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Anyone who reads a delicious recipe somewhere that comes from a more or less well-known chef has no idea what his original manuscript looked like.
In the exams for the master craftsman's diploma, everything is asked, but unfortunately not the ability to write instructions that can be cooked by the interested layman.
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In every beautiful cookbook there is a lot of work by the recipe editors, also because of the sometimes quite cryptic templates.
And while doing these same tasks over the past few years I have come across a rather strange ingredient: "Add salt, sugar and a pepper mill to taste".
Now it might be very interesting for basic research in culinary science to cook a pepper mill for an hour or two in the soup.
Of course, this means using freshly ground pepper to taste.
The cooks were just too lazy to write that into their recipe.
In view of the increasing professionalization of the hobby cook, this requirement seems increasingly superfluous.
On the other hand, someone seems to be buying these nasty pre-ground peppers (including the white sneeze powder) from the spice shelves of the supermarkets.
At the time of purchase, these have already shrunk to a minimum of their original aroma through oxidation and exposure to light.
No question.
Anyone who has a little cooking honor in their body needs a pepper mill.
Or two.
Zassenhaus pepper mill Frankfurt 18 cm
The last time I used pre-ground pepper was when I was a student.
But since I got my first pepper mill through the estate of an heir aunt, the musty powder no longer came into the kitchen.
This mill was made of honey-colored wood, turned into a kind of barrel shape with some inexplicable bulges.
It had a rusted crank and a lid opening so small that I could only pour the pepper in grains if it didn't land on the floor.
It doesn't matter, because a whole new world suddenly opened up in terms of taste.
This was made possible by the grinder: I was lucky enough to have a copy with one of the legendary grinders from the French manufacturer Peugeot (the one with the lion in the box, not the car maker with the bear) in my hands at the beginning of my personal pepper mill relationship to be allowed.
The most solid, sharpest and longest-lasting pepper mills in the world have been built there since the end of the 19th century.
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Zassenhaus Pepper Mill Frankfurt 18 cm, dark brown beechwood with continuously adjustable high-performance ceramic grinder, filled
From € 28.90
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In the meantime, after four or five Peugeots, I have to say: built.
Maybe I was unlucky again and again, but the French - each in the typical "Paris" turning shape, made of wood and without a crank - on my pepper front got worse and worse.
Especially when it comes to the moisture sensitivity of the grinders.
When you see cooks working with the grinder at a distance of one and a half meters above the steaming pot or the smoking pan, this is, in addition to the apparently innate tendency of this profession to pose great, mainly because the hot, moist vapors do not get too close to the spice maker should.
They cause the grains to swell and therefore difficult to grind.
And for corrosion that can quickly dull even the hottest grinder at the beginning.
Sad, because the pepper should be cut rather than crushed in order to bring its full ethereal character to the flavoring of our dishes.
That doesn't matter when seasoning at the dining table, but even there I swapped my electric Peugeot for a manual ceramic grinder from another manufacturer.
In addition to the advantages of the ceramic grinder and the fact that the grinding degree setting was much more precise in a direct comparison, the old Mahlknecht's batteries were guaranteed to be empty whenever it didn't fit at all.
In addition, the electric mill had a grist container made of transparent plexiglass.
You can see when it's time to refill - but by this point the incident light has already ruined the fresh pepper fun.
Meanwhile, my three grinders (colored and white pepper in the kitchen, a clean one at the dining table) come from the German manufacturer Zassenhaus.
There, like Peugeot, the models are named after cities - I prefer the 18 centimeter high »Frankfurt«.
You have an indestructible ceramic work that will not stick or become blunt even after years.
The degree of grinding is safe and easy to adjust and the sturdy, dark beech housing has survived a few falls.
And for seven euros there is a tailor-made stainless steel refill funnel from Zassenhaus.
Since then, I've only been making the food spicy.
And no longer the kitchen floor.
What's this?
Probably the best pepper mill on the market at the moment
Who needs it
What shall this question be for?
What does this cost?
