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on Gopher (inofficial)
URI Visit Hacker News on the Web
COMMENT PAGE FOR:
URI The Peppermills of Jens Quistgaard
ilovecurl wrote 1 day ago:
As an avid fan of Star Control, I can't help but love the Druuge model,
"His reference for this millâs shape comes from similarly shaped
alien ships in a video game called Star Control."
dmd wrote 1 day ago:
But can they sing?
URI [1]: https://teenage.engineering/products/choir
jonstewart wrote 1 day ago:
Gorgeous pepper mills. The website breaks the back button, however.
bookofjoe wrote 1 day ago:
Not for me.
Crunchified wrote 1 day ago:
The pepper grinders at the gift shoppe at Seattle's Space Needle are
terrible.
Someone like this designer needs to make a GOOD Space Needle pepper
grinder with a good (Peugeot) mechanism!
(I recall a sombrero-roofed observation tower at the I-95 South of the
Border rest stop/tourist trap in South Carolina called the Spice
Needle)
buescher wrote 1 day ago:
It was sort of a thing for southern California machinists to start
peppermill companies, or at least two. I have a vintage William Bounds
one marked "made on the third planet from the sun" and I used to have
an Olde Thompson I think.
mauvehaus wrote 1 day ago:
These are handsome, but my real question is: how's the mechanism? Of
the half dozen or so pepper mills I've owned, half of them kind of
sucked from the get-go (the current one grinds ok, but doesn't feed
fresh peppercorns without a regular shake), and the other half broke in
a couple years (the last one the adjustment mechanism jammed up). I
don't feel like I'm an unreasonably aggressive pepper grinder, nor do I
think I use an abnormally large amount of pepper. Hell, I'd only call
myself a halfway decent home cook.
In related news: does anyone want to recommend a decent commercial,
easily available option? Not looking to spend a fortune, but would be
willing to spend enough to have one that'll last another 40-50 years.
tesseract wrote 2 hours 7 min ago:
I have been happy with my pepper mill with a Crushgrind mechanism.
(The mill happens to be from Normann Copenhagen but Crushgrind
supplies mechanisms to a number of pepper mill manufacturers as well
as selling their own.)
tpm wrote 19 hours 13 min ago:
Peugeots are good and if you want something handsome too, there are
Alessi Twergi mills designed by Ettore Sottsass with good mechanism
too. We only got it a few years ago but I think it will last.
horsawlarway wrote 23 hours 56 min ago:
Not a fan of all the hexclad stuff, but I have to admit their pepper
& salt grinders are excellent.
I was given the large set: [1] Seems to be pretty similar to the
other one posted, but about half the price ($129 for just the pepper
grinder, $200 for the pair - they go on sale down to ~$85 on amazon
every now and then as well).
Having the built in cap is actually pretty damn useful, too - you can
just grind into the cap and measure tsp out of it directly without
needing another container.
Easily the best grinders I have ever used, going strong 2 years in
now. I use them just about daily.
URI [1]: https://hexclad.com/products/hexmill-salt-and-pepper-grinder...
searealist wrote 1 day ago:
I use a coffee grinder with a hand crank.
pembrook wrote 1 day ago:
Peugeot used to be the best but apparently have degraded quality over
the years.
Zassenhaus and Zwilling are both German options of the same quality
or better.
ahartmetz wrote 19 hours 6 min ago:
My Zassenhaus pepper mill works great. It produces a lot of ground
pepper with little force required. The only complaint is that it's
difficult to fill without spilling, well like most pepper mills.
I'm not using it heavily, so I can't really vouch for its
longevity. It feels very solid, though.
jonah wrote 1 day ago:
We recently bought the "Trudeau Seville Pepper Mill, 6-Inch". It was
quire inexpensive, has an all metal mechanism, and does a coarse
grind that my wife likes. We've used it daily for a couple years now
and it's been flawless.
dgacmu wrote 1 day ago:
I have two of "The Original Greek Pepper Mill" - it's an 8" tall
copper thing. It's been amazing. Why do I have two of them, you ask?
I kept my mom's after she passed; it was probably 30 years old
already.
If you want to grind a ton of pepper with fine grind control, you
could also use one of the modern generations of manual coffee
grinders, like the MHW-3Bomber Blade R3 or the cheaper TIMEMORE
knockoff. They have excellent and fast and precise grind mechanisms.
I'm not sure about the MHW but the timemore will stand alone with the
bottom of so you can use it like you'd use a coffee grinder, or
attach the grinds cup if you want to crank out a lot.
(I'm using an older, cheaper manual coffee grinder as my sichuan
peppercorn grinder and it's solid for that but I do prefer the greek
mill from an aesthetic perspective -- and it's so dang solid.)
inferiorhuman wrote 1 day ago:
does anyone want to recommend a decent commercial, easily available
option?
I've a Vic Firth (yes, that Vic Firth) one that I've had for a couple
decades. They're now sold under the Fletcher's Mill brand. They use
their own stainless steel mechanism.
