the SCA Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] ground powder sugar On Thu, 26 Jan 2012, Johnna Holloway wrote: <<< I use bread or raw rice in my dedicated spice grinder. Spice Grinder Cleaning?  http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/381909 http://www.thekitchn.com/try-this-clean-160549 There's a warning here not to grind cloves or allspice in a grinder with plastic parts. http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/85/Krups-Spice-Grinder >>> I can corroborate that--my dedicated spice grinder (as opposed to my dedicated mustard grinder) has a clouded lid due to cloves. If you grind dry rice in it a couple of times it helps remove a bit of the clove oil so that other spices don't end up with an air of cloves about them, but it is permanently clouded. In my defense I didn't know that cloves would do that, otherwise I would have ground them in the stone mortar. Margaret Edited by Mark S. Harris spice-grndng-msg 11 of 11