It doesn’t matter if you’re all grain or you prefer partial mash brewing– there are a lot of grain mills available in the market and each has its own benefits and drawbacks. Here’s a guide on how to buy a grain mill that will be perfect for your needs.
What Is a Grain Mill?
A grain mill is a home mill that has the ability of grinding a variety of wheat and berries, turning them into homemade flour. Aside from having the privilege of saving money by grinding your own flour, having your own grain mill can also be a way to stay healthy, because all the nutrients the flour contains will stay intact to it.
What You Need to Know About Store-Bought Flour
For those who are not aware, it only takes 72 hours for wheat berry to lose its nutrients after being ground. Likewise, another variation of flour, the wheat germ, also has the tendency of being rancid after several hours. Oftentimes, the whole wheat flour that’s readily available at the grocery store aren’t as fresh as how it seems to be. Obviously, they have been sitting in warehouses for months, which only implies that most of the nutrients it has are also gone.
On the other hand, grinding your own flour at home is a great way to ensure that all of the vitamins and minerals of the flour are there the moment you use it. Left over flour can be stored for up to 3 days and several months if it’s in the freezer.
How Do Grain Mills Work?
Just like what has been mentioned earlier, there are several types of grain mills available in the market. However, most of these models work the same. They grind wheat, berries, and other item into fine powder just like how you see them in the supermarket.
Common Questions
Q. Does using a Grain Mill help you save money?
A. Considering the fact that store-bought whole grain flours are usually expensive, it will be more practical to invest in a good quality grain mill and just make your own whole grain flour at home. It’s a cheaper alternative as compared to commercialized whole grain flour that usually doesn’t have any nutritional value at all.
Q. Is it suitable for emergency use?
A. If you’re thinking of using a grain mill for emergency purposes where you’ll need to produce flour right away, then it’s advisable to opt for a hand held mill for this. Even though this type of mill will require more physical effort as compared to electric mill, you don’t have to worry about limiting your ability to use them whenever there’s power outage.
On the other hand, if it’s for daily use where you need to produce flour in just a matter of minutes, an electric mill will be more convenient for you.
Q. Do homemade flours taste different?
A. Many users think that one of the perks you can enjoy from having a grain mill is the fact that you can make tastier flour right when you need it. These users believe that the taste of homemade flour is nothing similar to the one you can buy in stores– in a positive light. Homemade flour is sweet, soft, and more flavorful as compared to white flour. Also, it’s not dense nor gritty at all.
Q. How long does it take to make homemade flour?
A. The duration will depend on a number of factors, such as the type of grain mill you’re going to buy. Manual mills can take much longer to produce your flour. On the other hand, there are some grain mills that have the ability of grinding items in just a matter of minutes.
Q.Are grain mills a time saver?
A. Truth be told, it will take some time to grind your own flour. However, it’s also advisable to buy grains in bulk and just grind the amount you’re going to need. This only implies that you don’t have to visit the shop as often as needed.
Q. Are grain mills heavy?
A. Flour mills usually fall between 5 and 20 pounds depending on style and material.
Q. Can I grind flax?
A. Electric grain mills are capable of grinding various ingredients. However, you should stay away from oily seeds, such as flax because these can’t be ground using an electric mill.
On the other hand, manual grain mills are more versatile. They can grind a wider variety of ingredients, making them the perfect kitchen buddy for everyone.
The Benefits of Owning a Grain Mill
The moment you start baking, you’ll begin to realize the health benefits you can enjoy in making homemade breads. However, in order to bring these health benefits to the next level you should also learn that milling your own grains is the way to go.
Get the Nutrients You Need
Milling your own flour means you’ll get a more nutritious whole wheat flour because nothing will be removed from it. The flour retains the ‘endosperm,’ which means the germ and bran weren’t sifted out from the flour.
You’ll Know What You’re Getting
Making your own flour will allow you to control what you put in it. You can feel confident that you’re only feeding your family with healthy stuff.
The Flour Fineness Needed in Making Bread
Having your own grain mill will let you control the type of wheat you’re going to use. Likewise, you can also control the coarseness and/or fineness of the flour with the help of a wheat grinder. It’s possible to grind wheat flour that’s finer than what’s available in stores.
Manual or Electric?
Just like what has been mentioned earlier, manual mills are more time consuming and you will need a bit of endurance before you can operate this type of machinery. It’s perfect for coarse flour and could grind almost any kind of grain you can think of.
Electric mills require electricity and they’re ideal for fine flour, just like what’s usually used in pastries.
Durability
Price plays a vital role in determining how durable the grain mill is. Manual mills tend to be heavier, but are also considered to be more durable.
Price Range
Grain mills usually range from $100, but could cost as much as $500 depending on the model.
Try Before You Buy
Lastly, if you’re ready to start making your own flour from scratch, it’s important to do some research first and give various models a try and see which one is the best.
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Up the great staircase trooped the 2,500 guests, resplendent
in tiaras and jewels or white tie and tails, to be
greeted by their hostess, the Marchioness of Londonderry, glamorous in a clinging black satin Paris dress.
Either side of her impressive cleavage gleamed great
swathes of diamonds. Round her neck hung a heavy row of pearls that fell
below her waist. On her head was the largest of the Londonderry tiaras, so big it was known in the family as
‘the fender’.
Pale rays illuminate the top-lit gallery of Londonderry house
Beside her stood her handsome husband Charles, the seventh Marquess of Londonderry, and the Prime Minister, Lloyd George.
