Question for those that grind their own flour...

[HSMom2One]

I've been grinding flour for the past year and really love the difference between store bought and freshly ground grains. I have a good friend that has been loaning me her mill whenever I need it, but I feel that the time has come to start looking around and considering what I'd like for my own.

 

My friend's mill is a K-Tec model and seems like a good one, but I have wondered if there is another brand/model that it can be compared to. The K-Tec is the only kitchen mill sold through Bob's Red Mill (and has been for a long time), so that says something for it I think. If I decide to buy it I can get it for a lower price through Amazon though, since it also qualifies for Prime shipping. But what about others? Is there something even better out there?

 

Thanks for any input you may have to offer.

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

[Veritaserum]

I know lots of people who love the WhisperMill. I use the grinding attachment on my Champion juicer.

 

ETA: The Whisper Mill is now the Wonder Mill. I've been eying them for years an might actually get one this year. :)

Edited November 4, 2010 by Veritaserum

[BikeBookBread]

I really love our NutriMill. I bought from Urban Homemaker...best price I found anywhere, and I like supporting her. Her website has a really good comparison of the features of various models.

[kathkath]

we are very happy with our nutrimill

[HLDoll]

I have a Komo Fidibus. It's a European mill and it's much smaller than the more commonly owned mills like Nutrimill and Whispermill. It gets wonderful reviews, and in addition to its smaller size, it's a very handsome mill in a wooden housing and looks great on the counter, which means that I use it all the time. I don't have the counterspace for the larger and unsightly white plastic mills, and I would be less inclined to use something that I had to dig out of the cabinet everytime I wanted to bake. I know this makes me sound a little snobby, but counter and cabinet space are at a premium and convenience has a big impact on how frequently I use an appliance.

[kamom]

Another vote for the Nutrimill. Mine has been going strong with regular use and very little care for about 6+ yrs.

[4everHis]

I have the hand crank Family Grain mill and love it. Of course my dh made a chuck that would fit it and I use his electric drill to run it. Kids don't mind cranking it but it takes a while longer and when I think of using fresh grain I'm usually ready 'Right Then!" :D btw, I got it on Craigslist for $75.

[dirty ethel rackham]

I love my Nutrimill.

[milovany]

We also love the Nutrimill. I have a friend with a KTec and it seemed really loud. She would set hers outside to do the grinding. The Nutrimill is loud (they all are), but I don't find that we need to set it outside or anything.

[cjzimmer1]

My MIL loan us her old one. It's has the stones in a wooden case. I don't know the brand but I really hated it. It was so unbelievably loud, it took15 minutes to grind 4 cups of flour and it was messy. We bought a Nutrimill and I couldn't be happier. 20 cups of flour in just a couple of minutes and it is much quieter than the old stone one.

[Amira]

I don't know about prices, since I got my K-tec as a refurb about ten years ago, but I've always been happy with it.

[Guest Cheryl in SoCal]

I have had a Whispermill for years. I bought it over K-tec because it came with a lifetime warranty (not sure if it still does) and is quieter than K-tec. I have a hand crank and one that attaches to my Electroluxe mixer but they don't grind nearly as finely.

[Delighted3]

Another vote for the nutrimill here.

Joy

[Guest mrsjamiesouth]

I love my WonderMill. I chose it over the Nutrimill because it was easier for me to take everything apart. The container for the ground wheat is seperate, and you can clean everything out easier.

I went and asked a local supply store questions, they have been grinding wheat for 15 years and they said they prefer Wondermill over Nutrimill.

 

Also, check out the lists of what each one mills.

Here is an article comparing the mills:

http://www.healthykitchenplus.com/page/105054202

[kamom]

I have never taken our Nutrimill apart!:001_huh: Did I miss something I was supposed to do? Also the container for the ground wheat is seperate and that container cleans out very easy.

[Leanna Tomlinson]

My Whisper Mill (now Wonder Mill) is running strong after 12 years!

 

My s-i-l has a Nutrimill. We all agree that the Nutrimill is definitely louder than the Whisper Mill, but the flour quality is the same. She also says mine is easier to clean. I can't speak about that because I haven't borrowed hers. She borrowed mine several times before my brother surprised her with the Nutrimill.

[duckens]

I love my Nutrimill.

 

I bought it from Paula's Bread:

 

http://www.paulasbread.com/mills/nutrimill.html

 

Love it Love it Love it!

 

 

 

When I was looking for mills, friends said they had borrowed a mill from friends. Because of the design of the borrowed mill, flour went everywhere! Then they found the Nutrimill.

 

I asked what kind they had gotten, but they couldn't remember, even though they use it every week or so. (They didn't know that I was looking into a Nutrimill at the same time). The friend brought it up from the basement, and it was a Nutrimill!

[Forget-Me-Not]

I have a Nutrimill that I LOVE LOVE LOVE.

 

My SIL has a Wondermill, so I've played with both. I'd buy the Nutrimill again. They make the same quality flour, but I didn't care for the Wondermill for a number of reasons--it was a pain to put the bowl/lid/tube ensemble together (and it wasn't just me--SIL said she has issues with it too). I had a hard time getting the lid on tight enough and ended up spewing flour all over my kitchen. The Wondermill bowl can't hold as much flour, and it has to be running while it's being loaded, whereas the Nutrimill can be loaded, then turned on.

