Monday, September 12, 2016

The Many Things You Can Do With An Electric Herb Grinder

By Frank Morgan


These days you can find a kitchen appliance for almost anything. With so much choice, the challenge is not to spend your money on ones you will use only a few times before you let them gather dust on the shelf. One gadget that is a really good investment and that will pay for itself over and over again, however, is an electric herb grinder.

If you've ever tried to crush herbs or spices by hand, using a mortar and pestle, you'll know how time consuming it can be. An alternative that works with electricity is almost like a small blender that can chop up anything in seconds. It's easy to use and easy to clean, since you only need to wipe it with a cloth or paper towel once you're done. More importantly, though, it's incredibly versatile.

The obvious use for an herb grinder is to chop up herbs. For fresh herbs, you'll need to use the pulse mode so that you don't end up with a sticky paste. Dried herbs will become fine so that your cooking will be filled with flavor but without leafy green bits. Many people even use the appliance to chop up herbs for smoking, since a finer texture makes it easier to roll an herbal cigarette.

Spices lose their flavor over time when they are in powdered form. Serious cooks know that freshly ground spices are a much better option for aromatic meals. An electric grinder makes it a breeze to grind just enough for your needs and you can even turn hard-to-crush spices like cloves into powder.

If you have leftover, stale bread, simply grind it to make breadcrumbs that can form a coating for meat or vegetables. Cookies can be crushed to make crusts for pies and cheesecakes. You can also make small batches of special flours like buckwheat, lentil or almond flour.

A quality grinder is also a great solution for those days when the store has only the coarse variety of the salt you prefer. If you decide to bake something and don't have time to go and buy powdered sugar, the gadget will turn plain old sugar into something so fine that the most discerning confectioner won't be able to tell the difference. Coffee connoisseurs will also love the fact that they can now have freshly ground beans for a tastier pick-me-up.

A good electric grinder is an essential tool if you'd like to try your hand at making homemade, natural hygiene and beauty products. Add some cloves or dried mint to baking soda and grind it into a fine, tasty tooth powder that will keep your breath fresh and your teeth in good condition. Coffee grounds are great for gently exfoliating dry skin and powdered medicinal herbs such as calendula or lavender flowers are excellent in face masks, ointments or deodorants.

Even if you're not that interested in cooking or making cosmetics, the little appliance can come in handy. Put some dried flower petals in for only a few seconds and you have an evenly textured potpourri. For something even more colorful and festive, use the grinder to turn bits of paper into paper confetti. The possibilities are endless.




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