Interesting

Not too long ago, we brought you some weird and wacky spice grinders that included everything from a camera lens to a Rubik’s cube. Today, we have a few more fascinating grinders that add a bit of humour and fun to almost any kitchen.

From nose shaped grinders all the way to a mobile watch grinder, a rocket ship grinder, a Russian doll grinder and a beer bottle grinder, we love how these kitchen tools make cooking fun. Of course, besides good looks, the most important element of any grinder is that it does the job it is designed to do. While novelty grinders are always fun, it is important to be sure that your grinders are of the best quality, to ensure that spices can be ground to perfection every time. If you’re looking for something simpler, be sure to check out our range of high quality grinders and bottles that will suit every kitchen… no matter how smart or relaxed!

Fun, Frivolous but Functional Novelty Spice Grinders

Without further ado, here are some of the best novelty spice grinders that we have seen around the web recently…

A Nose Shaped Grinder

Ideal for pepper or any other aromatic spice, this grinder reminds us how much of an important role the nose plays when using deliciously fragrant spices from around the world. Just be sure that you don’t inhale your freshly ground pepper too closely, or you may end up with a nose full of pepper!

A Mobile Watch Grinder

Ideal for campers and office foodies who want to take their favourite spices with them on the go, this grinder allows you to grind small amounts of spice. As it can easily be carted around on your wrist, there is far less danger of losing your grinder, either.

A Rocket Grinder

With a hint of retro-cool, this rocket grinder is sure to take your cooking to infinity and beyond. We love the sleek wooden look, which brings to mind mid-century design with a bit of Scandinavian flair. Definitely a gadget for trendsetting foodies.

A Russian Doll Grinder

Boasting a bright, colourful design, this Russian Matryoshka grinder may not be a traditional nesting doll, but it is certainly a lively touch to your kitchen or dining room. While the design is fairly classic, taking the shape of a simple pepper mill, the style is modern and quirky without being over the top.

A Beer Bottle Grinder

This would be a great gift for the beer-loving foodie in your life. With the shape of a bottle (but at the fraction of the size of an actual bottle), it combines the best things in life: good food and cold beer. We especially love the label and level of detail on this grinder.

Would you use any of these novelty pepper mills and grinders, or do you prefer your grinders on the classic side? 

With the festive season just about here, Global Grinders brings you some easy to prepare edible gift ideas that can be made with a few good spice grinders, plus a selection of seasoning ingredients. From sweet baking spice mixes to salad sprinkles, savoury spice blends and other ideas, these gifts are sure to be just the thing for the foodie in your life.

Looking for good quality grinders and pepper mills? We offer a range of glass and PET plastic bottles, along with high grade flip top closures and grinder sets. Browse our range of grinder products to see what we have in stock!

How to Use Spice Grinders for Festive Gifts

With a few new spice grinders, you can make a number of unique, edible gifts. Here are just some ways that you can use your grinders for festive gifts…

1. Sugar and Spice. Mix brown sugar with sweet spices such as cloves, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger (pre-ground will work fine for this purpose). Pour the spiced sugar into grinder bottles and label with a custom-made label that you have made yourself. This blend is great to use over cereals and baked goods, as well as fruit and yogurt. Make one bottle of mixed spice sugar, or prepare a few different blends to make a gift set of spiced sugar.
2. Savoury Salt. Using the same method, you can make salt seasoned with assorted spices and herbs. Try dried rosemary, dried chilli flakes, mustard seeds, coriander seeds or any other type of spice. For best results, choose spices that the gift recipient uses often. You can use already ground spices, or fresh, dried herbs and spices that can be ground with the salt when it is used. Look for good quality coarse sea salt or pink salt to ensure a good base.
3. Custom Spice Blends. Find out which spices your friends and family love, and then make custom blends that allow them to enjoy these spices whenever they want a dose of spicy goodness. This works especially well for busy home chefs who love cooking, but don’t always have time to shop around for their favourite spices. Add a custom label designed with the person’s name, and voila – you have a lovely personalised gift!
4. Salad Sprinkles. Make a set of fun, edible salad sprinkles from various spices and non-spice foods that can be ground. Doritos and other crisps work well, but you can also try roasted seeds or dried ginger, chilli or even dried garlic flakes. Try black pepper with dried lemon flakes or dried rosemary. Looking for some inspiration? Have a look at our blog post on non-spice things to grind in a spice grinder.
5. Mini Spice Set. Look for a set of smaller, mini sized bottles, which can be used to create a starter kit of spice and seasoning blends. Small sizes such as 80ml or even 50ml can also be used to create a ‘spices on the go’ set that can be used for those who travel a lot, those who love to camp and those who are often on the road. This makes a good housewarming gift as well – especially when packaged in a nice box, with personalised labels.

