Best food grinders & mills according to redditors
We found 122 Reddit comments discussing the best food grinders & mills. We ranked the 57 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 122 Reddit comments discussing the best food grinders & mills. We ranked the 57 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
![AICOK Electric Meat Grinder, 3-IN-1 Meat Mincer & Sausage Stuffer, [2000W Max] Food Grinder with Sausage & Kubbe Kits, 2 Grinding Plates, Stainless Steel, Home Kitchen & Commercial Use](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/515hAw6K5ZL.jpg)
> It's not milling anything.
Checkmate!
Same thing on Amazon for $28
Nostalgia Electrics NBM400 Electric Peanut Butter Maker
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002JAO5YQ/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_LHHevb04XS4Z6 )
This mill costs $500??!
KoMo Classic Mill, Beechwood https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GH11O7E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_p0kWDb4AZQATZ
Why: Fresh ground wheat has an amazing flavor.
How: I have one of these.
>Get a Vitamix. Problem solved.
I am not talking about nut butters but even the mighty Vitamix (I have an Omega which is similar) does not come remotely close to a stone based wet grinder.
At least when it comes to wet grinding lentils and raw rice into the smoothest possible paste. Which is needed to make Indian crepes aka dosa and fluffy dumplings aka idly.
In my humble opinion, the stone on stone grinding action just cannot be beat, at least for these specific hard grinding purposes. There is also way too much heat generated by the Vitamix.
But heavy caveat: I am not at all sure if a stone grinder like this can be used for nut butters.
I only just got it for Christmas from my lady-pal, but my Indian-style mixer-grinder has been invaluable so far.
It's part spice grinder, part blender, and can be used for everything those two separate devices can (grinding coffee or whole spices, blending fruits and vegetables into paste, grating ice, mincing meat, etc.) and is also great at mixed applications (specifically, grinding wet and dry ingredients--say, roasted whole spices with garlic, ginger, chilies, coriander, and mint to make a tasty green chutney).
I personally snagged an entry-level Preethi model, but there are plenty of awesome ones on Amazon (some of which are smaller than mine).
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If you cook Indian food, it's just awesome. I burred up some coriander powder the other night, and recently made dosa batter (blending soaked rice, "urad dal" lentils, and fenugreek seeds into a thin batter to ferment), tomato chutney, and coconut chutney with it. I'll probably be making garlic-ginger paste tonight to go along with the dishes I'm making :)
I suspect it's also awesome for Thai food (specifically, making the various "curry pastes" popular in that cuisine fresh, rather than buying them canned), but I haven't given it a shot yet because the lemongrass at the local Asian market was looking particularly sad when I went in last week. . .
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003JIPNEI/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?qid=1405779817&sr=8-6&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70
This is what I use. Tighten it as much as possible then roll it around on a coffee pot burner for 3 mins, tighten again, put it in the freezer for 3 mins and presto!
I used this spice grinder to grind the dried peppers. Then I sifted it through a fine, metal, mesh strainer and reground the larger pieces. I didn’t use any anti-clumping agent. I don’t know if it will need one, but I wouldn’t know what to use.
Ready-mix concrete is labeled as a Category 1A carcinogen. Not to mention there's some weird admixtures in concrete to increase plasticity/reduce water/accelerate curing.
I doubt you'll be reaching significant levels, but still, seems like an easy problem to avoid by simply buying some rollers or having some made.
Especially when you can buy more effective rollers for <$100
Source
You can buy your own peanut-butter machine for those prices.
Like most members here, I started out with a KA grinder and sausage stuffer. The sausage stuffer was the first to go. One batch, and I saw how absolutely terrible this was. I got a LEM 5lb stuffer and have never been happier. Trust me, it's worth every cent.