I went looking for a mill for white pepper recently. I've a 50 year
old Danish mill I'd love to repair, but that's a project for another
day. Serious Eats seems to like the Kuhn Rikon ones but none of the
long term reviews on the KR site are positive. Peugeot naysayers
seem to be popping up more frequently, and for that price I'd expect
better. Each seems to attract a few specific types of complaints
which to me seems to lend a bit of credibility.
In any case, my new Fletcher's Mill grinder just showed up today and
superficially it looks like they've only made small changes. The
adjustment mechanism is the same and similar to the classic Peugeot
mechanism. I've not taken it apart, but I believe the grinding
mechanism is the same two stage unit as my old one.
deanputney wrote 23 hours 25 min ago:
The Fletcher's Mill grinders are _excellent_. Highly recommend
these.
miriam_catira wrote 1 day ago:
No idea if it'll last 40-50 years, but I've used this probably about
10(?), and it's been great. You do need a small funnel to fill it
though.
It's not the standard size or functionality, but I've discovered I
actually prefer this ratchet style. (It's fun!)
URI [1]: https://www.surlatable.com/product/sur-la-table-ratchet-mill...
johnthescott wrote 21 hours 27 min ago:
i have cooked for years with ratchet mill.
milleramp wrote 1 day ago:
I have gone through several mills and heard about the Mankitchen on
HN a while back. It's expensive but it's the best pepper mill I have
ever used.
URI [1]: https://mannkitchen.eu/products/the-original-pepper-cannon-p...
searealist wrote 1 day ago:
The price is insane, on par with the most expensive espresso hand
grinders.
klausa wrote 19 hours 15 min ago:
I have considered just getting a mid-range burr coffee grinder
for my pepper more than once...
robertlutece wrote 21 hours 54 min ago:
having this in mind?
URI [1]: https://weberworkshops.com/products/moulin-grinders
caseyohara wrote 1 day ago:
I also heard about this mill on HN and can also say itâs by far
the best peppermill Iâve ever used. It is rock solid. I also
bought the salt mill.
ryanchants wrote 1 day ago:
I've been using a Peugeot 23461 for 5 years of near daily cooking
with no issues. Jut finished making a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich
with some aggressive peppering with it.
atombender wrote 1 day ago:
Peugeot is the gold standard. The traditional hourglass shape is
around $40-50 for the normal-sized version, and they have a lot of
other modern designs. A lot of competing brands buy the internal
mechanism from Peugeot.
(If you're curious about the name: Yes, it was originally the same
company as the Peugeot car/motorcycle company. It was spun out into a
separate company at some point, but still owned by the descendants of
the original Peugeot family.)
dcminter wrote 19 hours 22 min ago:
I'd never heard of them until a few days ago, then this article
mentioned them:
URI [1]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42737510
__alexs wrote 20 hours 19 min ago:
They are decent but not incredible. The adjustment mechanism is
mostly plastic so it's fragile and easily broken in a drop. The
grinding mechanism is solid metal but also basic and doesn't
produce a very even grind at any setting.
Our_Benefactors wrote 4 hours 45 min ago:
> and doesn't produce a very even grind at any setting.
Moving from an oxo pepper grinder to a Peugeot was night and day.
The Peugeot is very consistent, and even the âcoarseâ setting
is more uniform than any other grinder Iâve used. I donât
have this issue at all, very much the opposite.
ginko wrote 1 day ago:
Didnât have great experiences with peugeot grinders.
_whiteCaps_ wrote 1 day ago:
Interesting! My Peugeots have lasted 20 years and are still going
strong. Maybe they've been enshittified since then.
wrboyce wrote 1 day ago:
I have the metal ones, just looked and I bought them in March
2018 and theyâre fantastic - definitely not enshittified. I
particularly like the adjustable grind size!
bob1029 wrote 1 day ago:
I bought the cheapest coffee grinder I could find at the grocery
store. Does a fantastic job. I usually grind up about a half cup at a
time.
kzrdude wrote 1 day ago:
It seems to list the mechanism on each model. A bunch of them seem to
use Peugeot for the mechanism and I have a such branded grinder that
seems to hold up really well..
germinalphrase wrote 1 day ago:
These are well regarded, and I donât have any complaints about mine
(other than the style is basic black): [1] Mechanism is solid. More
aggressive than your typical grinder, but maybe not as to the same
degree as a Pepper Cannon.
I would just call them to order though.
URI [1]: https://www.unicornmills.org/
bigjimmyk3 wrote 6 hours 32 min ago:
I have owned a Unicorn mill for nearly 20 years, and it is still
going strong.
Clamchop wrote 1 day ago:
I've got an OXO that has worked great since I bought it in 2014. It's
an ugly piece of white plastic, but it's efficient, unfussy,
ergonomic, and adjustable.
