How to grind coffee without a coffee grinder, make powdered sugar, grind and grind grains, flax seeds, oatmeal at home

How to grind coffee without a coffee grinder?

You can grind coffee using improvised means that you are likely to find in any kitchen. The main thing is to figure out how to carry out manipulations using this or that device in order to obtain high-quality raw materials suitable for brewing a drink.

Food processor

If your food processor is powerful enough to grind nuts, then it can handle coffee beans . Of course, the grinding will be uneven and quite coarse, but you can still brew an invigorating drink from it. For this:

Measure the amount of beans needed to prepare the drink and pour into the bowl of a food processor.
Grind pulsely, 5 seconds at a time . Monitor the degree and uniformity of grinding. Repeat the action until you achieve the desired result.

Important! Ground beans give a very strong aroma. To get rid of it, disassemble and rinse your food processor immediately after grinding.

Blender

A blender, like a food processor, produces fairly large fractions of coffee beans. To avoid overheating and damage to the device, it is important to adhere to the following instructions :

100 grams of coffee beans into the blender bowl.
Grind in short bursts of 2-3 seconds .
If necessary, add more coffee beans during the process.
When all the grains have been ground, turn on the grinding mode again for 5-10 seconds to achieve smaller and more uniform fractions.

Attention! An immersion blender is much more difficult to work with than a stationary blender. To prevent the grains from scattering in different directions, use a high container and a lid.

Meat grinder

It doesn’t matter what kind of meat grinder you have - an old “Soviet” one or a modern electric one. In both the first and second cases, this technique can be used to grind coffee beans. And if it is equipped with knives for grinding spices, then it will be able to produce good raw materials for brewing in a Turk or French press.

To ensure that the taste of the resulting drink does not disappoint you, follow the following instructions:

Wash the meat grinder thoroughly - both inside and outside. This is necessary so that the grain does not absorb foreign food odors.
Pour the beans into the device and pass through the blades - if the grind is not coarse enough, repeat the action several times .

Manual grinding

Manual grinding is a more energy-intensive way to obtain coffee raw materials , which can be used when none of the above is at hand.

The following devices can help with this.

Mechanical mill

A mechanical grinder for grinding spices can be useful if you need to prepare raw materials for a couple of cups of coffee . The fractions are large, uneven, but still suitable for cooking. For this:

Pour beans into the mill and turn the millstones several times.
Pour the resulting mass back into the mill and repeat the procedure.

Hammer

This procedure cannot be called grinding coffee, but nevertheless, it is still possible to grind the beans.

For this:

Place them in a tight plastic bag with a zip fastener.
Place it on a towel and spread the coffee in an even layer. Cover with another towel on top.
Using light tapping, go over the entire surface of the bag..
Gradually increase the amplitude and intensity of the blows.
Continue the procedure until the grains are crushed to a satisfactory state.

Mortar

A mortar for grinding spices can also help out when you need to prepare no more than two servings of an invigorating drink . The degree of grinding depends only on your desire and perseverance - you can get both large and small fractions. For this:

Pour 1-2 tablespoons of coffee beans into a mortar.
Take the pestle, and covering the top of the mortar with your hand, begin to knead the grains along the walls .
Remove the tool from the bowl, place it in an upright position and continue to crush the beans until you get the desired grind.

Note! Pour a small amount of grains into the mortar if you want to get the finest and most uniform product possible.

rolling pin

An ordinary kitchen rolling pin can do this job just as well as a hammer. For this:

Place the beans in a ziplock bag and place it on a flat surface.
Spread the coffee in an even layer.
Wrap the bag in a towel.
Use a rolling pin to gently tap the grains to break them up.
Roll out the raw materials with a rolling pin as you usually roll out dough to obtain a finer grind.

Important! If you don't have a ziplock bag, you can use sheets of parchment paper.

Types of grinding

Their purpose depends on how well the grains are crushed. Here are the grinders that you can get without a grinder:

Coarse grind (grain size about one millimeter, suitable for a French press or coffee maker)
Medium grind (fine granules, for American coffee machines)
Fine grind (fine granules, suitable for Turkish, geyser coffee makers, coffee machines)

Ultra-fine grinding is also possible (in powder form, for Turkish or Turkish on sand), but this cannot be achieved without a coffee grinder.

The effect of grinding on the taste of the drink?

Size matters. At least when it comes to grinding coffee. It's not just about choosing the right beans, but also how beautiful they are. The wrong choice can negatively affect the taste characteristics of well-fried raw materials. Every professional barista knows the importance of precise grinding of coffee. If you want to prepare a quality cup of drink at home, the following information will be useful to you.

It's not just about choosing a high-quality coffee grinder, but also about precise and delicate grinding. This means that the crushed particles are as close to the same size as possible, which, among other things, allows hot water to flow through the powder at the desired speed, neither too slow nor too fast. Correct grinding has a great influence on the time, on the efficiency of extraction, on the disclosure of all components contained in the raw material. If the grind is too coarse, the water flows very quickly, which prevents you from using the coffee to its full potential. On the other hand, grinding too fine causes the drink to flow slowly, so the drink is unnecessarily extracted. In the first case, drink only “colored water”; in the second, the drink turns out to be very bitter. Understanding the impact of bean grinding on the final flavor of coffee opens up a new world of experimentation. You will find that you can prepare one drink in many different ways. Experiment with the grinder, vary the grind. After a few tries you will get the perfect drink.