In terms of grinder, the KA worked fine...it got the job done, didn't take too long, and was reliable. The problem for me was that I felt like I was burning out the KA motor. It always sounded really stressed when I sent the meat through, and it's my girlfriend's KA, so I didn't want to burn the motor out. So, after much research, I got this: http://www.amazon.com/STX-TURBOFORCE-3000-SERIES-ATTACHEMENT/dp/B0012KJBR0
Awful, cheap sounding name? Yes. Amazing grinder? Absolutely. This thing tears through 5lb of meat in about 2 minutes. I'm sure that the LEM grinder is better, but it's twice the price, and I really don't think it's twice the value. I have had this grinder for about 6 months, and I have had no problems. Even with almost completely thawed meat, it grinds it right up. It also has metal parts instead of plastic, so cleanup is MUCH easier and more satisfying than the KA.
5-Pc Grinder
4-Pc Grinder
Havent tried these myself, but they have good reviews.
I guess it depends on what you are aiming to do. Are you wanting to just mill some grains to add to loaves of bread or mill all of the flour you bake with? If you are just milling some spent grain it is probably not worth investing in an electric mill. If, however, you want to start milling all flour, it might be. I know that moisture is a big issue with electric mills, so if that is a concern (even though you are drying in the oven) that may factor into your decision. I would recommend reading through the reviews and ideas on the Grains and Milling forum on The Fresh Loaf.
As for opinions on any single product: I have been baking bread for about 3 years and recently started milling my flour. For a few months I used an old hand crank mill but recently purchased a WonderMill and absolutely love it. I was looking for something not obscenely expensive and this has been great. The issues people most reported were the noise level and that it has a tendency to spray flour during the milling process. It's fairly loud, but it takes so little time to mill (maybe 10 seconds for 2 cups of wheat berries) that it hardly matters. I have not had issues with it spraying flour, although it is kind of annoying to clean (flour just gets in every nook and cranny!).
I found out that, with a few tweaks on my new mill, I got a whopping 88% efficiency! Jumping up from the usual 65% to 88% is a welcome surprise, but it also means I will soon have a 8.5% oatmeal stout!
If you're making really smooth soups you'll need a china cap and stick blender over either. If you're doing regular ol' soups I'd think you'd only need a knife but the food mill will leave you with more texture though as a food processor is really better for a super fine 'dice'. Plus I use my mill for making my red sauce. Also cheap food processors blow. My mom's got a kitchenaid that is really nice but pricey, all the cheap ones I've used have just been junk.
One of those linens for baguettes if you bake those. And maybe a nice pizza stone for other types of bread?
Stock up on different kinds of flour too! Or maybe even a grain mill if you want to make your own flour!
If I couldn't have access to peanut butter, I would buy a peanut butter maker and a massive quantity of roasted peanuts in bulk. "Shelled peanuts will keep in the refrigerator for about three months and in the freezer for up to six months." quoted from this source
You can buy mills made for home brewers for a some what reasonable price, more so if you can find a local used one.
Example:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B013JS324A?psc=1
I bought the STX turbo force and love it! Great quality and wonderful customer service. We used it last week to grind about 60 lb of meat and it didn't skip a beat...wonderful consistent grind. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0012KJBR0/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1371999994&amp;sr=8-2&amp;pi=SL75
I have a Preethi Eco Twin courtesy of my Indian MIL, used during her last visit. Comes with a smaller cup to grind spices and a larger one for dosa/idly batters. My kitchen makes good use out of the appliance :)
Premier Tilting Chocolate Refiner - Melanger
Here's a cheaper model that doesn't tilt: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B016E1NUZA/
I haven't been able to find a single one cheaper than those. And they both have great reviews.
In short...NO.
You are better off getting one of those sumeet/preeti mixers from amazon. I got one of those fancy venturist ones...doesn't do half the stuff my sisters ninja and indian mixers do. Even when we tried the dosa batters...nope...chutney....nope... my vitamix is gathering dust and I ended up getting one of these
$100 is a tough budget. Many of of the less expensive grain mills won't work with larger items like chickpeas. And the ones that would are not burr grinders (recommended) and are larger coffee/nut grinders (inconsistent results).
