Anyone Received their Mockmill Yet?
So I have my Mockmill ordered and we are really looking forward to trying this out. Unlike the USA, in Canada, our laws permit a very lax approach to the definition of what a product that is called "Whole Wheat Flour" actually is. 70% of the germ can be removed by the mill and the product can still be called "Whole Wheat". Most mftrs in Canada do this, as removing most of the germ significantly extends the shelf life of their flour. They also add molasses to the flour to darken it, too. So what you think you are getting an what you are actually getting are two very different matters, in Canada at least.
While that is not determinative to our ordering a Mockmill, it makes it more relevant to our interests.
And for the record, no, we aren't doing this for any specific health concerns or any ideological reason. Mainly, it's for the interest in baking with fresh whole grain flours for the taste and experience. It's just a hobby.
I'd be very interested to here from any baker on TFL who have had a chance to try theirs yet.
For those who have not seen the Mockmill, more info is available here: http://breadtopia.com/store/mockmill-kitchenaid-grain-mill-attachment/
And a video review here:
http://breadtopia.com/store/mockmill-kitchenaid-grain-mill-attachment/
Don't show me new toys! Especially for my Kitchen Aid. LOL
That is really cool. I will have to add it to my list! Let us know how you like it.
Woo-Hoo! It has arrived. Less than a week to my door - through customs no less in that short time. Very nice and unexpected. A bonus to living in Canada's largest city I guess.
Unfortunately, our local mill supplies for whole grains in the Toronto area, Grain Process Enterprises Ltd. in Scarborough is open only during "banker's hours", 8:30-5:30 Mon-Fri during the summer - though their retail store does stay open one Saturday a month in the fall. So we'll have to wait until next week to load up on a variety of whole grains.
Oh well. We'll get to it soon enough. All very cool. Looking forward to trying this out.
Initial impressions: Packaging was professional, compact and about what you would expect to receive and open from most high end metal Kitchen-Aid pasta attachments. It's very heavy, precise, feels very solid and, well, German. When it comes to engineered durable goods, feeling German is a good thing.
It's been a few weeks and I have had the opportunity to try out my new Mockmill a few times now. I wanted to post a few thoughts to others who were considering purchasing one.
As noted, the Mockmill is a new Kitchen-Aid attachment, designed and manufactured in Germany by Wolfgang Mock, the same designer behind the KoMo line of premium wood cabinet grain mills. The Mockmill is currently available either directly from the manufacturer or from Breadtopia.com and retails for $199 USD. I purchased mine from Breadtopia and shipping and delivery were VERY fast to Toronto - only 4 days. Surprisingly fast, actually.
The Mockmill's packaging is like the Mockmill itself: solid and functional. I kept it and store the Mockmill in its original packaging when it is not in use (we do the same with most of our many other Kitchen-Aid attachments).
The Mockmill provides an extra long black handled screw to use in place of the shorter screw that serves as the default attachment screw in every Kitchen-Aid stand-mixer. I have the Artisan model, but I found no reason to replace the screw - the default short one already in my KA mixer is fine, though I can see how some people might find it awkward to reach and turn as it is a narrow space to work with. Depends on your hands and fingers I think. I was impressed that the designers thought of this though. Who knows? Over time, I may decide to use it.
The Mockmill itself is all pre-assembled, though you can take it apart readily enough if you care to. The only things you put on it is the metal flour catcher, which directs the flour into your KA stand mixer's bowl perfectly - and the hopper. So far, I have only used it with the 4.5q stainless bowl, and have not tried it with my 5Q glass bowl yet. I do not anticipate any problems either way as height clearance seems fine.
Installation is as complicated as with any KA attachment. Insert, rotate to align, push, and then secure with the black topped attachment screw. You then insert the the plastic hopper on top of the Mockmill. You turn on the device by simply putting your KA stand mixer on high speed. There is no on/off button on the Mockmill itself, though there is a coarse/fine adjustment feature. I expect that must people will default to as fine a ground as the Mockmill gets for most purposes.
On the three occasions I have used it so far, I simply measured out my wheat berries on the sacle, placed them in the hopper and let it go. The device was fast -- faster than I thought it would be -- and it was done in about a 1m20s for one cup of wheat berries. It was fun!
The first time I used it, I was making baguettes and used a strainer to sift out the bran from the fresh milled flour. There was a very small amount of flour, less than perhaps one gram, which was not milled fine enough to fit through the fine mesh strainer along with the bran. The other times I have used it I was content to keep the bran so I did not strain/sift. Nobody has ever noticed anything in the bread itself and the dough seems as supple as ever.
