Is there such thing as a manual grain mill...

[Carrie12345]

with good reviews?!

 

I don't want to invest in an electric; I don't have the space and I know I won't use it for every day bread.

I am considering a manual for making cream of wheat and for emergencies. But all of the (cheaper than electric) options on Amazon seem to have blah reviews.

[Erica in OR]

When we first bought our Country Living grain mill it was only manual. We purchased it with a handle you could use to "power" the grinding. After doing a couple loaves of bread with it, decided to purchase the motor. If you're going to use it for bread at all ever, I highly recommend going with an electric model. The kids as well as DH and I quickly tired of the novelty of turning the handle. Even with the electric, it takes a substantial amount of time to grind enough for a baking. A great mill, but I felt like the Ingalls family grinding wheat all day to make two loaves in The Big Winter. The manual mill still took up quite a bit of space too.

 

Erica in OR

[Tullia]

I have something called "Marga Mulino" that looks like a hand cranked pasta machine. The whole grain flour is so-so. I'd maybe add it to regular flour for old-fashioned breads. I like it best for making oat or seven grain flakes. IMO, it's best for small families, but I know one person who has several children who has them all take turns. The device clamps to the counter-top with a c-clamp and has a crank handle that you can detach for storage. It's small enough to allow storage in a place that's easy for me to get to. I use it every two weeks or so. It's a good workout for the arms.

[4everHis]

When we first bought our Country Living grain mill it was only manual. We purchased it with a handle you could use to "power" the grinding. After doing a couple loaves of bread with it, decided to purchase the motor. If you're going to use it for bread at all ever, I highly recommend going with an electric model. The kids as well as DH and I quickly tired of the novelty of turning the handle. Even with the electric, it takes a substantial amount of time to grind enough for a baking. A great mill, but I felt like the Ingalls family grinding wheat all day to make two loaves in The Big Winter. The manual mill still took up quite a bit of space too.

 

Erica in OR

 

This is the one we have and, like you, we don't use it daily or even weekly, but it's very usable. My dh has a drill (electric not battery) that I use if I want to mill more than a cup or two of any grain. MUCH faster! He just 'tweaked' a drill bit to fit. btw, I got mine on craigslist and I'm sure there are some on ebay. I paid probably 1/2 this.

 

http://www.everythin...CFQqk4AodFRYArQ

[Amira]

I have a hand-cranked mill that works fine. But I hardly ever use it anymore. It really does take forever to grind enough grain by hand to make even one loaf of bread, and for quicker tasks like cracking grain or preparing grain for cooked cereal, I think it's much easier to use a blender. I use our electric grinder all the time. It is my only appliance that lives on the counter.

 

If you want something that doesn't use electricity, then obviously you're stuck with a manual mill. I don't regret having one, but I'm having a hard time imagining a scenario where I'd really think that manually grinding lots of wheat for bread was really our only food option. I won't even want to do it when the zombie apocalypse comes. ;)