One of the first, most life-impacting, changes we made was to eliminate white flour from our diets. After removing over 20 nutrients from the grain in the process of making white flour, the industry adds six nutrients back and calls it "enriched." (If I borrowed $20 from you and returned $6, would you feel "enriched"?) Even store-bought whole-wheat flour was not an option for me, since any flour loses virtually all of its nutritional value within 72 hours of milling; also, the wheat germ exposed to oxygen during the milling process becomes rancid without immediate refrigeration/freezing (and I don't have any idea how long it's been out of the mill). I can make whole-grain bread with fresh ingredients and no “stuff I don’t recognize” for under 60 cents a loaf. (I figured up that my Whispermill – the former Wondermill – paid for itself in about six months at one loaf per day.)
I LOVE having a countertop mill - we mill what we need as we need it. It's so simple and convenient that my children can mill just enough flour in seconds for a batch of brownies or tortillas, or in a few minutes I can mill enough flour for six loaves of bread.
(For more information on the nutritional value, storage, and use of various whole grains, I highly recommend Sue Gregg's More Than Breakfasts cookbook, from her Eating Better series.)
Q. Which mill is best for my family?
A. Answers will vary! (Depends on your family's needs)
I have used my WhisperMill (now manufactured as the WonderMill) since June 2000 and love it. It quickly makes a very fine flour for me with all the different grains and beans. It is very convenient to operate and is self-cleaning except for an occasional rinsing of the flour canister/separator cup.
Although it doesn't have a large "footprint" on my countertop because I stack the flour canister atop the unit, I do need to have space for the canister next to the unit when I actually run it. The hopper holds 8 cups of grain at a time and mills it in minutes to approximately 12 cups of flour. (See a video at the WonderMill page.)
I found the NutriMill to be a bit slower than the WhisperMill and not quite as amenable to larger beans, but not only does it make a very fine flour, it does a great job of coarser milling, which the WonderMill cannot do (like cornmeal or coarse wheat for cereals, etc.) and it does have a much greater capacity (20 cups flour vs. 12 cups flour). ). Flour quality is excellent in the NutriMill. This mill is a little quieter than the WonderMill, but it does run a bit longer, so that is sort of a trade-off (some people consider it just a different pitch). The mill can be turned off and on with grain in the hopper, which is a no-no with the WonderMill. If you are interested in the convenience of a hand-operated mill for non-electric use, the company hopes to introduce a hand-crank attachment for this machine in the near future.
The VitalMill offers the larger capacity of the NutriMill (20 cups flour) with a lower price than even the WonderMill, and comes in several colors. This mill does seem to be a little less convenient and a bit more cumbersome (especially if one has any hand dexterity issues), but that would be no problem for someone who plans to use it just several times a week, vs. several times a day. For those who are not interested in cornmeal, and who plan to bake just once or twice a week and that would be the bulk of their flour milling, or for those on a stricter budget, this mill is a good option.
All three mills carry lifetime or limited lifetime warranties and any would be a worthwhile investment.
Interested in purchasing a grain mill? Visit our grain mills page.
Grain Mills