Overall, I am VERY enthusiastic and so pleased to have bought the Mockmill. It has opened up a whole range of new flours and grains for baking. I have spelt and rye to mill this weekend and have purchased a 10kg bag of Hard Red Wheat Berries for general use. I will be getting a lot more whole grains than that to try soon enough, I am sure.
Bottom Line: The Mockmill is solid, easy to use, produces a good fine flour in not much time at all, all conveniently into the bowl of your KA stand-mixer and ready for use. Buy with confidence.
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Thank you for posting your review and use of the Mockmill. Just the kind of information I've been hoping to find to make a decision on purchasing a unit for my KA 7qt mixer. Wasn't sure if I wanted to take a chance on the Mockmill or hold out for a Komo unit at double the price.
Thank you for posting your review and use of the Mockmill. Just the kind of information I've been hoping to find to make a decision on purchasing a unit for my KA 7qt mixer. Wasn't sure if I wanted to take a chance on the Mockmill or hold out for a Komo unit at double the price.
I have mine thanks to your wonderful review. I use it 2 to 3 times a week. It is everything you said it is. So easy to connect/disconnect to/from my mixer. I do use the longer screw, it keeps my arthritic fingers happy. So glad I made the purchase. What a taste treat using fresh milled flour. The Mockmill has indeed opened up a whole new world of grain discovery for me.
I'm glad you are enjoying your Mockmill. I continue to use mine and I am especially looking forward to using it this Fall as we move into "baking season".
Canadian Thanksgiving is on October 12. As today was our first real "fall day" in terms of weather, it's definitely about to move in to full swing!
I like the idea and it looks easy to clean.
Mockmill came today! And so far I love it!
I am a newbie to milling, although have worked with some hand milled flour a few times from local farmers.
I have no experience with other mills, but here's why I like this product so far:
1. I have a small footprint galley style kitchen with literally no extra space on my counters or in my cabinets to store a larger mill. This one is pretty small and can be tucked away in one of my cabinets after a little bit of rearranging.
2. The mill is pretty lightweight too, which is a plus for me because I have some muscle problems and moving something heavy is difficult for me.
3. Easy to dissemble and clean if needed- I easily took it apart in a couple of minutes. The housing is plastic though, and this is the only negative so far that I have- if not careful, I think the housing could break.
4. I haven't used my Kitchenaid mixer for quite a long time since I switched to long preferementations and recently, stretch and fold techniques. Nice to have a purpose for my beloved Kitchenaid again!
5. I have no frame of reference for how fast other mills are- except a few online videos. This one is fast enough for me, I am baking for only 2 people.
6. The price- is right!
I am happy with the finest grind too- similar to the other hand milled flour I've used...
I got a Mockmill for my birthday and have been using it for maybe 6 weeks now. This is my first mill so I have no basis for comparison, but I like it very much. It isn't very loud, is reasonably fast, and doesn't produce much dust. I like that it doesn't take up very much room. Since I already have a mixer, the only storage is for the mill itself which fits in a relatively small box. I find that when I grind grain the flour that initially comes out is rather course. I have taken to sifting it and grinding the bran again. After two grinds I end up with something like 97% extraction. The remaining bran can be added to my starter or used to coat the outside of my loaf. Setting the mill at the coarsest setting makes it easy to make cracked rye or cracked wheat. I find the mill very easy to use. Now the challenge is figuring out how to bake well with freshly milled grain, which absorbs more water and ferments faster.
I got a Mockmill for my birthday and have been using it for maybe 6 weeks now. This is my first mill so I have no basis for comparison, but I like it very much. It isn't very loud, is reasonably fast, and doesn't produce much dust. I like that it doesn't take up very much room. Since I already have a mixer, the only storage is for the mill itself which fits in a relatively small box. I find that when I grind grain the flour that initially comes out is rather course. I have taken to sifting it and grinding the bran again. After two grinds I end up with something like 97% extraction. The remaining bran can be added to my starter or used to coat the outside of my loaf. Setting the mill at the coarsest setting makes it easy to make cracked rye or cracked wheat. I find the mill very easy to use. Now the challenge is figuring out how to bake well with freshly milled grain, which absorbs more water and ferments faster.
Can anyone tell me if the mockmill works with the kitchen aid classic? Do you need to have the larger motor capacity? I just received a KA classic and in debating whether or not to upgrade to the artisan. I don't think I will use the mixer for doughs but now that I found the mockmill im very interested in purchasing!
Yes, the Mockmill will work with any KA stand mixer. Horsepower is not the issue with the Mockmill.