Tuesday 13 September 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.

As its name suggests, an herb grinder's primary use is chopping herbs into smaller pieces. It works best with dried herbs, which you can then use to add flavor to food or to add to tea or other drinks. If you want to give up tobacco and smoke herbal cigarettes instead, you'll find that it's much easier to roll your own if the herbs are finely chopped.

Buying spices that are already ground may be convenient but can also be wasteful, since spices quickly lose flavor once they're ground. If you buy whole spices instead, you only need to grind a little bit at a time, enough to meet the requirements of your recipe. Your stock of spices will last longer and you won't have to spend hours crushing them by hand.

The trusty little machine is useful for more than just herbs or spices. Incorporate healthy whole grains, legumes and nuts into your diet in ingenious ways by grinding them into flour. Flax seeds become easier to digest when they're crushed and can release their nutrients into your body. Even stale bread, cornflakes or cookies get a second life when you turn them into crumbs for making coatings or pie crusts.

A vastly superior cup of coffee is one made with freshly ground beans and your trusty grinder will help you with this. Use it also to turn ordinary sugar into powdered sugar so that you'll have the perfect confectionery to accompany your coffee. Furthermore, if you can only find a coarse version of your favorite salt, you can grind it at home until you get the texture you want.

Even if you don't like cooking, you will find that a good grinder can get your creative juices flowing. Add some finely ground herbs or flowers such as lavender, calendula or chamomile to homemade, all-natural cosmetics and deodorants. You may also want to add some taste and breath-freshening properties to a baking soda tooth powder by mixing in some powdered mint, anise or cloves.

The dried petals of flowers like roses will get a finer, less uneven texture if you take a few seconds to grind them a little. Even bits of paper in different colors can become a festive confetti. Add a sprinkling of potpourri or confetti to a gift bag for a creative, thoughtful touch.




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