Best ways to crack peppercorns

[badjak]

Did you have a look at the Indonesian one?
I think that might work well for you.
Personally, I wouldn't go for cast iron.
And I think for something like peppercorns there is not much difference between spice grinder and m&p.
They really come in their own for softer stuff, garlic, chili's, ginger etc. Or in short, for making pastes or sambal.

My aunt has an old Dutch wall coffee grinder (hand operated) from Douwe Egbers filled with peppercorns. Works a dream

 

[Morning Glory]

My wife and kid bought me an XL Pepper Cannon for Father's Day. It's pricey, but very well made and lives up to they hype. It will grind peppercorns from super coarse all the down to powder, and it's aptly named, because it THROWS it!

Best Rated Pepper Grinder | MANNKITCHEN

Ouch - that is pricey!

 

[Barriehie]

No, don't go for wood.
You need more power. There is not enough weight in the pestle, so it gotta come from you
A smaller granite, cover with your hand, or use a bit of cardboard to make a semi lid/cover

Yep!

 

[badjak]

My wife and kid bought me an XL Pepper Cannon for Father's Day. It's pricey, but very well made and lives up to they hype. It will grind peppercorns from super coarse all the down to powder, and it's aptly named, because it THROWS it!

Best Rated Pepper Grinder | MANNKITCHEN

Wow....
Lovely, but heck, that price...
Each to their own..
I wouldn't be able to justify the expense, but that doesn't mean I can't drool

 

[Barriehie]

Ouch - that is pricey!

Wow, I've got complete appliances less than that...

 

[Morning Glory]

Wow, I've got complete appliances less than that...

Me too, but on the other hand if its a pepper mill you keep your whole life because its so brilliant it could be worth it. I need someone to buy me a Christmas present.

 

[badjak]

Peugeot does very good ones...

 

[TastyReuben]

Peugeot does very good ones...

That’s what I have!

 

[PAcanis]

That was pretty painless.
Mine is a marble one, but it is rough and textured where it needs to be.
There is a technique, which wasn't hard to figure out. And I am guessing it might be easy to put too much into it. Best to work in batches where you can monitor your progress. Especially with peppercorns.
Only one jumper until I got the technique down.

 

[SandwichShortOfAPicnic]

Electric all the way baby.
Anything that speeds up hand jobs (hmm does that sound as wrong as I think it does? ) is fine by me.

 

[Morning Glory]

Electric all the way baby.
Anything that speeds up hand jobs (hmm does that sound as wrong as I think it does? ) is fine by me.

That's outrageous!

 

[msmofet]

Before I had my grinder I would put them in a sealed ziploc and and whack with flat side of meat mallet or a pan.

 

[medtran49]

For a lot, the spice grinder.

For a small amount, a plastic bag and a mini meat mallet using the flat side.

 

[Barriehie]

Electric all the way baby.
Anything that speeds up hand jobs (hmm does that sound as wrong as I think it does? ) is fine by me.

Sazza!!!

 

[karadekoolaid]

Anything that speeds up hand jobs (hmm does that sound as wrong as I think it does? )

It's not the speed, it's the caress...
I've got a spice grinder, but it would be one, single buzz of the machine to get real cracked peppercorns; otherwise, they turn into dust.
I'm going for a pestle & mortar for cracked pepper. Put them in the mortar, but don't smash the heck out of them. Just grind them gently (with your hand over the top to avoid leaping peppercorns) and grind them down gradually.
I once had a marble one, and it was, well, ok, until the cleaning lady dropped it on the floor. Wooden ones, I feel, just don't make the grade. 5 years ago, in Mexico city, however, I was fortunate enough to come across a traditional molcajete, which cost me about $5. It's made from volcanic rock, so it's not smooth inside, and it's heavy. A gentle grind ( hmm, now you've got me sounding wrong) does the trick for cracked pepper. Grinding into a powder is definitely hard work; that's what the Cuisinart is for.