Offering a wide range of health benefits, not to mention the ability to transform an ordinary meal into something extraordinary, whole spices are certainly a gift that keeps on giving. Give the food lover in your life a special gift with the help of custom blended herbs and spices and quality spice grinders from Global Grinders!

Not too long ago, we shared some ideas on alternative uses for spice grinders.  The list included everything from Doritos chip seasoning to instant icing sugar and a few other things as well. Today, we have some more ideas on how to use your grinder… some ways weirder than others.

Before we get going, remember that however you use your grinder, it is best to invest in a few sets of bottles and flip top or screw on lid attachments so that you can clean out and reuse them safely without any non-spice ingredients ruining your favourite whole spices. To find a full range of grinders and other related products, head on over to our Ready to Grind section or shop for bottles and lids separately.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s take a look at some other interesting things you can grind in a pepper mill or grinder…

More Uses for Your Spice Grinder

With an abundance of weird and wonderful spice grinders to be found out there, along with good old fashioned grinders that get the job done without the bells and whistles, it is safe to say that these tools are commonplace in most kitchens and dining rooms. While spices, salt and pepper are the things most frequently ground in grinder bottles, the convenient grinding function and simple shape of these tools make them useful for grinding a surprising number of edible and not-so-edible materials. Here are some of the more unusual of those materials…

1. Dried insects. Considered a major source of protein, insects are still a somewhat unusual food item consumed in many parts of the world. Some supporters believe that dried insects offer a sustainable alternative or addition to other animal protein sources. And, more interestingly, these experts suggest grinding dried insects into a protein powder to add to smoothies, oats, salads and other meals!
2. Rice. Rice can be ground and used as porridge, or it can be used as a natural face and body scrub when mixed with rice water, milk or skin enriching oil. According to beauty experts, rice scrubs have been used by Japanese women for centuries, giving a healthy glow and helping to fight the signs of aging.
3. Poppy seeds. Another item that doubles as a food and skin care ingredient, poppy seeds have plenty of healthy benefits, however you use them. Ground poppy seeds can be used to make a pudding or porridge – soak with milk and leave in the fridge overnight to enjoy for breakfast the next morning. Ground poppy seeds can be mixed with your favourite skin enriching oil for a complexion-boosting scrub as well.
4. Flaxseed. These healthy, tiny seeds are packed full of goodness. Consumed ground, they have far more benefits – fibre, healthy fats and other nutrients. They are surprisingly versatile when ground as well. Use with yogurt and fruit, add to smoothies, sprinkle over salads and grind over soup and any other food (sweet or savoury). They do not have much of a taste and do not affect the flavour and texture of food, but will give you a healthy dose of nutrients with just a flick of the grinder.
5. Flavoured salt. Ok, this is not really weird or even unusual, but it’s worth adding anyway. Buying coarse pink or sea salt in bulk and then adding to your grinder along with your favourite dried herbs is a simple way to make your own flavoured salts. It’s also a great gift idea – buy a set of glass grinders and mix coarse salt with dried rosemary, dried chilli, dried basil and other herbs, and voila… you will have a lovely gift for the foodie in your life.

Now it’s over to you… what do you grind in your spice grinders? We’d love to hear your comments, so share your ideas below and let us know!