If you need to stick with your budget and if you don't mind breaking up the chickpeas into smaller pieces prior - in a coffee or nut grinder...
When I started looking, I was looking at this one - https://www.amazon.com/Deluxe-Crank-Grinds-Grains-VKP1024/dp/B006P2KG0Q/
http://victorio.info/grain-mill.html
It has a knob to easily adjust fineness or coarseness of the final product, has a large hopper and can mill a variety of sizes of (non-oily) seeds and grains.
You can also purchase the optional motor (~$70) if hand cranking becomes a chore.
Next best thing is the electric Wonder Mill with the large bean attachment - ~$270.00 on Amazon.
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I ended up with a KitchenAid mixer (stroke of luck) and acquired the mill attachment because it does support larger items.
I'm a chef and baker. Here's my 2 cents.
The flour milling process in India is VERY different than in the USA. The same holds true for European flours. Make traditional pizza margherita with super expensive Italian 00 flour and you'll discover the difference first hand. 00 flour is the cheapest all purpose flour in Italy, and a premium super expensive flour in the USA. It's expensive because US millers won't follow traditional Italian milling procedures. So it has to be imported.
Indian millers use grinding stones that operate at low speed and low temperatures. The process does not destroy the fatty oil in the wheat germ. PRO: The milled flour has a deep, rich, earthy flavor (Imagine 10x the flavour of brown roux). CON: The flour has most of the bran and extremly uneven grain size. This means the flour won't gel (bake) evenly. It's impossible to make products that rely on gel foam structure (fluffyness/softness) to transport flavor.
In addition most Indian households use a low-torque electric grinder to grind flour at home. Really good flavor, but wildly varying grain size. This non-standardization means recipes cannot be distributed in writing (cup measurements for both dry and liquid are completly meaningless). The only way to learn the correct ratio is to physically feel the dough by squishing it really hard. This rough handling (passed down from grandma) means home cooks never learn how to make cakes/pastry properly.
This is just the flour. The other ingredients differ from their US equivalents as well. Read my recommendations to /u/IndianPhDStudent for more in-depth detail.
Therefore, bad pancakes.
You don't want any un-crushed grains if you can help it. If you're doing a brew-in-the-bag and can adjust for a little bit more trub loss and grain absorption you can crank your grind down a bit further.
If you're using a more traditional MLT and are worried about a stuck mash, then you'll want to be a bit more careful about your grind.
I used one of those corona-style mills on my last brew day (my first all-grain). Aside from the fact that my arm got tired pretty quickly, I managed to hit my numbers pretty closely. http://www.amazon.com/Weston-Cereal-and-Multi-Grain-Mill/dp/B000T3ML4G/ref=sr_1_3?s=home-garden&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1346088311&amp;sr=1-3&amp;keywords=corona+mill
That's a champion juicer -- many other juicer designs won't work and will just spit out the nibs. However, you would be better off skipping the juicer and getting one of these to grind: http://www.amazon.com/Premier-Wonder-Table-Grinder-110v/dp/B004OPIBV2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1427127072&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=premier+wonder+grinder .
You want the chocolate to be below 30 or so microns in particle size and these will usually get there in less than a day.
You can also use a mortar and pestle (heat it in the oven first) if you want an extremely intense arm workout.
This ?
I don't get why American mixer/grinders don't come with steel containers instead of the crappy plastic shit which eventually breaks. I've gone through 2 cuisinearts, 1.5 bullets, and another hand held cusineart already :(
A grain mill which I use to make whole wheat flour. I buy 50 lb bags of certified chemical-free wheat for about $20 each, and it takes about 1 pound of wheat to make a loaf of bread. Very frugal.
