September 25, 2018 - 8:05am
Ishigaki 3745 Millstone - is this any good?
I'm looking for an inexpensive manual home stone mill and have found this model online for a reasonable price.
Does anyone have any experience with it?
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Ishigaki 3745 Millstone - is this any good?
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No experience with it. The listings for it that I've found say it's for "tea leaves, buckwheat etc." One listing even mentioned "100 V Japanese current" so I'm not very confident that distributers/retailers have any idea of what they're selling. What were you planning to use it for? Judging from the size and weight listed in ads it's only about 6" tall and weighs just under 9 pounds. I suspect that if your household lacks obedient children and/or indentured servants accumulating enough flour for a loaf of bread will be problematic. But if you're going to be grinding tea leaves or buckwheat go for it.
After pointing out the specs this seems overpriced given the size. Oi
I was hoping to be able to grind 500-1000grams at a time.
And no, my son isn't that obedient yet given he's under 2. But there's hope
Have you considered a Wondermill Jr? I own one and it is built like a tank. Comes with a set of steel burrs and also stones. But I must caution you. You will get a workout grinding by hand.
Danny
I can't seem to find a price on this. How much was yours? Everything that ships to Canada seems to be exorbitantly priced when the exchange rate and shipping are added
If you're looking for a manual mill Dan's recommendation of the Wondermill Jr is a good one. Most retailers in the US have it priced in the $200 - $250 range. It would give you the advantage of two milling methods, stone burrs and metal burrs along with adjustability of the grind, coarse to fine. The metal burrs allow you to grind oily materials, nuts - coffee - etc. It appears to be a favorite among folks living off the grid or prepping for emergency situations so I'm sure a Canadian retailer specializing in that market would have it. Here's a link to an American retailer https://breadtopia.com/store/wondermill-jr-deluxe-with-flour-guide. This type of mill is far more versatile than the simple stone quern that you originally mentioned.
good tip on the off the grid/emergency prep retailers, as I just found it for $279 w/ free shipping, which is significantly cheaper than the options I found ordering from the states. These things don't always show up in google. Thanks!
additionally, what really is the difference between steel and stone when you're hand grinding? Are you going to lose nutritional value with a steel grinder, even at such a low RPM as a manual hand crank? I notice the Victoria Hand Mill is very affordable, with with steel burrs. What difference is that ultimately going to make if I'm just doing home grain experiments?
The difference lies in the materials that can be ground by the burrs. 'Stone' burrs aren't capable of grinding wet or oily materials. They are a composite material and will 'glaze' or become ineffective as moist/oily materials stick to them. Steel burrs can, of course, grind dry grains as well as moist or oily materials. A preference for stone ground grain from a hand mill may just be a question of aesthetics although even at hand mill speeds stones heat the flour less than steel. The Victoria Mill was originally designed to primarily process nixtamalized corn into masa dough and dry corn into meal. Home brewers use it to prepare the grains they use. It would certainly work in a pinch - power out etc. But if you're going to mill on a regular basis the Wondermill Jr. is a better choice.