


Most mills work pretty much the same way, but their design can vary in how the grind size is adjusted and how they are refilled with peppercorns. Because the fragments have to become small enough to pass through that space before they can exit the mill, the fineness of ground pepper can be adjusted by changing the distance between the two burrs. Cranking the mill forces peppercorns through the space between the burrs, where they’re cracked and crushed into fragments. How does a pepper mill work? At its simplest, a mill consists of two concentric, grooved burrs that rotate against each other. And if you take on a pepper-heavy recipe such as steak au poivre, which calls for a whole tablespoon of crushed peppercorns, any design flaws become even more apparent. We typically use pepper mills for only a few seconds at a time, but a poorly designed mill can make a few seconds feel like a lifetime. Its 2-inch opening made it a breeze to fill and it dispenses pepper from the top, keeping our countertop clear of pepper particles.Ī good pepper mill provides us with the freshly ground pepper we use to season food on a daily basis. The OXO Good Grips Mess-Free Pepper Grinder is our Best Buy. Our winner, the Cole & Mason Derwent Pepper Mill, has a wide opening at the top of the mill for filling and distinct grind sizes marked on a dial on its base.

A great pepper mill is easy to load with peppercorns and has clearly marked grind settings that are simple to adjust, allowing you to grind pepper in a range of textures from fine to coarse.