No, I bought it https://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Dura-Grinder-Kneader-110-volt/dp/B00AFR0ILE. Here's mine mine and the stones inside. I bought it months ago and I still haven't used it yet so I can't tell you if it worked great with hummus or not. :/
Here's a YouTube video making some kind of paste: https://youtu.be/O9hnlNjBDho
Grain mill. So many are super expensive, but this seems like a nice compromise between not being >$100 but still seems good. It also has an electric attachment which I might get depending on how much I use it.
I used this grain mill when I first started buying bulk grains, Saved my penny's and got the Cereal Killer Grain Mill.
I don't like milk chocolate, so I've never tried making it. If you're making chocolate you need to use something like this ( https://www.amazon.com/Premier-Tilting-Chocolate-Refiner-Melanger/dp/B01EK6ILFU ) to mix it down to the right consistency and then temper it. Using a sous vide is easiest at home. I only use cacao, cacao butter (infused with CBD), and agave. Sometimes I add spices.
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There's a ton of misinformation out there with guides online where people aren't actually even making chocolate. Here's a good series on the actual process, you should also check out this forum if you're interested.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLy4KS4Q1T9sVHwqhdiand0d-1k6yzioJq&time_continue=1&v=fi2RY8zqy9g
http://chocolatetalk.proboards.com/
Ingredients:
1 pound corn
2 tbs of Lye
a corn grinder.
ok the recipe sounds crazy, and requires a lot of work, but this is the way it has been done for centuries in Mexico and it is totally worth it. you need to get 1 pound of whole white corn. (yellow also works.) make sure the corn has not been milled. you can get it from a latino shop that sells grains. you'll know it has not been milled because it has that white part that attaches to the husk.
so you grab the corn an put it in an old pot (the pot will probably be ruined) and fill it with enough water to cover the corn. bring it to a boil and put 2 large table spoons of Lye. yes you read correctly. Lye. once you do this put in the unmilled corn. let it boil for about 15 minutes. take it off the fire and let it sit overnight or for at least 6 hours. and no more than 24. (best if you do this at night.).
the next day rinse and wash the corn very well until you get clear water.
grind the corn very well. tighten the grinder as much as you can and if need to grind it twice.
you should have a very silky smooth dough. which feels strange to the touch. once you have this dough you can make a ton of tortillas with it. do not refrigerate the dough more than a day it will go bad very fast and if you don't freeze the tortillas it will get a pink mold after 4 or 5 days.
here's a video in spanish but it's pretty straight forward. I jumped to 5 minutes when the relevant part starts.
the difference between corn and flour tortillas is huge. the flavor and texture are completely different.
Does anybody have any experience with this mill? I was wanting a Cereal Killer but got this as a gift so I'm trying to figure out if I should return it and go for the CK (same price) or just roll with it.
Getting a dedicated stuffer makes a world of difference in the quality of your product, and the ease of making the product.
This meat grinder is on sale right now, and while it runs a bit loud, it is a quality product.
Lem 5lb stuffer is a little on sale as well.
Get both, and you're sitting around the 300$ budget mark!
please please please dont be a moron and spend anything more than 15 dollars on a grinder.
get this, has lasted me 3 years already
Corona mills can be had for real cheap in the USA. Many people seem to quite like them, I have never used one myself though. http://www.amazon.com/Premium-Quality-Victoria-Grinder-Grains/dp/B000U5NZ4I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1321901758&amp;sr=8-1
For the 30$ including shipping it pretty much has to be worth it.
You can buy your very own updated hash press Here.