That November night in 1919 was Edith Londonderry’s first
Eve of Parliament reception, a tradition that continued for 20-odd years.
The Marchioness of Londonderry wears ‘the fender’ to greet guests, 1934
Londonderry House, like many of London’s great houses, was built for entertaining.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, most aristocrats and others who lived
on their estates for much of the year had a town house to which they migrated for ‘the
Season’ – those summer months filled with balls
and parties, when débutantes were presented at court and launched into ‘society’ in the
hope of making a splendid marriage.
The ballroom, Devonshire House
These houses were as magnificent as their owners could manage.
Built and decorated by the most talented of the age, they were sumptuously furnished –
walls were hung with silk, damask and wonderful paintings
– and often embellished with marble statuary. The mustard-yellow drawing rooms of Londonderry House were filled with blue
Sèvres vases and gold plate; in the entrance hall stood a Canova statue
of Theseus and the Minotaur (now in the Victoria and Albert Museum).
Suites of rooms, with a ballroom at one end, could be flung open for entertaining.
Georgiana Cavendish (1757-1806), a lover of gambling – and threesomes
Today most of these palatial mansions have been pulled down or
turned into blocks of flats. With their disappearance went their furnishings, objets and paintings.
But what their wonderful rooms looked like can be seen in London: Lost Interiors, a book compiled from superb black-and-white photographs of
these amazing houses, some of which belonged to aristocratic landowners, others to plutocrats or society figures.
The drawing room, Grosvenor House
Most of the townhouses – those used for the Season rather than permanent residences – were clustered round Park
Lane, Mayfair or on Piccadilly, like Devonshire House.
Here once lived the fifth Duke of Devonshire and his wife Georgiana (pronounced jaw-janer), whom
he had married in 1774 when she was just 17. She was a celebrated beauty who quickly
became a leader of fashion, famous for her towering hairstyles three feet high,
decorated with birds, fruit, even ships in sail. The couple spent
20 years in a ménage à trois with Lady Elizabeth Foster, Georgiana’s close friend, who was also the Duke’s mistress.
Meanwhile, Georgiana’s gambling led to mounting debts:
on her death in 1806 they were found to be the equivalent
of £4 million in today’s money.
The rich, restless second Duke of Westminster, AKA Bendor, in his 20s
Another Park Lane mansion was Grosvenor House, belonging to
the dukes of Westminster and one of the largest in London, as befitted the family’s status and wealth (their huge
fortune came from their ownership of Mayfair).
Bendor, the blond and handsome second duke (1879-1953) was known as one of the richest men in England, lavishing jewels on his mistresses,
chief among whom was Coco Chanel.
The picture gallery, Grosvenor House
A restless soul, Bendor would arrive without warning at
any of his houses (or yachts). All were kept ready: cars fuelled, silver polished, servants in livery.
But after the First World War, during which Grosvenor House
had been requisitioned as a hospital, land prices had risen so high that even for Bendor it had become uneconomic and he sold it.
It was demolished in 1927 and the Grosvenor House Hotel was built on the site.
Designer Oliver Messel, Devonshire House, 1934
At the other end of the scale was 8 Pelham Place, the South Kensington home
of Cecil Beaton from 1940 to 1975. Superbly furnished by this brilliant photographer,
it was described loftily by the diarist Chips Channon (for whom the word ‘snob’
could have been invented – in his diaries he declares,
‘I am only really happy with royalty’) as ‘a tiny but super-attractive snuffbox of a house’.
Beaton, himself no social slouch, ran him close:
at his parties the women often wore stiletto heels, which
pitted the floor, and later he would point them
out, saying, ‘That’s Princess Marina, that’s Julie Andrews, that’s Vivien Leigh…’
French furnishings at 8 Pelham Place, the South Kensington home of Cecil Beaton
Beaton’s near neighbour in Pelham Place, until the
mid-60s, was the great stage designer Oliver Messel. When Messel’s nephew Tony Armstrong-Jones (later Lord Snowdon) became engaged to Princess Margaret, Messel laid on a lunch, asking the Princess if there was anyone she would particularly
like to meet. She said she had always greatly admired the witty cabaret star Bea Lillie and so Messel invited her.
What none of them knew was that Bea Lillie had a drinking habit.
At the end of lunch she slid quietly under the table and was carried upstairs to sleep it off.
Tony and the Princess took their leave and Messel rushed
back to his studio, where he was busy with fittings for
Elizabeth Taylor, only to be interrupted by a telephone call.
Cecil Beaton at home in Pelham Place, 1947
‘It’s Kensington Police Station here, Mr Messel,’ said
the voice at the other end. ‘We thought you ought to
know that there’s a naked woman on your balcony, throwing
bottles at everyone who passes by.’
Among the last of these fascinating residences to survive
was the aforementioned Londonderry House. Throughout the 20s and
30s it had seen receptions and balls, hosted by the Londonderrys for their four daughters and two granddaughters.
When eventually it had to go, in July 1962, a farewell
party for 300 was given by Alastair, the 9th Marquess.
Live sounds were supplied by a blues band featuring a swaggering young Mick
Jagger, no less – presaging the rise of a whole new
swinging London generation.
London: Lost Interiors by Steven Brindle is published by Atlantic, £50.
To order a copy for £42.50 with free UK delivery until 22 December, go to mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937.
historic england, getty images