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Sturdy Nut Grinder


David J.

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I want at tool that will produce uniform chunks of nut for coating truffles, so spice grinders or food processors are out as they will produce nut dust in short order.

I have gone through two of the cheap nut grinders and I'm looking for somthing that will do the job and stand up to repeated use. The little spinning metal tines in the standard model end up bent or folded over completly because they are just not strong enough.

Is there anything that will do the job?

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I spent months looking for one of these things that could compare to the one my mother's had since before I was born and came to the inescapable conclusion that "they don't make them like they used to." I'm currently using a Progressive model that seems to have strong enough teeth, but the plastic the rest of it is made out of will almost certainly crack in the very near future. Williams-Sonoma has one that's $16, but it looks virtually identical to the Progressive model and I haven't tried it out personally.

The world seems to be hung up on those rotating piston style hand choppers these days, and those things just plain suck.

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I have the one with the spinning tines and it works great. Maybe there are inferior brands...

I even used it to chop up "Starlight" peppermints for the top of my peppermint bark at Christmas with no issues. Just a lot of noise.

I am at work so I can't tell you what brand I have... I will try to check when I get home.

Patrick Sikes

www.MyChocolateJournal.com

A new chocolate review community

PS I Love You Fine Chocolates

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Williams-Sonoma has one that's $16, but it looks virtually identical to the Progressive model and I haven't tried it out personally.

I bought one of these and used it once. It's a real pain to get the nuts through, particularly since the unit is very small and hard to hold in place. Created a lot of non-uniform pieces, as well as "dust". Seems like there must be good ones available from Austria or Germany or a place where they use ground nuts often, but I haven't looked into it. Perhaps Zyliss? They make table-mounted nut graters/choppers.

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One place to try may be Otto's Hungarian Import Store & Deli: click

(scroll down to section with nut grinders)

The online catalog says they have 18 different styles and sizes of nut grinders! (aluminum, plastic or iron, suction or clamp foot)

Otto's Hungarian Import Store & Deli

2320 West Clark Avenue, Burbank, California 91506 U.S.A.

Telephone (818) 845-0433

Fax (818) 845-8656

I have a Zyliss hand held rotary grater which I use when I need finely grated chocolate or nuts. It has three interchangeable "drums" with different grating surfaces on each. All the parts are metal and there is nothing to bend so it is pretty sturdy. It's not that easy to use for larger amounts though but the chocoalte and nuts do come out dry and even in size.

"Under the dusty almond trees, ... stalls were set up which sold banana liquor, rolls, blood puddings, chopped fried meat, meat pies, sausage, yucca breads, crullers, buns, corn breads, puff pastes, longanizas, tripes, coconut nougats, rum toddies, along with all sorts of trifles, gewgaws, trinkets, and knickknacks, and cockfights and lottery tickets."

-- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1962 "Big Mama's Funeral"

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I got a Walter Drake catalog in mail, they offer a hand grinder for making crushed ice. It might work & be a bit more durable.

www.wdrake.com item # 100-43065.

mark

Edited by mrose (log)

Mark

www.roseconfections.com

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I got a Walter Drake catalog in mail, they offer a hand grinder for making crushed ice. It might work & be a bit more durable.

www.wdrake.com  item # 100-43065.

mark

Thanks for all the replies so far.

The ice crusher is probably quite sturdy but I'm wondering just how fine it would cut the nuts. I'm going for small pieces to coat truffles and I'm afraid that it might not reach that fine.

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I got a Walter Drake catalog in mail, they offer a hand grinder for making crushed ice. It might work & be a bit more durable.

www.wdrake.com   item # 100-43065.

mark

Thanks for all the replies so far.

The ice crusher is probably quite sturdy but I'm wondering just how fine it would cut the nuts. I'm going for small pieces to coat truffles and I'm afraid that it might not reach that fine.

It says it has a fine & coasre setting.

Mark

www.roseconfections.com

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sumeet makes dry/wet grinders for indian spices/cuisine. it has a trip switch for overheating. it's the only thing that grinds properly for me, but in small quantities.

also champion 'masticating' juicer will grind and make nut butters with addition of oil. roasted nuts are harder to grind. try grinding raw nuts instead. also some nuts are harder then others. like brazil nuts are like stones . also almonds are very hard.

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sumeet makes dry/wet grinders for indian spices/cuisine. it has a trip switch for overheating. it's the only thing that grinds properly for me, but in small quantities.