NutriMill Classic 760200 High Speed Grain Mill, 1200 Watt, 5 Cups Per Minute https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UI37N8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_A6aWBbGN7V7SP
To be perfectly frank this recipe doesn't make much sense as an all-grain at all. If anything it's a relative of UJSSM, where grains are being added just for flavor, and are giving no fermentable sugars at all. I don't offer that to be cruel, good AG recipes are hard to find, just to say that wherever you got this recipe, I wouldn't get any more AG recipes from their. Here are the issues:
You can solve this by grinding your corn. Cracked corn is truly godawful for sacch efficiency. Corn has the densest of all starch reserves for any grain, but it accomplishes that by having an incredibly organized and packed in starch reserve which cannot be pulled out lightly. I don't know why cracked corn is so ubiquitous in AG recipes, but that grind size is, without exaggeration, several hundred times larger than what is workable by enzymes and boiling water. Whiskey; Technology, Production, and Marketing has the numbers on grind size but if you need proof go buy a lb of cornmeal and make polenta. It's the exact same species of corn (dent) but finely ground. Cracked corn is likely so popular because its cheap (less than 10 for a 50 lb bag at any feed store) and seemingly ungrindable (no brew store will ever grind corn for you because brew stores use either rolling or hammer mills which crush, and corn don't like being crushed--I know microdistillers that can't grind their own corn because they are former brewers and accidentally bought a fancy rolling mill instead of plate or stone mills). Rest assured you can easily hand grind corn with something like this. It's labor intensive but that exact mill lasted me 3 years of hand-ground 50 gallon ferments.
You can absolutely boil that corn, but it's not necessary, 190 strike water is fine IF your corn is ground. Neither boiling directly or striking are going to get you a real appreciable amount of corn sugar.
Sidenote: iodine should completely disappear with a good conversion. You should be able to add the recommended amount (everything will turn purple but not black) then shake for 30s at which point it should become such a light red as to be barely perceivable from the original color.
That being said you still need to bring temp down smoothly and evenly (I strike, give it maybe 15, then cool to temp in about 30 minutes). 2 hours is too long even with the above technique. This pump plus a little 1/4 inch copper coil is perfect for the job (I love these pumps, I use these little 15 dollar chinese pumps in my micrdistillert more than I do my "professional" microbrew chugger--which is an unmitigated piece of shit).
This brings us to the last piece of the bad conversion puzzle. Your instinct to add backset in during boil is right, in fact that pretty much the obly reason to add backset. You need to adjust ph down to 5.5 at room temp. 7 won't kill your enzymes (because they aren't alive) but it will slow them down, and between temp and the relatively low amount of barley you're using, they beed all the speed they can get. Get a good digital meter, strips are way too inaccurate.
A good conversion will have the texture of flat soda (and you can easily get 1.05-06 just with grain). The kind of thing that isn't thick at all but if spilled will obviously quickly turn movie-theater-floor sticky.
Finally about equipment. A 10 gal pot is absolutely fine for cooking whiskey. You can get a big mash tun but it's going to extremely expensive for any size that's beneficial. You're much better off just doing batches and consolidating then in a big fermentor (and yes the trash can thing is disheartening, but unfortunately distilling is rapidly rising in popularity so a ton of people are trying to jump on the bandwagon and fleece people ready to start a new hobby).
You can just add boiling water into a big fermentor and add grain but 1) you need all the boiling water all at once, you can't be cooling and then reheating, 2) you'll need to add some commercial alpha at grain pitch (the corn will clump otherwise), and 3) you should ferment on grain to make up for some list efficicency.
The absolutely most efficient highest yield method that a homedistiller can do is boil the corn in the water for 2 hours (use a grain bag and false bottoms can be cheaply made), squeeze out the grain after conversion, then add 170f degree water back into the spent grain, squeeze out the grain again and then ADD THE GRAIN TO THE FERMENTOR (I have tested it and squeezing the grain a second time but still adding the grain to the ferment does in fact produce a marginal improvement in yield over both 2 squeezes no grain and one squeeze, 170f water, no secind squeeze and ferment on grain). But there is always a point of diminishing returns, like I said a 200f strike is plently efficient to be economical and while I could drive another 10% out, corn is much less expensive than time.