How to make powdered sugar without a special device?

What to do when you need powdered sugar to prepare a dessert, but don’t have a coffee grinder at home? Let's look at the most popular ways to prepare sugar powder .

Using a spice mortar. A vessel made of marble or porcelain is best suited for this purpose - thanks to its smooth surface, you can obtain high-quality and uniform grinding. Pour sugar into it and grind with a pestle until it becomes powdery.
Using paper and a bottle (rolling pin). Fold the sheet in half like a book and pour sugar in the center. Using a rolling pin or glass bottle, roll until the sugar crystals are ground into powder.
Using a woven bag and a hammer. Fill the cloth bag exactly halfway with sugar. Tie it tightly and, armed with a hammer, start knocking on the bag, constantly turning it from one side to the other. This method is inconvenient because you have to untie the bag many times to check the degree of grinding of the sugar.
Using a mixer. You will need an older model mixer with a double blade attachment. To ensure that the sugar crystals are well ground, add it in small portions. The bowl should be deep enough so that the product does not scatter to the sides.

Summarize

As you can see, the question of how to grind coffee without a coffee grinder is not difficult to solve. There is a way out of any situation. Even during a power outage, if you are smart, you can always get ground coffee from beans.

But be aware that using homemade items for unusual operations increases the risk of breakage or injury. Therefore, manipulations must be carried out carefully, more carefully. Use these methods only as a last resort.

How to grind flax seeds and oatmeal?

Flax seeds are a valuable source of omega-3. However, in order for the body to absorb the nutrients, they need to be ground. This can be done in several ways :

Mill for grinding flax . This special device should be in the kitchen of everyone who constantly uses seeds as a topping for cereals, smoothies and drinks. Outwardly, it resembles a symbiosis of a coffee grinder and a spice mill. To grind, pour the seeds into the wide hole and turn the wide part of the device clockwise.

Reference! Using a grinder, one spoonful of seeds and oatmeal can be ground in less than 30 seconds.

Mill for grinding spices and herbs . A versatile device, but in the case of flax seeds, be prepared for your wrist to get tired quickly. Open the mill and pour about 30 grams of seeds into it. Close the lid and start turning the handle until you grind the seeds to the desired consistency.
Using a mortar . It’s great if the mortar is made of marble or stone - then its weight is ideal for grinding flax. To do this, pour the required amount of seeds into a mortar and rotate the handle (grinding pestle) in a circle, as if pressing the seeds against the walls. Keep pressing down on the pestle until the seeds reach the desired consistency.
Food processor/blender . Using a powerful food processor, you can grind 3 cups of flaxseed at once, which is very convenient if you need it for future use. To do this, pour the seeds into the combine, set it to fine grinding mode and turn on the device. Stop the device from time to time and stir the seeds with a spoon to help them grind better. On average, the entire process takes from 5 to 15 minutes.

Important! Whole flax seeds can be stored for a year in a regular spice jar. The ground ones must be placed in a sealed bag or container and stored away from direct sunlight.

For better preservation of seeds, grind them only immediately before use.

Adviсe

Do not forget that you should not use electrical appliances for a long time for purposes other than their intended purpose; coffee beans are strong and can damage equipment. After use, devices should be washed thoroughly. Use them carefully and only as a last resort.

Both bean and ground coffee must be stored under special conditions so that it does not lose its properties: sealed storage in a cool place without light, low humidity. Ground coffee retains its properties in the correct packaging for a week, but it is better to store coffee in beans.

Remember that it is better to grind your coffee before using it. In this case, you get delicious and aromatic coffee.

Spice mill

The spice mill is designed for grinding spices. The design and volume of the mechanical unit are different, but this tool is usually not designed for large batches of product. In a mill you can grind a small amount of grains, which is enough for one brew. As in the case of a meat grinder, for better results the operation is repeated several times. The grind will be medium.

Hand mills are most often made of wood, which absorbs odors well. The aroma of spices is unlikely to spoil the coffee, but you will no longer be able to enjoy the pure taste of a rare type of Arabica or Robusta. In addition, after grinding flavored varieties, the mill will be very difficult to clean.

Disadvantages of using kitchen appliances:

danger of overheating;
failure of cutting parts;
reduced service life;
persistent odor that is difficult to get rid of.

What to keep in mind when using home appliances for purposes other than their intended purpose

Each kitchen device has a specific purpose - grinding, cutting, crushing. You can grind coffee beans without a coffee grinder using electronic meat grinders, blenders, and food processors. But several fundamental points cannot be ignored:

Using home appliances for purposes other than intended reduces the service life of devices.
Parts of devices (knives, cutters) may become dull from exposure to hard grains.
Equipment must be thoroughly washed before and after processing coffee beans so that the coffee does not absorb the smell of food.

If the equipment is used for a long time not for its intended purpose, its blades may become deformed. As a one-time option, grinding grains is suitable, but you should not get carried away so as not to damage expensive home appliances.