I've been trying to order a Sumeet Multi-Grind since Feb. 06. Unfortunately, I think they've been out of stock (after the product briefly showed up in the Williams-Sonoma catalogue) since then. Of course, I can't know for sure since they won't return any of my emails/calls! :hmmm:

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sumeet makes dry/wet grinders for indian spices/cuisine. it has a trip switch for overheating. it's the only thing that grinds properly for me, but in small quantities.

I've been trying to order a Sumeet Multi-Grind since Feb. 06. Unfortunately, I think they've been out of stock (after the product briefly showed up in the Williams-Sonoma catalogue) since then. Of course, I can't know for sure since they won't return any of my emails/calls! :hmmm:

I think a sumeet would grind the nuts to a lovely paste, not quite what you are wanting for truffle decorating.

The fellow at Sumeet is really bad at returning calls, I live close enough that when I want something I just show up there. He's a lovely fellow if you ever do get the chance to talk to him however.

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I guess that I'll just keep using my two choppers until they are a complete mess and go back to using a knife. I'm not looking to make paste or dust, I just want small uniform chunks for rolling.

So on a related note, does anyone sell a set of graduated screens for separating out different size chunks?

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I guess that I'll just keep using my two choppers until they are a complete mess and go back to using a knife.  I'm not looking to make paste or dust, I just want small uniform chunks for rolling.

So on a related note, does anyone sell a set of graduated screens for separating out different size chunks?

I started reading this thread with interest because I wondered whether what you're looking for even exists (still not sure!). I use a knife, and frankly I don't know that a nut grinder would be faster or produce better results. But if I can find one that is and does, then I'd kinda like one too.

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Your best bet is to buy prechopped or sliced nuts from a nut processor. They come in different uniform sizes depending on the nut and the processor. They use sieves to produce the various sizes. For example we use a pecan piece called a midget which is a 1/16" cube and is perfect for coating a truffle.

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Your best bet is to buy prechopped or sliced nuts from a nut processor.  They come in different uniform sizes depending on the nut and the processor.  They use sieves to produce the various sizes.  For example we use a pecan piece called a midget which is a 1/16" cube and is perfect for coating a truffle.

i second what lloydchoc says. there are a lot of nut products out there which are suitable for your needs davidj. they might cost a bit more, but that is made up with savings in time and labor. i also recommend products which are named 'granulated'...perfectly even size with no dust. i think you can get hazelnuts, peanuts, almonds, etc. all granulated. you can usually get them raw or roasted. i'd go for raw and roast them myself as you can control how dark you want them and you also know how old they are. there was a post recently which talked about how roasted nuts go rancid faster because the oils are broken down through the heating process which speeds up rancidity.

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  • 2 years later...

I'm on the search for a nut chopper so thought I would bump this topic and see if there have been any new inventions (or new ideas!) since '07. I'm tired of getting nut dust with my nut pieces and want something that chops uniformly. I was hoping the thermomix would work - but alas, no...

I found this which looks interesting: http://www.miracleexclusives.net/miracle-electric-grindermincer-p-130.html

or maybe a grain mill like this: http://www.miracleexclusives.net/electric-flour-mill-me300-p-67.html

although the grain mill might grind too fine.

They're more expensive than what I was looking for. I was hoping for something like the Progressive: http://www.amazon.com/Progressive-International-Heavy-Duty-Chopper/dp/B0007ZEU2W ... but electric and sturdy.

Any help out there?!!!

Does anyone know if there are KitchenAid attachments that would work for chopped nuts? Also, we just got a homogenizing juicer (like a Champion). I know nothing about it yet. Would it work in any way to chop nuts?

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I have been trying to get one of these grinders for a couple of years. I don't know if he ever gets them in stock. Is there anything that is comparable?

Mark

www.roseconfections.com

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I have been trying to get one of these grinders for a couple of years. I don't know if he ever gets them in stock. Is there anything that is comparable?

Which grinder are you talking about Mark? The ones I linked to above? When you mention 'he' - do you mean the guy from the website I linked to? Do you know anything about these grinders? Are they good for nuts?! Don't grind too small?!

I'd love some info!!

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I don't think the sumeet would do as good a job on equal sized nut pieces as the Progressive or one of the similar old glass ones from a thrift shop. Now if it's nut paste you want...

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I got my little nut grinder (hand crank with a glass jar) from a thrift shop and it has done a lot of pecans in the last few months with no problem! I love it!

Now this suggestion comes from watching a little too much tv over the freezing cold weekend. Anybody used one of those slap chop type of cutters? I am sure there will be an abundance of those showing up in the thrift shops soon! :-)

Just a thought!

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