It's a small sized grinder, with a more powerful motor, capable of grinding spices (including harder ones like cinnamon or turmeric), and chutneys in smaller quantities. Think of it as a heavy duty coffee grinder.
https://www.amazon.com/Preethi-Twin-Mixer-Grinder-550-Watt/dp/B007T0CIVS
https://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Stealth-750-Watt-4-Jar-Grinder/dp/B01CH25MJW/
https://www.amazon.com/Butterfly-Jar-Mixer-Grinder-Matchless/dp/B00JUJ5LCO
for example.
If you decide to get another one or for anyone else here I picked this one up. The cups are dish washer safe. Never had issues with cross ground flavors.
https://www.amazon.com/Secura-Electric-Stainless-Steel-Removable-Warranty/dp/B079PMWD1B
I brew it, she bakes it. As a result we have one of these, with the optional motor. Deluxe Grain Mill by VICTORIO VKP1024 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006P2KG0Q/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_R0rUBbCP2KBRQ
I’d never use it for Homebrew through
Best choice is to get a meat grinder. You can get them pretty cheap, or pretty expensive, but the main differences between the prices are if it is electric/manual, the quality of the build (metal hand grinders will almost always beat cheap electric grinders), and amount of meat you can grind at a time.
By the way, the one I marked as expensive is by no means the upper limit of grinders. I use a grinder that came out of the meat section in a grocery store and it would have cost me $700+. But I grind a lot of meat during deer season and it can take anything I throw at it.
You can grind meat by hand or using a food processor/blender, but I haven't tried it so I can't recommend it.
Here's an article on how to do it by hand: http://www.steakeat.com/grind-beef.html
Edit: What's the recipe? I love offal and am always interested in new ways to make it.
I have this one, but I often find I am unhappy with the results as there seems to be a lot of waste, It's cheap, though.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000CFH1K/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2?pf_rd_p=1944687462&amp;pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&amp;pf_rd_t=201&amp;pf_rd_i=B00724WN98&amp;pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&amp;pf_rd_r=17EE3AP2M0PZJQ42YZBE
If you don't mind work, one thing that will get all seeds out from anything including fig seeds is a chinois. They are expensive, but I've used mine a lot over the years for very smooth apple sauces to jams. It's also good to get out all spice residue when making gravy from crock pot broth. Upper body work out though when processing big batches,
I'm seeing that Amazon has them for cheaper, just get one with an extra fine mesh and buy a good wooden pestel.
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/chinois-strainer-pestle-and-stand/?pkey=e%7Cchinois%7C6%7Cbest%7C0%7C1%7C24%7C%7C1&amp;cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH
yea that one is more expencive, slightly larger but also 5 pieces.
cheap press
I got this Corona Mill and I'm sick of turning it by hand.
I've seen one thing about "get a bolt and cut the end off of it and hook it up to your drill." That's great, but I don't have a way of cutting a bolt, plus what size do I get?
What is the easiest way to use a drill with this small corona mill?
What is this crews thoughts on cheap grain mills?
I'm thinking of this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000U5NZ4I/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1453827687&amp;sr=8-1&amp;pi=SY200_QL40&amp;keywords=grain+mill&amp;dpPl=1&amp;dpID=41Nd7hJKtML&amp;ref=plSrch
I'm considering going down the bulk purchase route, but as cheap as it is I can't commit if the cost savings is spread over 100 batches, which for me is equivalent to years.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00A2YG6C0?psc=1&amp;ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
Just this guy. I can report that it works, but you have to supply your own podcasts.
Years ago, when I was making bread regularly, I considered the KitchenAid attachment. Spent a little more to go with a NutriMill instead.
Obviously read some of the books that others have stated. But, as far as grilling sausages, you basically grind up the meat (ensuring the fat ratio is close to correct), add spices for the particular sausage you are making, and then stuff it into the casings. You may or may not smoke the sausages, and if you do smoke, there is a process to follow to keep the fat from melting. In that case you would most likely want an electric smoker to keep your temps low.
