To crack grains, I have the Corona Corn Mill. Like with the roller/flaker, I stayed with a manually powered choice to keep the cost down, and I get the side-benefit if using it whether the electricity is on or not. During our recent power outage, it supplied us with cracked grain cereal, which is a particular favorite hot breakfast of Hubby's, Prince Inventive's, Prince CuddleBunny's, and mine... a nice alternative to oatmeal.
I use this mostly for bread making, as we like a little crunch in addition to the extra fiber and nutrition we get with the various types of cracked grains. I usually do a combination of spelt, kamut, buckwheat, rye, sweet brown rice, barley, and oats. I just pour in similar amounts of each to create 2 cups of the mix. It takes a couple minutes to do this, and it's a little messy because not all the cracked grains land in the catch-bowl, but most do with just a quick wipe up of the strays required. After the first rinsing when it arrives, the mill itself should not need to be cleaned.
I hope one day to mill my own corn meal, also. First, I have to find a source of dried corn, which has proven to be a bit of a challenge. A number of mills I looked at specified that they were not suitable for corn, so I wanted to make sure that was a possibility. I've also read that I can mill beans and nuts with this device, but I haven't tried that. I milled black beans in another mill once (larger beans wouldn't fit in that one), and with ground beans you can make a pureed style of beans, similar to refried beans without the frying, and in minutes instead of hours, so I will be sure to try other beans in the Corona in the future.
There are cheaper versions of the Corona mill available, but I wasn't sure the $10 - 15 savings was worth risking the quality the Corona is widely reported to have. Its cast iron construction should outlast me.
The best prices I've found for this mill are on-line at Lehmans or TheWholeTruth at just under $40.
We just saw corn being ground yesterday. You get the husk, grits and meal. Seems like a good deal. You could even make your own pillows!
ReplyDeleteAnd I thought I was a homemade cook! I get teased for making my own butter, but you take the prize. How cool! Do you source your grains locally?
ReplyDeleteBut I've never made my own butter...So we're even. ;-)
ReplyDeleteS, I never thought about getting all those parts of the corn plant...But there was a time I've never thought about grinding any of my own grains, either. Thanks for the idea!
ReplyDeleteBreezy, you asked where I got grain, and I forgot to answer! I special order 50-pound bags of Montana Prairie Gold Wheat from Central Market in Poulsbo, and fill up on most of the others in their bulk area when I'm there. I want to order from Azure Standard, which has their own organic grains in Oregon, but I need to sign up with a 'drop spot' and have yet to do that. It means calling strangers and asking to be a part of their group, so I'm shy about that.
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