At Global Grinders, we stock both glass and PET plastic spice grinders, giving you the benefit of choice. While many believe that all plastic is bad for the environment, there are some types that can actually be considered even more eco-friendly than glass. Both glass and PET have their own benefits however, and ultimately, the choice should come down to which option suits your specific needs, which is better suited to your budget and which bottle you prefer.

To give you more information on what each of these grinder bottles have to offer, keep reading to see how they compare.

Glass Spice Grinders

One of the top benefits of a glass grinder bottle is that it can be reused for many years to come – for spices storage and for other uses as well. Glass is relatively easy to recycle and should never be tossed out with your garbage. Some recycling services require that all glass items are kept separate from other materials however, which means that a bit of sorting is required to separate your glass recycling from cardboard, paper, plastic and other recyclable goods. Another benefit of glass is that it is easier to clean, without any lingering smells or residue sticking to the inside of the bottle. If you buy whole spices often, you may find that a set of glass bottles will be ideal for changing up spices as they run out, with a quick rinse in hot soapy water required to prepare the bottles for the new spices.

Plastic Spice Grinders

It is important to note that not all plastics are equal. The PET (also known as PETE and short for polyethylene terephthalate) is a safe, recyclable material used for food and liquid containers. It is a type of thermoplastic polymer resin within the polyester family. The name may sound somewhat scary and hard to pronounce, but in fact, PET is a non-toxic material that is not only free of harmful chemicals such as BPAs – it is also scientifically proven to be one of the most cost-effective and eco-friendly packaging materials. The US based Allied Development Corporation conducted a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) on PET to determine its environmental footprint compare to other types of packaging, and PET beat out aluminium cans and even glass bottles when manufacturing processes and carbon emissions were compared.

Which Grinder Bottle is Better?

Much like it is hard to compare apples and oranges, it is a bit tricky to compare two very different types of spice bottles. From an ecological point, PET bottles definitely have many benefits that make them easy to recycle and safe to use. With many types of plastic being used with caution, this should give some peace of mind for those wanting an option that is not harmful to the planet.

As they can be reused for a long period of time after purchase, glass spice bottles also offer benefits from a sustainability point of view. If you are buying a salt or pepper grinder or a grinder that you plan to reuse again, then glass is a good choice. If you are buying bottles for less frequently used spices, or you want something more affordable than glass however, PET bottles are just as good an option for your spice grinders.

If you read our fun post on unusual spice grinders, you will know just how essential this tool is in any kitchen or dining room. But did you know that along with whole spice, pepper and salt, there are many other things that you can grind in your grinder?

In the blog post above, we briefly touched on the concept of grinding Doritos in your grinder, but that is just one alternative use for this kitchen gadget. From seeds to sugar and plenty of other goodies in between, you would be amazed at how much use you can get from a good spice grinder (or few!).

Alternative Uses for Your Spice Grinder

There is nothing like having freshly ground spices to add to foods to give aroma and taste to meals. But beyond spice, spice grinders can be used to grind up many things to add to food and drinks or baked goods. Without further ado, here are some of our top alternative uses for the trusty grinder…

1. Seeds. Harder seeds such as flaxseed can be ground with the help of a simple twist grinder. This super seed is high in nutrients and can even be used as an egg substitute for those who do not want to use eggs in baking or cooking! Ground flax can also be added to smoothies or used as a flour alternative for those following a gluten-free diet. Fill up your grinder with your favourite seed and grind away for a finer powdered version.
2. Dried Ginger or Garlic. After dehydrating ginger or garlic, you can pop pieces into your grinder and make perfectly sized flakes. These can be added as is to food, or used to make flavoured salt or sugar. Technically speaking, you could grind just about any dried seasoning or herb, as long as it is bone dry and thin enough to grind into a fine powder.
3. Sugar. On the topic of sugar, you can make a quick powdered sugar if you have run out. Using regular granulated sugar and grinding it into finer powder can save you a trip to the shops (and end up costing less in the long run as well). You can also grind small amounts to sprinkle over cookies or other baked goods quickly and simply.
4. Crisps. It’s not just Dorito’s that can be added to the grinder. You can grind just about any dry crisp of your fancy, to use over food. You can also use the ground crisps as a coating instead of breadcrumbs, to make mozzarella sticks and other crumbed dishes.
5. Cornflakes. Cereal such as Cornflakes can be used in the grinder as well. Either make breadcrumb like crumbs for dishes that require coating, or add to smoothies to add a touch of fibre to your drinkable meal. You can even sprinkle over porridge or use the finely ground flakes as a cereal that has a more porridge-like consistency.

