Kitchen equipment · Grinder

Coffee / spice grinder

A small grinder that turns coffee beans or whole spices into powder, with blades or burrs.

Useful to have · Electric · 48 recipes

Photo: Retired electrician, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0-1.0)

What it is

Blade grinders are small cups with a spinning blade, cheap and versatile for coffee and spices but uneven. Burr grinders crush beans between two ridged plates set to a chosen gap, giving an even, adjustable grind for coffee. Manual hand-crank burr grinders also exist. Keep a separate blade grinder for spices, as flavours linger.

What it’s for: Grinding coffee fresh to the right size for each brewing method, and grinding whole spices.

How to use it

Measure beans or spices into the hopper or cup.
Set the grind size: fine for espresso, medium for filter, coarse for French press.
Grind in short pulses for a blade grinder, shaking between.
Tap out the powder and brush away residue.

Good to know

Tasks: grinding coffee beans, grinding whole spices into masalas, grinding seeds such as flax and sesame, powdering sugar
Materials: stainless steel blades, steel or ceramic burrs, plastic housing
Care and cleaning: Brush out grounds; grind a spoonful of raw rice or bread to clean a spice grinder, then wipe. Do not wash the motor unit.
Limitations: Blade grinders are uneven; small capacity; strong spice smells transfer to coffee.

Safety

Unplug before cleaning the blade.
Dry chillies release irritating dust; open the lid away from your face.

If you don’t have one

Mortar and pestle — For spices and small amounts of coffee.
Blender — Mixer-grinder dry jars handle spices in larger batches.

Equipment guide

How it works: Blade grinders chop beans or spices with a spinning blade, producing a mix of particle sizes that depends on how long you run it. Burr grinders crush beans between two serrated surfaces set a fixed distance apart, giving consistent particle size, which matters for even coffee extraction.

Material	Good	Watch out
Stainless steel blades or burrs	Durable; easy to clean.	Blade grinders give uneven particles.
Ceramic burrs	Stay sharp a long time and run cool.	Brittle if a stone is in the beans.

Blade grinder: Cheap; best kept for spices.
Conical burr grinder: Consistent coffee grind; quieter.
Flat burr grinder: Very even particle size; common in cafés.
Hand grinder: Manual burr; quiet and portable.

Buying guidance

Starting out: A blade grinder kept for spices only; a burr grinder for coffee.

Keen cook: A burr grinder with stepped or stepless settings for espresso and filter.