Kitchen Gadgets

This is my grain mill. A $500 Wolfgang mill which produces stone-ground flour. In the old days they used granite or other stones for grain mills. This one has a ceramic-corundum millstone and was made in Germany. It is a small mill but does a great job. I have owned this mill for about six years now. It is supposed to be quiet for a grain mill, but I have missed several calls because the mill was running and I did not hear the phone ring.

Now I could tell you a lot about grain mills, but you can get the info somewhere else on the internet. Most grain mills (the cheaper ones) do not really "grind" the flour, they pulverize it. They are called impact grinders. And then there are burr grinders.....

I prefer stone-ground flour.



I have owned this stand mixer for about 6 years as well. I do not think it will last another six. I have worked it too much. These machines are not designed for whole wheat dough. I think the gears are all worn. When this one dies, I'd like to get a Kitchenaid Professional Stand Mixer. I better start saving up some money already...


I bought this machine a few months ago thanks to a small inheritance I got after my dad passed away. I use it mostly for making bread, but it will work for cookies as well. It came with a free blender attachment. It works best with larger batches of dough, like three or four loaves of bread or a double batch of cookies. If you are into making whole wheat bread and do not want to knead it by hand, than this is the machine to get. Made in Germany = quality product. One can purchase all kinds of attachments for this machine. I only own the blender and a small food processor attachment.



Now, this machine is the reason why I bought the Bosch machine. This one is called Electrolux Assistant and has caused me a lot of frustration in the past. I never could figure out how to get the machine to knead dough properly. Using this machine involves a BIG learning curve. After three years of frustration, I finally gave up and purchased the Bosch. Guess what? A few weeks ago I finally found the right tip on the internet and now know how to use this machine properly. It simulates the hand kneading action beautifully and the dough comes out very smooth and elastic. It also works on smaller batches. This machine comes with a whole line of attachments and the ones I own is the nut grinder and shredder attachment. A big plus is the big (and heavy!) stainless steel bowl. Still, I do not really recommend you buy this machine, unless you do not mind getting frustrated. Or you could come to my house and see a demonstration. Hey, that's not a bad idea. I wish I could have done that....