Of course, spices remain one of the best things to grind – especially when it comes to enhancing the quality and taste of every meal. But if you want to experiment a bit, be sure to try out these alternative uses for your spice grinder and let us know how it goes!

If you spend any time in the kitchen, chances are good that you have at least one or two spice grinders somewhere. Perhaps it is a cheap grinder that came with the store-bought spice you got recently, or maybe it is a good quality grinder that you use for your favourite whole spices. You may even have a grinder that does the job… but is far from regular.

Novelty spice grinders are loads of fun, giving you even more reason to add spice to your meals. Kids love them, grown up kids love to give them to friends as housewarming gifts (and secretly enjoy using them at home, too), and guests around the table are almost always charmed as well. With the range of weird and wonderful mills and grinders out there after all, dinner will likely never be the same when you have a Star Wars droid or a realistic-looking camera lens on the table to grind up your salt and pepper!

Novelty Spice Grinders – Putting the ‘Fun’ in Functionality

We have collected some of the best novelty grinders on the web, to share them with you here today. These are not what you would call subtle kitchen gadgets, and a better word to describe some might be ‘downright crazy’, but they are sure to be the most interesting spice grinders you have seen in a while. Here are our top pick for unusual table tools for grinding spice and seasonings…

1. A grinder straight out of a Victorian horror movie

We suspect that this somewhat spooky looking contraption would fit right in at Dr. Who’s dinner table. With its delightfully vintage design, it will suit any fan of Victoria era fiction and fantasy too, we are sure.

[Steampunk grinder via designswan.com]

2. A quirky, modern take to milling salt and pepper

With a sleek design, the windmill grinder is stylish enough to pass for a contemporary grinder, while still being just interesting enough to act as a conversation piece.

[Windmill Grinder by Koziol via Polyvore]

3. A religious icon to make sure that you watch your sodium intake

The Blessed Mother can now watch over every dining experience, to provide much-needed motivation to watch what you eat, while also providing blessings on the meal about to be enjoyed.

[Virgin Mary Grinder via Sour Puss Clothing]

4. A gigantic pencil grinder, complete with eraser

This one is bound to be a big hit with kids – especially those who are just starting school. Add some fun to the dining table, and let the giant pencil follow up the meal with homework reminders as soon as the last plate is cleared.

[Giant Pencil Grinders via Buzzfeed]

5. A grinder that every photographer will appreciate

Cleverly disguised as a realistic looking lens, this grinder makes a fabulous gift for the photographer in your life. The detail in the design is quite astounding, and best of all, it is totally functional to boot.

[Camera Lens Grinders via petapixel.com]

6. A grinder for the puzzle fanatic, geek or 80s child

Actually, just about everyone will love this Rubik’s cube grinder, which may not be solvable in the traditional puzzle way, but works very well to give you freshly ground pepper on the double. This is a fun gift, a great conversation starter and also something that those 80s kids will enjoy.

[Rubik’s Cube Grinders via wantist.com]

7. A stylish but somewhat creepy helping hand grinder

Wooden marionette hands have become rather in vogue lately, particularly in homes that have a Scandinavian style of modern interior décor. This interesting grinder takes the trend one step further, providing you with a gadget that is not only on trend, but also useful for those perfectly seasoned meals.

[Wooden Hand Grinders via Petagadget]

8. A grinder that will have you reaching for a tissue

Best suited for fresh black pepper, the Ah Choo grinder is a joy for those who love a good pun. It will certainly get a laugh at your next dinner party, and smaller kids will never get tired of making sneeze-related jokes.

