Coffee grinders have many uses beyond grinding coffee beans, such as grinding spices, nuts, bread crumbs, and creating flour. However, it’s important to be aware of flavor transfer and potential allergen contamination when using a coffee grinder for multiple purposes.
There are many uses for coffee grinders beyond grinding coffee beans, and in fact some people keep multiple coffee grinders on hand for different purposes. For cooks who work with a wide range of ingredients and prefer to start from scratch with basic ingredients, a coffee grinder can be a great all-purpose grinding tool for the kitchen and can be more economical than products designed for specific tasks such as grinding flours or grinding spices.
One of the most common alternative uses of the coffee grinder is in the preparation of spices. Spices tend to taste best when stored whole and ground as needed, but this can be a pain whenever someone needs a few spices. A coffee grinder can quickly grind and blend spices whenever they’re needed, along with herbs and other inclusions used for flavor, such as dried mushrooms ground into soup. Using a coffee grinder takes less time than a mortar and pestle and can produce more uniform results.
In recipes that call for chopped nuts or bread crumbs, a coffee grinder can be used to create a more finely ground crumb or flour course. High-quality nut grinders can even create ground nut flours, which can be very convenient, as such flours tend to be expensive. Ambitious cooks can also grind seeds and grains for various flours or use a coffee grinder to break up seeds and grains for use as garnishes or textured additions in foods.
If a baker needs powdered sugar in a hurry, a coffee grinder can be used to grind the sugar to a finer consistency, and coffee grinders can also be used to break up chocolate into coarse crumbs for garnishing and baking projects, or for pulping dried fruit for filled desserts. Some people also use coffee grinders for tasks such as grinding soaked rice for the purpose of making rice noodles or quickly mixing dried and powdered spices as they are bruised so they release more flavor and aroma.
One thing to watch out for when using a coffee grinder for multiple purposes is the transfer of flavors. It’s difficult to thoroughly wash a coffee grinder and some flavors don’t mix well. For example, if a coffee grinder is used to grind pungent spices and then coffee, the coffee will taste like those spices. Similarly, a grinder used with nuts will not be safe for use on foods that will be eaten by someone who has nut allergies.
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