Look out, folks, it’s been a year since I got in front of the video camera for Kitchen Stewardship, and for good reason! Get ready to laugh at my amateur videotaping and lack of editing skills (i.e. I don’t edit at all, deal with it.)
My friend Shannon and I got together for some fun grain mill testing – we’re food nerds that way for sure! She dragged me to her house last year to show me how awesome the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day method is, although apparently I wasn’t a very good student.
Last week her Wondermill took on my Nutrimill, and both grain mills made a fair showing. There were definitely a lot of differences, thought.
I think I’ll just let you enjoy the videos of the grain mill challenge without any further introduction (and I’ll scribe them a bit afterward in case you hate watching online videos like I do).
Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom for the final assessment…
By the way, did you know the average Internet user watches 183 online videos a month? Since I don’t watch any, that means other people are watching a LOT to compensate. Phew!
The Head-to-Head Challenge:
Video Notes:
- Both the Wondermill and Nutrimill grain mills take up a lot of space.
- The Wondermill supposedly is dust-free as long as the lid is on tight. You will not see this demonstrated correctly in the video! The Nutrimill has a tendency to blow out a little flour, especially right at the beginning.
- Apologies for the belly in the way of the Wondermill – she was two days overdue at the time!
- The Wondermill grain mill beat the Nutrimill on the fine grind with a 1/2 cup of grain by almost 5 seconds…but…
- EDIT: I am a techno-idiot and accidentally set my motor speed to "low" while showing Shannon that I didn’t really understand what that dial did. Turns out it slows things down c0nsiderably. I timed it at home, and 1/2 cup wheat berries on "high" with a fine grind took exactly 15 seconds, which looks to be even exactly with the Wondermill’s total. Whoops!
- They’re both really loud.
What’s the Mess? and Sifting the Bran:
Video Notes:
- The Wondermill definitely keeps the flour more contained, since the Nutrimill ends up with flour on the top of the lid, which usually gets on the counter when you flip the lid over to set it down.
- Sifting the bran was interesting – it totally came right out and was a much coarser grind than the rest of the flour!
Sifting the Flour – How Much is Left?
Video Notes: The Nutrimill ended up with slightly less bran overall vs. the Wondermill, so we theorized that the Nutrimill might grind a bit finer.
Coarse Grind Head-to-Head
Video Notes:
- Nutrimill = 8 seconds (on the "low" motor setting again, grrrr….)
- We blow flour out of the Wondermill like crazy again because the lid is not on tightly and laugh uncontrollably. We don’t really know who won as we were pretty distracted.
- We taped it again, but this one’s funnier! In the second try, the Wondermill took about 5 seconds and the Nutrimill took 6.
What You Can’t See in the Videos
- Both the Nutrimill and Wondermill are micronizing grain mills with stainless steel plates.
- This means neither can grind flax seeds or any nut, which was a great disappointment to me as I was hoping to make inexpensive almond flour! You’d need something like a Wondermill Junior Deluxe, which can grind without power, to work with nuts and oily seeds. The obvious disadvantage is the whole hand crank thing, 80 cranks and 1 minute for 3/4 cup of flour. (The link is to Cookware’s Plus, one of KS’s February sponsors.)
- The Nutrimill has a very large capacity (21-cup) bowl, vs. the Wondermill’s 12-cup.
- The Wondermill must be on before grain is poured in, and if it is stopped mid-grind, it can jam up and break. That seems like a deal-breaker to me, since I would be the one blowing flour all over my kitchen (or downstairs bathroom) because of user error and unable to turn it off. I’ve also heard readers complain that their kids ended up breaking their Wondermill because they would turn it on or off at the wrong times.
No Monday Mission?
I know, I know…where’s the Monday Mission? It’s Nutrimill week, and I promise you’ll find plenty to challenge you the next two weeks, but I’m suspending the missions themselves to make room for whole grain goodness! Read all about the upcoming topics in Friday’s post (announcing an upcoming FREE eBook!).
Would you like to know what I do while waiting for my grain to grind? 
I fold laundry. See the ol’ Nutrimill back there in the laundry room, next to the Excalibur dehydrator and my food processor? That pile of clothing on the floor gets a minute of attention every time I bake bread. 
Other Resources:
- A nice quick breakdown of many grain mill reviews by Marilyn Moll of Urban Homemaker.
- If you’re in the GR, MI area, Shannon has one extra electric Wondermill for sale in her Etsy store for a wholesale price. (Or you could pay shipping if you’re out of town.)
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Tracy Dyer says
I love your measuring spoons! Where can I get them? Can’t wait for the grainmill giveaway! I have been anxiously waiting this since your first announcement back in… was it early fall? Any who – love your blog, the vlogs and all your missions!
Katie says
Tracy,
I’ll have to check with Shannon, as we were at her house. I want to say they’re Pampered Chef, but outdated? I’ll see what she says. 🙂 Katie
Hanna says
Yes, those are Pampered Chef measuring spoons. They are outdated (the new ones you can find at http://www.pamperedchef.com) and no longer available. You could try e-bay or garage sales if you wanted that particular set of spoons. And yes, I used to be a consultant, but I no longer have those spoons – though I thoroughly love the new ones!
