Pepper mill
The pepper mill is a mechanical or electromechanical kitchen appliance and a table Accessory for grinding pepper grains , in the form of a handy mill . It is one of the most common spice mills used in households and restaurants .
construction
The main component of pepper mills is the grinder , usually a conical grinder , with an adjusting device for setting the grain size of the grist. The material used for this is steel, including stainless steel or ceramics, and plastic for single- use products. The grinder is set in a decorative housing made of wood, stainless steel, plastic or partly made of glass and rarely made of silver (for example in pocket pepper mills ). One-way pepper mills filled with whole peppercorns are available in grocery stores. These correspond to the usual spice jars, but have a plastic grinder in the lid.
Pepper mills are usually used for grinding whole black or white peppercorns; seldom also for colored pepper mixes, which are often offered in clear acrylic cases.
Mechanical pepper mills are operated by hand, usually by turning the appropriately designed (rotary) head of the mill or with the help of a small crank, usually made of metal, on the head of the mill. In the meantime, electromechanical pepper mills with a battery-powered motor grinder, which can usually be switched on with a pressure switch, are also available in the trade. They are mostly similar to mechanical pepper mills in terms of structure and shape.
Industrial plants for grinding peppercorns for trade and the food industry are not considered here.
Pepper mills in various designs, some with crank operation
Modern pepper and salt mill , here each with a steel housing and filling container made of acrylic plastic
Grinder, here made of non-stainless steel ("Carbon Steel")
3D tomogram of a disposable pepper mill (data from an industrial micro-CT )
History and use
The first pepper mills were probably made by the Peugeot brothers in 1842, replacing mortars and pestles .
Originally purely a kitchen appliance, today pepper mills can also be found in many households and restaurants as a table accessory and are part of table settings .
Comparable herb or salt mills were developed based on the example of pepper mills .
Sometimes there is a tradition in the restaurant that the waiter sprinkles freshly ground pepper on the dish just served in front of the guest with the pepper mill.
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Pepper mill: viewed historically . Article on Messerspezialist.de of April 8, 2011. Retrieved on April 12, 2012.
- ↑ What's the Deal With Waiters Grinding Pepper Onto Your Food? Slate, August 22, 2013, accessed August 23, 2013 .