That being said, heres a link to a great site that has more types of sausage recipes that i have ever heard of.
http://thespicysausage.com/sausagemakingrecipes.htm
For a grinder, Amazon has a few that are good for starting out. I bought this one, and it works great.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07K87LVGH/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_LOlmDbH7CXVMY
Good luck!
Leaving the peel on during cooking adds color and flavor. You can leave it on if you have a strong fine mesh sieve, a chinois, or a food mill. You wouldn't want the peel in the apple butter when you are ready to eat it, after all. It's worth it to get one of those if you'll be making apple butter, apple sauce, homemade tomato sauce, etc in the future. Otherwise, peel and core the apples.
Oh yes, the cocoa powder should always be 100% cocoa, except when you turn it into hot cocoa mix. I meant that mass manufacturers have to add lots of sugar and milk powder in the process of making chocolate to cover up the crappy flavor.
One of the many chocolate jobs I've had over the last 12 years used Terrasoul cocoa powder for a while. They're pretty good, as is Navitas Organics. Both are readily available on Amazon and at Whole Foods and most other natural grocers (Sprouts, etc.)
Raw/unrefined or cold pressed cocoa butter is the way to go. It will retain a decent amount of flavor, and a good one should definitely smell like really light chocolate, and should almost smell sweet. It has a SLIGHT waxy smell, but if it starts to smell rancid or like paraffin wax (no chocolate smell) that's not the one to use. Terrasoul's cocoa butter has always been pretty decent.
So, a concher refiner is SORT of a mixer, but it's more of a grinder. They're usually a huge drum with weird arms inside that grind the chocolate against the walls of the machine. There are smaller versions that will do the job if you're deciding to become a more serious hobbyist, like this tabletop refiner (Premier Small Wonder Table Top Wet Grinder 1.5 Liter by SS Premier https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004OPIBV2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_KEptDbNKH13MX) but I definitely don't recommend trying to make any money off this kind of venture.
Lastly, Hershey's uses sour milk powder in their chocolate to give it a different taste. Milton Hershey basically had a bad batch of milk and just rolled with it instead of getting new milk and ended up liking the flavor more. Apparently, the company has moved over to using butyric acid instead of the rarer-to-find sour milk powder, but this is even grosser to think about - butyric acid is the same chemical compound that makes milk smell sour, cheese smell like a foot, and vomit taste... Well, like vomit. Delicious!
This mofo has never steered me wrong, and is great for both grinding and stuffing.
http://www.amazon.com/STX-INTERNATIONAL-STX-3000-TF-Turboforce-Attachment/dp/B0012KJBR0
That is pretty cool.
The kind I'm hoping to one day DIY build is similar to this: https://www.amazon.com/Komo-25-KOMOCLASSIC-KoMo-Classic-Grain/dp/B00GH11O7E
The price is outrageous for maybe $50 in materials, and that is why people build their own.
Get a meat grinder.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07K87LVGH/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B07K87LVGH&pd_rd_w=ZtUy5&pf_rd_p=45a72588-80f7-4414-9851-786f6c16d42b&pd_rd_wg=VHOvD&pf_rd_r=J3W2M488PN80RETCGNMG&pd_rd_r=14f848e1-21f5-4bf8-b8b7-b5ce3c97e6a3&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyV0ZISjlPNjdNSkhMJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwOTg1NzY3Mlg5UzRFWFhPSTZQUCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwODAxMjY2MjZXSVY5SzVUSjROJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfZGV0YWlsJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==
I've heard that this product is good for small grain bills. You can add a large funnel to the top so you can pour 3-4 pounds in there (which is all you need for 1gal batches)
I have a cheap hand grinder, and just eyeball it to make sure that all the grains are getting crushed ( http://www.amazon.com/GM-150-Grinding-Multigrain-Soybeans-Shelled/dp/B00A2YG6C0 ). You might be draining too fast at first if you are getting a stuck mash. You want the bed to condense a little, but not compact like that.