 

The Nutrimill *is* noisy, but I think they all are. I usually put mine in the laundry room and shut the door while it runs. The Wondermill is slightly quieter, but not enough so that it would be a selling point over the Nutrimill for me.

 

Oh, and Nutrimill has *FABULOUS* customer service. I called them when I had some issues with flour exhausting out of the unit onto the counter. A human answered the phone and they sent me a new rubber gasket/seal for the top of the work bowl and a new filter for free (and it did solve my problem).

Edited November 4, 2010 by LemonPie

[Melinda S in TX]

I've had both the KTEC and the Whispermill. Both were loud, and I did my grinding outside because of the fine dust it put in the air. The main problem I had with the Whispermill was the tube getting clogged with flour on humid days.

 

I now have a Mil-Rite from Retsel. It's quite a bit more expensive, but it's quieter and I can walk off and leave it grinding.

 

Blessings,

Melinda

[Starr]

We use a nutrimill.

[Guest Cheryl in SoCal]

I've had both the KTEC and the Whispermill. Both were loud, and I did my grinding outside because of the fine dust it put in the air. The main problem I had with the Whispermill was the tube getting clogged with flour on humid days.

 

I now have a Mil-Rite from Retsel. It's quite a bit more expensive, but it's quieter and I can walk off and leave it grinding.

 

Blessings,

Melinda

I hadn't even considered that since I live in a basically zero percent humidity climate:001_huh::lol: Mine has never clogged.

 

It's interesting to see what's available these days. I've have my Whispermill at least 15 years and the selection was significantly more limited, basically K-tec or Whispermill if you wanted a high quality electric model that ground finely.

[Nestof3]

This is what I have, and it works great!

 

http://www.amazon.com/Wondermill-WonderMill-Grain-Mill-110V/dp/B000CPJKWC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1288900941&sr=8-1

 

I clean out the tube after every use.

 

Dust? Mine doesn't produce any dust. There's a litle black spongy thing that goes on the top of the tub which keeps all the flour in the tub.

 

I also don't make any more flour than I can use in a couple of days.

 

ETA: The Whisper Mill is now the Wonder Mill. I've been eying them for years an might actually get one this year. :)

Edited November 4, 2010 by nestof3

[MamaSheep]

This is the one I have. I like it a lot. It does take up some space, but is attractively built. And it can be a bit loud. But I like that I can adjust it to make different textures of flour, or cracked wheat cereal, and it also will grind corn and beans and things, which can also be fun. http://www.internet-grocer.net/goldngrn.htm

Edited November 4, 2010 by MamaSheep

[mom2abcd]

Our Whispermill is going strong after twelve years of use. It's very easy to put together, take apart, and clean.

 

I've heard the customer service of the new company that owns it (Wondermill) is not as good. The old Whispermill customer service was excellent.

 

I did have it jam on me once that I couldn't fix. They talked me through how to correct it.

 

It's about the volume of a vacuum cleaner. And you don't run it very long at all.

 

I also have absolutely no dust problem. The black sponge prevents that. Maybe the PP lost hers. I have used a paper towel when the sponge was misplaced and it worked OK.

 

HTH.

[HSMom2One]

Thank you everyone!! I've really enjoyed reading all the posts with suggestions. I think I'm leaning toward the Nutrimill model and have it on my wish list, followed closely by the K-Tec.

 

One thing I've noticed when using my friend's K-Tec is the vent on the side that blows a fine mist of flour out when I'm grinding. My way of dealing with it is to loosely wrap a light tea towel around the mill so it catches the dust, but isn't totally blocking the vent. I'd rather find a mill that doesn't blow out the side like this. Is it just part of of the package when it comes to using an electric mill, or does the Nutrimill contain all the flour within the unit?

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

[Guest Cheryl in SoCal]

Thank you everyone!! I've really enjoyed reading all the posts with suggestions. I think I'm leaning toward the Nutrimill model and have it on my wish list, followed closely by the K-Tec.

 

One thing I've noticed when using my friend's K-Tec is the vent on the side that blows a fine mist of flour out when I'm grinding. My way of dealing with it is to loosely wrap a light tea towel around the mill so it catches the dust, but isn't totally blocking the vent. I'd rather find a mill that doesn't blow out the side like this. Is it just part of of the package when it comes to using an electric mill, or does the Nutrimill contain all the flour within the unit?

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

My Whispermill (Wondermill now) does not blow flour.

[FriedClams]

we are very happy with our nutrimill

 

:iagree::iagree:

 

I used mine this morning. Love it.

[Forget-Me-Not]

Thank you everyone!! I've really enjoyed reading all the posts with suggestions. I think I'm leaning toward the Nutrimill model and have it on my wish list, followed closely by the K-Tec.

 

One thing I've noticed when using my friend's K-Tec is the vent on the side that blows a fine mist of flour out when I'm grinding. My way of dealing with it is to loosely wrap a light tea towel around the mill so it catches the dust, but isn't totally blocking the vent. I'd rather find a mill that doesn't blow out the side like this. Is it just part of of the package when it comes to using an electric mill, or does the Nutrimill contain all the flour within the unit?

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

 

No the NutriMill generally doesn't. The only time mine did was when the rubber gasket in the lid (the square rubber piece) was getting worn out, and as I said above, Kitchen Essentials sent me a replacement for free and that seems to have solved the problem.