Pepper mill recommendation...

[andyoxon]

Something that works well for a long time, is good value, and is not a Cole & Mason.  Have three C&Ms sat in the cupboard which have lost their grinding edge - basically don't work.  One of these is less that a year old.

[Basil]

This is a constant grumble of mine.  I'm prepared to spend money on something that lasts for >12 months.
*watches thread with interest*

[andyoxon]

I've had a bit of scout about and OXO Good Grips Pepper Grinders (variable grind size setting) seem to get good reviews.  ~£22, and a Softworks for ~£15.  Not sure what the diffs is.

[Mrs Pingu]

In a similar situation a while back I bought a Peugeot.
Yes, a Peugeot. Happy with it.

[andyoxon]

In a similar situation a while back I bought a Peugeot.
Yes, a Peugeot. Happy with it.

Thanks, had a quick look at the range...  and no electrical systems to worry about.   (IGMC)

[Kim]

Something that works well for a long time, is good value, and is not a Cole & Mason.  Have three C&Ms sat in the cupboard which have lost their grinding edge - basically don't work.  One of these is less that a year old.

Last time I solved this problem, I gave up and bought a disposable one from the supermarket.  They tend to last about 3-4 refills before wearing out, which is comparable to some of the cheesy ones, at a fraction of the price.  I did get one where they'd nobbled it with a one-way screw thread, but that was easily defeated by tactical melting with the sacrificial soldering iron.

At some point last year I was tempted by an electric one in Aldi, for about a fiver.  It's hardly a pinnacle of engineering, but it's still working well.  The grinding surface is some sort of plastic, though, so I'm not too optimistic about its longevity.  Sadly, barakta hates pepper, otherwise an electric pepper mill would count as a Reasonable Adjustment.

[andrewc]

I'm still using a wooden one, which I think I bought in Ikea, about 30 years ago....      The Oxo kitchen stuff is usually pretty good.  I've got a few things from them.

[Clare]

Peugeot, we found ours in TKMax.

[slope]

My wee walnut Peter Piper's still grinding on, almost. 5mm of the threaded shaft sheared off, so drilled a small recess/countersink in the wooden cap to regain functionality of the adjustable capstan*

Bought a replacement Cole and Mason and I'd rather try and find something better. So I too am following this thread with interest.

* my uncle Vic used to smoke untipped Capstan Full Strength (highest nicotine content of any fags in 1973 when they started publishing these things). The first two fingers of his right hand were permanently stained - it was a kind of macho thing. He's still alive, must be in his 90s. I must have smoked a few passively whilst a frequent passenger in his 'foggy' Humber Hawk, the first car I'd travelled in at 100mph, aged ~5

[pcolbeck]

Got to love the French. Only they would write this about a grinder:

It is now available in exclusive collections, which delight the senses in an interplay of noble materials, sensual lines, galvanizing sounds and intoxicating flavors, which reveal all the power and subtlety of pepper aromas

Also the idea that you might need a "pocket grinder" for all those occasions when your out of the house and really need some fresh ground pepper.

Anyway yes Peugeot, as has been said they turn up at TKmax if your patient or just buy any old cheap one and replace when it stops working. Cole and Mason are a triumph of marketing over substance.

[robgul]

In a similar situation a while back I bought a Peugeot.
Yes, a Peugeot. Happy with it.

Thanks, had a quick look at the range...  and no electrical systems to worry about.   (IGMC)

.... ah, they do an electric pepper grinder!   We've had one about 8 or 9 years with no problems (well not really, it's rechargeable and we lost the charger - had to buy a new charger as it's a custom plug/socket on the gadget)

   And while I'm here - "A leeetle black pepper?"  - the old joke about pepper grinders and Italian restaurants:    The quality of the restaurant is in inverse proportion to the slize of the pepper grinder. 

[ian]

Size is everything, but then I would say that.

Ours, I think, came from Ikea a million years ago. It has a winder on top and pepper comes out of the bottom when you turn it. It's still going strong. I'm not sure what you lot are grinding. It must be well over a decade old and I doubt it cost more than a fiver.

[slope]

Was not aware of Peugeot until this thread. Now have the lust for a stainless steel one 

https://uk.peugeot-saveurs.com/en/paris-chef-u-select-manual-pepper-mill-stainless-steel-18-cm.html

[rafletcher]

We (I) have a "David Mason Design" one. Which despit having a plastic grinding mechanism has lasted a several of years, needing only one repair with Araldite to re-secure the knob (into which the spindle engages) to the top cover.

Ours is a plain black design, and we bought just the pepper mill.  Looking at their website it seems not to be an option any more, but I'd have bought from a shop.

[Jurek]

Something that works well for a long time, is good value, and is not a Cole & Mason.  Have three C&Ms sat in the cupboard which have lost their grinding edge - basically don't work.  One of these is less that a year old.

Peugeot.
I have a centre-less one, which features a lid retained by magnets.
It rocks.
And has been grinding pepper daily, for the best part of 10 years+.

[Gattopardo]

I would say Peugeot too. 

Is there any difference between the salt and pepper mills?

[Jurek]

I would say Peugeot too. 

Is there any difference between the salt and pepper mills?

Don't know is the honest answer.
But I'd guess that salt would need harder cutters than would pepper.
Whether they'd tool up for two different types of cutter, is anyones guess.

[Gattopardo]

Don't normal people just steal them from Restaurants....asking for a friend....

[hatler]

We've got one of these : -



Still going strong after several years. Not cheap mind, but then I don't think we paid for ours (I did the same course as Nick at Uni.)