Cleaning the Spice Grinder

[Shel_B]

I have been using the Krups model 203-42 grinder http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/krups-black-coffee-grinder/1010151120?device=c&network=g&matchtype=&mcid=PS_googlepla_nonbrand_none_&gclid=COPz662CpLwCFYdgfgodYwQAwQ for grinding spices, dried mushrooms, etc., for years, and usually I clean it by grinding some white rice, which absorbs the dust, oils, and other debris, and which can easily be cleaned from the reservoir.

However, I am at home today and wish to clean the machine, but there's no white rice here. Can I use one of the other grains that I have. They are whole grain oats (groats), steel cut oats, brown rice, and pearled barley. That's all that I have, and if they won't work, tomorrow I'll buy some white rice.

Edited January 29, 2014 by Shel_B (log)

[Hassouni]

Try salt

[weinoo]

!. Make sure you don't stick your finger in it while it's plugged in.

You could buy the stuff that some use to clean coffee grinders. Though it's probably just as cheap to buy a new grinder.

I use a little paint brush.

[David Hensley]

If you normally use rice, to good effect, then I don't see why another starchy grain wouldn't work just as well. Personally, I'd think that the oats would work well, or the barley next, if that should fail...

[andiesenji]

Use some saltine crackers and two or three tablespoons of baking soda.

Hold the lid on and turn it upside down a few times - run it for at least 30 seconds.

Dump the stuff out and wipe with a paper towel.

[Shel_B]

Use some saltine crackers and two or three tablespoons of baking soda.

Hold the lid on and turn it upside down a few times - run it for at least 30 seconds.

Dump the stuff out and wipe with a paper towel.

No saltines, or anything similar ...

[FrogPrincesse]

I use white bread. Works great.

[Shel_B]

I use white bread. Works great.

Very interesting ... unfortunately, I have no white bread, and never use it.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Another vote for salt, and after that the barley.

[heidih]

Is there a reason you think the brown rice won't work?

[scubadoo97]

I buy instant rice for cleaning my grinders. It's desiccated rice so there is no moisture and I certainly don't plan on eating it

[Shel_B]

I buy instant rice for cleaning my grinders. It's desiccated rice so there is no moisture and I certainly don't plan on eating it

Might be something to look into. When I go out tomorrow I'll check it out and compare prices to regular, bulk white rice.

[scubadoo97]

When I bought that big box of instant rice I was very self conscience. It's not something that would ever grace my shopping cart as a rule

[dcarch]

Very interesting!

I grind all kinds of stuff, including sticky stuff, oily stuff, smelly stuff,

And here I have been using just hot water with a few drops of dishwasher detergent, run the grinder then rinse and dry.

dcarch

Edited January 30, 2014 by dcarch (log)

[Jaymes]

Don't know, but don't think I'd try salt. It's so corrosive that I can't think it'd do the metal parts any good.

Unless it's some sort of emergency wherein you just absolutely must clean out your grinder immediately, I'd wait until you've got some rice, which you know works just fine.

[Shel_B]

When I bought that big box of instant rice I was very self conscience. It's not something that would ever grace my shopping cart as a rule

If I do buy that rice, I'll wear a bag over my head ....

[Shel_B]

Don't know, but don't think I'd try salt. It's so corrosive that I can't think it'd do the metal parts any good.

Unless it's some sort of emergency wherein you just absolutely must clean out your grinder immediately, I'd wait until you've got some rice, which you know works just fine.

I concur about the salt. I wanted to clean the grinder today, but it can wait until tomorrow ... I may try some brown rice tonight just to see how it works. I'm decanting a bag to put into a glass container, so stealing a few grains will be simple.

[scubadoo97]

When I bought that big box of instant rice I was very self conscience. It's not something that would ever grace my shopping cart as a rule

 

If I do buy that rice, I'll wear a bag over my head ....

good idea

[weinoo]

I confess...I stopped using a crappy repurposed coffee grinder to grind spices years and years ago. As a matter of fact, I stopped using a crappy coffee grinder to grind coffee years and years ago, because I bought a real coffee grinder - a Rocky.

Now, to grind spices, I use a mortar and pestle, which probably cost me less to buy than the crappy coffee grinder cost me years and years ago. To clean - I wipe it out with a damp towel and it works perfectly every time. And I save a lot on electricity as well - which is good for the environment too.

[andiesenji]

I've been using baking soda, with some kind of other material to give it some purchase, for decades - since before the first spice grinders appeared.

I used the same process to clean coffee and/or spices out of my original Vitamix when I had several DRY things to go into the blender and did not want to use water to clean it and then have to wait for it to get dry.

[Shel_B]

The brown rice worked pretty well - not quite as well as the white rice, perhaps because of the oils in the bran (which addresses Heidi's question). So, in the future, I'll stick with white rice.

Now, there's this pile of finely ground brown rice sitting on a plate on my counter. What can I use it for? Add to a soup for thickening? It's no big deal to just toss it, but it would be nice to find a purpose for it.

Edited January 31, 2014 by Shel_B (log)

[liuzhou]

The brown rice worked pretty well - not quite as well as the white rice, perhaps because of the oils in the bran. So, in the future, I'll stick with white rice.

Now, there's this pile of finely ground brown rice sitting on a plate on my counter. What can I use it for? Add to a soup for thickening? It's no big deal to just toss it, but it would be nice to find a purpose for it.

Given that it is now imbued with all the garbage you wanted to remove from the dirty grinder, I'd bin it.

Edited January 30, 2014 by liuzhou (log)

[Shel_B]

Given that it is now imbued with all the garbage you wanted to remove from the dirty grinder, I'd bin it.

Yes ... the real purpose of my question, and I suppose I wasn't clear, is what can be done with finely ground brown rice (assuming it's clean enough to use)?

[Mjx]

Toast and use it when making larb.

I'm pretty sure using any whole grain would leave behind some residual oil, so if you don't clean your spice mill often, you might begin detecting a slight rancid note in your gound spices.

[Shel_B]

Toast and use it when making larb.

Great idea ... Thanks!