From 25 euros, the "Frankfurt" is just under 30 euros
Quality King mortar
Of all tools for chopping spices, the mortar is the oldest in human history: As early as the 11th century BC, graters were used in Asia Minor.
The oldest traditional cooking recipes with a mortar insert come from the Roman Empire, where the device was called Mortarium in Latin.
In many other ancient cultures from Egypt to the Aztecs, everything that had to be chopped up or crushed before further preparation was ground in a mortar - from cassava and herbs to avocado and dried prawns for Asian seasoning sauces.
In my kitchen, the mortar is usually taken out of the cupboard either for hard dry spices such as pepper.
Or for aromatics such as coriander seeds, pipalli, star anise, cloves and allspice - previously heated in a dry pan to intensify the aroma.
And for all kinds of pesto. With this pasta topping, the name already says that electric blenders are totally out of place here: »pestare« means »mash«.
But it could also be called “arm training”, because making pesto in a mortar is really tough.
They are trained here more in terms of endurance than strength.
After all, pesto ingredients such as garlic, salt, cheese, basil and pine nuts up to supplements such as dried tomatoes, capers or anchovies are rather soft.
What they all have in common, however, is their tendency to lose their aroma via oxidation if they are in contact with the air for too long (as well as when heated in the mixer).
Therefore, vigorous and at the same time quick work is the order of the day.
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Quality King mortar with large pestle, granite mortar, mortar with flail, granite mortar, spice mortar with flail, can be used on both sides
From € 44.99
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In all cases, a solid plunger helps, which lie comfortably in the hand and should be made of solid material - under no circumstances should it be hollow on the inside.
With mortars, which otherwise have a smooth surface, for example made of porcelain, a slight roughening in the lower mixing area is important, otherwise the hard spices will fly across the kitchen.
And of course, a mortar has to have a decent weight and a good stand.
Then this part accompanies you through the whole cooking life.
Unless you accidentally drop it on the kitchen stone floor with my lovely white ceramic mortar like I did.
I didn't buy the "Quality King" because of its seldom stupid name, but because I had already worked with it a few times for a friend.
As a hobby cook who is notoriously lazy when it comes to cleaning, the only thing I miss is the possibility of simply being able to put the item in the dishwasher, which was no problem with the porcelain predecessor.
Granite mortars should not even come into contact with washing-up liquid - so always brush them under hot water as soon as possible after use.
Otherwise, the "King" is a good three kilos in weight in the middle, but is rock solid.
Not only does it offer me everything a mortar can offer, but much more.
For example, you can turn it around and grind a tablespoon of peppercorns in the small bottom bowl without having to dig into the large main bowl.
My double mortar.
What's this?
A stable granite mortar with an ergonomic pestle and a second, smaller mortar bowl in the bottom.
Who needs it
Anyone who likes to cook with spices and doesn't like to eat their pesto as squashed baby food.
What does this cost?
Usable mortars from around 25 euros, this costs 33 euros
Microplane spice mill
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Microplane spice grinder stainless steel for nutmeg cinnamon tonka beans
From € 24.95
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With three pepper mills and a sturdy mortar, it was always clear to me that I didn't need a separate spice grinder.
For nutmeg, tonka bean, cinnamon stick or pipalp pepper, there is always an extremely fine microplane grater that turns these hard spices into flour-like dust, always within reach.
But then came that damn day when I dropped the nutmeg, which had been grated down to a quarter, three times in a row in the bechamel sauce.
Again and again I laboriously fished it out and fumbled the next stub out of the can (the moist nut cannot be rubbed at first).
Fortunately, my birthday was approaching and the grinder from my favorite grater manufacturer was promptly on the table.
It has a practical, well-closing compartment for the nuts (cinnamon sticks are usually a bit too long) and finally grinds them down to the last crumb to create the finest hint of spice.
I never missed looking for nuts in the cloudy broth.
What's this?
A mill specializing in very hard spices such as nutmeg or cinnamon.
Who needs it
Anyone who does not feel like throwing away spice leftovers that are actually still usable.
What does this cost?
Between 15 and 50 euros, the microplane is 25 euros
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