URI [1]: https://a.co/d/609d3IX
Our_Benefactors wrote 4 hours 43 min ago:
I had this until I lost it in a move. Decided to upgrade to a
Peugeot. The Peugeot is way better.
calmbonsai wrote 1 day ago:
I've got this OXO version and it has worked great too. The
singular down-side being that its rubbery bottom tends to grip too
tightly to surfaces so it falls over instead of sliding.
This makes sense due to that end being the gripped side during use.
[1] I also own the aforementioned Unicorn. I use it for "bulk
black pepper" grinding and use this model for finer grinds of white
and green pepper.
URI [1]: https://amzn.com/dp/B08DL86ZCQ
davee5 wrote 1 day ago:
Mannkitchen Pepper Cannon. I absolutely adore this device and have
bought a few as friends for discerning cooks and mechanical gadget
lovers. Build quality is utterly fantastic and the quality of the
grind is excellent. Most importantly the ability for it to grind
copious amounts of pepper with minimal input is unmatched. I tried
just about all the other ones recommended on various forums but none
match up, not even close. Yeah it's $200 but oh man is it nice.
tstrimple wrote 10 hours 43 min ago:
It's a buy once cry once situation for me. Very happy with my
Pepper Cannon and I no longer have to give myself RSI grinding
enough pepper for cooking large meals.
zhengyi13 wrote 1 day ago:
I clicked on the article on a lark, and I was stunned? certainly
excited to see the "Acorn" model there: my father's had one of those
for... well, as long as I can remember. Maybe near 50 years now?
Still beautiful in teak.
steve_adams_86 wrote 1 day ago:
Wow, these are beautiful. My dad used to make these as a sort of hobby
(he liked any excuse to hop on the lathe, and they made great gifts;
you don't realize how awful the ones in big box stores are until
someone makes you a proper one). He'll love to see this.
It didn't occur to me that there'd be such an extensive collection of
something seemingly so obscure, yet here we are. It seems like this
exists for everything out there.
It's very nostalgic in a way. Though my dad's were different, the dark,
solid wood and geometric shapes bring me back to my childhood.
pengaru wrote 12 hours 2 min ago:
> you don't realize how awful the ones in big box stores are until
someone makes you a proper one
Every time I find myself stocking another kitchen I'm reminded how
99% of what's sold in American stores now is trash, esp. when it
comes to the can opener and pepper mill. Just finding a mill that
doesn't litter microplastics on everything is an endless treasure
hunt, before even considering aesthetics and capacity.
cafard wrote 11 hours 16 min ago:
Amen to the can opener. Our very old one is is vastly better than
anything in the stores.
unwind wrote 1 day ago:
When the article said:
These peppermills, otherwise known as âtable seasonersâ, evoke tiny
household sculptures, powerful individually, but most compelling when
grouped and viewed in sets.
Is that some kind of direct translation from Danish, the "table
seasoners" part? I'm certainly not a native speaker of English, but
that was a term I've never heard before ... I tried googling it but
didn't find much, which is why I ask.
ade2 wrote 14 hours 56 min ago:
There is a word like that in swedish (bordskrydda) and danish
(bordkrydderi) meaning spices/seasoners that are on the table (and
added as each person prefers during the meal). Direct translation
would be "table seasoners" or "table spice".
austinjp wrote 19 hours 19 min ago:
It's not a phrase I've ever heard before.
Breaking it down, in case you're curious:
"Seasoning" (you're doubtless aware) refers to salt and pepper, and
the act of adding them to food. But I've never heard the word
"seasoner" to refer to a salt or pepper dispenser.
The "table" part is fairly commonly used as in "table salt" i.e. salt
in a dispenser on the dining table. It's also occasionally used in
phrases like "water for the table" when asking a waiter to bring
enough water for everyone at the table.
But "table seasoners" is a bit over-laboured for me.
tokai wrote 19 hours 25 min ago:
Seems like its only used online by Dansk Designs. So its a US
marketing term.
shermantanktop wrote 1 day ago:
> otherwise known as âtable seasonersâ
...to the author, who is now trying to make "table seasoner" happen
by implying that everyone who is anyone is saying it.
867-5309 wrote 1 day ago:
table salt, but not table pepper or table seasoners
soegaard wrote 1 day ago:
In modern Danish it is "saltkværn" (salt mill) and "peberkværn"
(peber mill).
curmudgeon22 wrote 1 day ago:
I've never heard that term before (native english speaker)
e_i_pi_2 wrote 1 day ago:
[1] Site wouldn't load for me, here's an archive version
URI [1]: https://web.archive.org/web/20241228230216/http://quistgaardpe...
jonathonlacher wrote 8 hours 45 min ago:
Blocked on enterprise firewall for me, "weapons".
xtiansimon wrote 15 hours 56 min ago:
Hmm. It loads on my dino iPhone SE 2020.
I was looking for someone else here who appreciated the design and
quality of the content. Lots of sites of this type are not as nice as
this.
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