Tracy Dyer says
Thanks! I did find it on ebay – however not sure if I would prefer the new ones.. Either one sure would consolidate some space in my misc. kitchen tool drawer!
Chris says
I was looking forward to seeing this all weekend as I’ve been wanting a Nutrimill for a long time, just not in the budget right now. The two of them seem to be very similar, however I am still thinking the nutrimill as I would be afraid of breaking the wondermill. LOL Loved the videos, thanks for making them. 🙂
Kate @ Modern Alternative Mama says
Too funny. 🙂 Reminds me of a podcast I did once, me and my friend laughing while we actually conducted “business” too!
Interesting on the grain mills. I think I’ll still stick with my Vitamix, which is so versatile. It does grind flour, and nuts (to flour and nut butter) plus of course all its usual blender functions. I’ve had it nearly a year and there have been very few days I haven’t used it at least once, if not more. Every time I think I might like a grain mill or a food processor, I think…”But I have my Vitamix, it takes up less space, and it does it all!” (It CERTAINLY takes up less space than an extra 2 or 3 appliances!) I’m loving it so much I can’t decide if I should get a good mixer or not…I know I ought to but I can’t see my way to doing it right now! lol.
Katie says
Kate,
A Vitamix or Blendtec is pretty high on my wish list, too, and I would get rid of some other appliances (this one included most likely). Glad to hear you love it! 🙂 Katie
Dawn says
Thanks so much for this side-by-side comparison!! My SIL has the Wondermill & I have the Nutrimill, but we’ve never gotten together to figure out pros & cons. Very interesting! Hope Shannon has that baby soon!!
Melissa at Dyno-mom says
Wow! I am so glad that you did this. I own a Vital-mill and want to step up to a better mill. I was leaning to the Nutramill and more so now. Of course, I won’t have to buy it if I win yours!
tuxgirl says
I have the wondermill and love it. I have heard that a coffee grinder can do flax and other oily things like nuts. We don’t drink coffee, but I’ve been considering getting a grinder just for those.
brook says
Thanks for all the info below the videos! I really dislike onlinve videos as well, but the information is very helpful 🙂
Shannon says
Oh man! My belly is HUGE! LOL It’s funny to see myself from another perspective! Hopefully, this little girl will decide to come out soon!
Yup! The measuring cup/spoon is Pampered Chef, but I think Katie might be right… they don’t make them anymore 🙁
Thanks for doing this Katie! It was fun. And I still think you should give Artisan Bread another chance! Forget the new recipe and stick with the original 100%WW one, it’s so simple!!!
Lenetta says
Another thanks for the written summary – not sure what my hangup is on watching videos, but I avoid them like the plague!
I have had some luck in minimizing mess by using a grain mill only pastry brush to remove flour from the lid, but I still end up with flour everywhere… (I also keep a paper towel stuffed in the far left hole as you’re looking at it to minimize the initial blowout.)
Stuart Carter says
which model of nutrimill is in the video?
Katie says
Stuart,
Luckily for you, the box was just across the room filled with books. It’s a model no. HS 4.3, if that means anything to you. 🙂 Katie
Alexis R says
Love my Wondermill!!!
Bradley says
April, you can actually turn the Newest model of the WonderMill off during milling, or even fill the hopper before milling if you really wanted to. The newest WonderMill has a more powerful (1250 WATT) motor now and has ho problem doing this.
see this youtube video of the WonderMill Company turning it on and off: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiwhtgsKkbY
I have had my WonderMill for over 2 years and I sometimes fill the hopper with grain before turning it on and it has no problem. I believe the older models may not have the new powerful motor and may clog, so make sure you have the newest model before you try it.
Katie says
That is good to know; thank you! 🙂 Katie
Kelli says
I’ve read a bunch of things about grinding your own grains and tried it in my Blendtec Blender. It worked but had little grainy things in it that nobody really liked in the baked goods. I had no idea that was the bran and never thought of sifting it out.
I’m so excited and have to try it again now! Thanks!
John says
Katie,
I know you said that it can’t grind flax, but I read that the WonderMill can grind amaranth and quinoa with their new Small Grains Attachment…any experience/advice there?
WonderMill says
John,
The WonderMill can grind small grains like quinoa and amaranth (see willitgrind.com for all the things you can grind). You can see more information on the Small Grains Attachment at http://www.thewondermill.com/index.php/module/statics/action/view_listing/page/42 or you can also pour the small grains in very slowly like shown at http://www.grainmillwagon.com/properly-grinding-small-grains/
We do not warranty grinding flax but we do have many customers that mix flax in with their wheat and then grind it in the WonderMill with no issues so far, you can see the maximum wheat to flax ratio for doing this at http://willitgrind.com/willitgrind/flax-seeds
Hope this information is helpfull
Maxus Manly says
Currently using a Retsel mill with lots of coarse bran( don’t know if Wondermill will reduce the coarseness of the bran).
If the mill is so loud have you considered using a cardboard box lined with foam padding to surpress the noise? Haven’t gotten around to trying this on my bosch mixer which is pretty loud, too.