Here is a basic one And yes once compressed that's typically what I did with it, it just makes it much easier to manipulate rather than dealing with the powder.
This is similar to the Country Living grain mill my family bought 20 years ago used. It's around $400 now, but worth the money.
This is a cast iron wheat grinder you can buy off Amazon for $30. It bolts to any flat surface.
Grinding grain only takes a few additional minutes and effort to produce one cup, which you can add to any bread recipe and make your own bread with.
This assumes you eat lots of bread.
http://www.amazon.com/Nostalgia-Electrics-NBM400-Electric-Butter/dp/B002JAO5YQ/
DIY
Personally, I mix walnuts, pine nuts and almonds (not for health, I just like the taste)
Or you can get a pollen press for $4. I put a nickel in my grinder(cleaned that thing with every chemical imaginable) and shake it a little. The buds a little less strong but I get soooo much more keif.
http://www.amazon.com/SMART-CRUSHER®-Metal-Pollen-Press/dp/B003JIPNEI/ref=sr_1_8?s=home-garden&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1374049382&amp;sr=1-8&amp;keywords=pollen+press
The kitchenaid is generally regarded pretty poorly. It will bog down and get clogged pretty easily. I've never used a hand crank, so no thoughts there. But if you're looking for something that's relatively cheap and functional, I'd recommend the TurboForce STX-3000 which I've had for several years and hasn't failed me yet. I put about 100 lbs through it a year.
I'm in the market as well, although I did find one electric one that has over 1,000 reviews with an average of 4 stars on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/STX-INTERNATIONAL-STX-3000-TF-Turboforce-Attachment/dp/B0012KJBR0/
Has a bunch of accessories & unless you're doing a whole cow at once, seems like it can handle a decent load without overheating. If I remember right, the competing ones at Cabela's have ice packs to help with the cooling issue (and I've seen other ones with cooling fans in them), so it depends on the quantity you're planning on doing. The upshot is that electrics are easier, although I feel like a manual grinder would last longer...
Just capping it is the best idea on here, seriously.
You can potentially press powder or crystal into pills without a real pill press....go to your local headshop (or search online) for kief/pollen presses. They're all over my local headshops, and look like a chalk holder.
Here's one for like $10.
http://www.amazon.com/Seven-Piece-Aluminum-Pollen-Press/dp/B001DZ6NPC
pastry" and
coarse" - it's still pretty fine (can barely distinguish the bran with my fingers).
Im pretty sure this is the exact mill at my local supplier
http://www.amazon.com/Weston-Cereal-and-Multi-Grain-Mill/dp/B000T3ML4G/ref=sr_1_5?s=home-garden&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1345762706&amp;sr=1-5&amp;keywords=corona+mill
Though its 15 bucks more there, heh heh. Woo interwebs shopping :P Could buy some bottle caps on amazon right away too to make the shipping worthwhile.
If you're doing BIAB or MIAB, an inexpensive Corona Mill from Amazon of Ebay will work just fine for you. I've used on like this http://www.amazon.com/Weston-Cereal-and-Multi-Grain-Mill/dp/B000T3ML4G/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1449439443&amp;sr=8-7&amp;keywords=corona+mill&amp;refinements=p_85%3A2470955011%2Cp_72%3A2661619011 for years, for under $30.00. You can motorized them with a drill, but the exercise is good for the soul and gets you in touch with the Zen of the grain. ;-)
It's been a while since I did the research, but I think this was the one I was going to buy.
https://www.amazon.com/WonderMill-Electric-Grain-Grinder-Mill/dp/B000CPJKWC/
If i remember right, this one has adjustable plates so you can grind grains to flour, then adjust the plates closer to re-grind to finer flours if needed. It's not too loud either, but the body is rather light so you might need to babysit to make sure it doesn't walk across the counter and onto the floor.
nvm its a bit more expensive and in fact smaller but i think its superior http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003KRIAJI/ref=oh_o01_s00_i01_details