[Ah Choo Pepper Grinder via fab.com]

9. A grinder for the Star Wars fans

How could any collection of novelty gadgets be complete without functional Star Wars memorabilia? Everyone’s favourite beeping droid comes all the way from the Empire and right to your kitchen to give you freshly ground spice with just a quick twist.

[R2-D2 Grinder via Tumblr]

10. A spice hack for those wanting to try a fun seasoning

This one is not exactly a grinder, but the idea is novel enough that we had to share. Grind your favourite Doritos chips with a pestle and mortar; then pop them into a spice grinder to sprinkle over burgers, pizza, salad, sarmies and anything else you feel like seasoning. While not the healthiest way to add flavour to meals, this is worth sampling nonetheless.

[Doritos spice hack via Buzzfeed]

Of course, if you prefer your gadgets on the simple, stylish and functional side, you can always browse our range of spice grinders that get the job done quickly and simply, every time.

Spices add dimension to many dishes, but when whole spices are ground just before being added to dishes, even more flavour is released. Much like there is a big difference between fine, pre-ground black pepper and pepper that is freshly ground directly onto food, many spices can be used in your grinder or in a pestle and mortar.

Some of the spices that are best used in their whole form include the following:

• Cinnamon sticks
• Cloves
• Green cardamom pods
• Nutmeg
• Star anise
• Cumin seeds
• Coriander seeds
• Black peppercorns
• Vanilla beans

Why Use Whole Spices When Cooking?

Looking to enhance the flavours and aromas of your deliciously spiced dishes? Buying spices in their whole form ensures that their health benefits remain intact, allowing you the full benefit of improved digestion, boosted metabolism and plenty of other advantages too. Here are some more reasons to buy your spices whole instead of ground…

1. Spice up your rice. Make aromatic rice by adding whole cardamom, whole cloves and whole cinnamon while the rice is still cooking on the stove. Serve with your favourite curry, roast chicken, veggies or even fresh avocado to add extra flavour to any dish.
2. Keep spices fresher, for longer. Using fresh spices and grinding yourself as and when needed helps to keep spices fresher for much longer. On average, spices that are whole last about two months longer than pre-ground spices.
3. Give hot beverages a kick. Spicy chai tea tastes good and offers some surprisingly good health benefits too. Add whole cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and vanilla to a pot of Rooibos tea cooked on the stove for a delicious spicy tea.
4. Add a greater depth of flavour. For delicate yet fragrant curries, using fresh spices allows you to create a complex range of flavours that are often oh-so-subtle, while providing more depth to flavour notes at the same time. This is because the grinding process releases the spice’s natural oils that evaporate after the spice is ground.
5. Sweeten up desserts. Using whole vanilla rather than store-bought vanilla essence adds a world of flavour, making these beans perfect for a variety of sweet dishes. Split down the middle, scoop out the fine black vanilla seeds, and use in home-made custard, baked goods, ice cream and puddings.

In case you were wondering whether your finely ground spices were redundant; don’t worry – finely ground spice is good for smooth sauces, curries and other uses, and can be used alongside the suggested list of whole spices above to ensure that you get the benefit of convenience and flavour.

About 20 minutes’ drive from our factory, we have the absolute pleasure of being able to experience a wonderful spectacle. At this time of the year, several species of whale come into False Bay (situated near Cape Point) to calf in this protected bay. A road runs along the complete area so daily there are traffic jams with many, many local and overseas enthralled sightseers enjoying this annual event.

The Southern Right Whale

The most common species seen here is the Southern Right Whale( in the picture above). The term “right” refers to the fact that in the 19^th century these whales were regarded as the “right” whales to catch because of their high oil content and also because they were slow swimmers. All whales are now classified as protected species in South Africa, so possibly they feel safe coming so close to our shores.

The Humpback Whale

These are renowned as the “acrobats” of the ocean and put on a wonderful show of breaching (jumping clear out of the water), lobtailing ( slapping the water with their tails) and spyhopping (poking their heads out of the water) as if just for the entertainment of  the appreciative audiences with their cameras clicking away.

Next month we will be enchanted by the sight of the calves swimming alongside their mothers learning all the tricks of life until they are ready to head out to deeper waters.