An kitchen appliance that I use a lot at my house is my grain grinder. We were very blessed to be given one as a wedding gift from Ken's family. When we got it, I admit that I didn't see myself using it all that much. My family did think whole grains were important but the grain grinder we had was bicycle powered (my dad put a hand grinder and a stationary bike together) and took a lot of work and was not convienent to use. So needless to say we didn't use it that much. My mom did use a ton of oatmeal in cooking and we bought 100% whole wheat bread but actually using whole grains a lot I was not used to.It took a little time to get in the grove but now I use it almost every day ( and every time that I make something using flour). Some of the reasons I like using a grain grinder are:
- It is cheaper to buy whole grains than whole wheat flour, so I save money by grinding my own. (Grain mills are expensive -which is why I am very thank-ful that we were given one- but I think over time the money you save would pay for it.)
- Freshly ground flour has more vitamins in it than flour that has sat around. Also whole grain flours can go stale quickly so it is good to use freshly ground flour. (If you can't grind your own just now, it would be good if you store your flour in the freezer.)
- Having my own grinder makes me use whole grains a lot more which is way better for our health.
There are many benifits to eating whole grains, some of them are:
- It helps to lower your risk of stroke, diabetes, colorectal cancer and heart disease.
- It keeps you regular
- It tastes good.
- It helps you stay full longer and keeps you thinner.
5 comments:
Just found your site and love it-will definitely be back!
Have you tried grinding other grains? I've found that ground brown rice mixed with flour makes really light pancakes and ground popcorn excellent cornbread...
Along the same line as the last comment: Would your grinder turn dried beans/peas to powder? I've been wanting to ask a few people but thought it was a silly one. :)
Anna, I am so sorry I didn't reply earlier, I ment to and then I forgot about it! I do grind other grains including rice (not real often but especially when I want to make something wheat free), corn (I use field corn), barley, rye, field peas, lentils and other beans.
Shelly, the grinder does turn the beans to a powder of sorts, basically a fine flour. I have actually used field pea and lentil flour a fair amount as it gives extra nutrition and I don't use beans a lot otherwise as Ken doesn't like them. He doesn't mind bread or cookies that have the bean flour in them however. I don't like the taste of the dough as well though.
Does it take long to grind one of those 1# bags you get at the store? Would you be willing to share your grinder when I'm down if I bring a bag or two? I'm working on ways to try to stretch our meat as my family won't eat the "creative" meals or even leftovers very well. Your bread looks so yummy!
Shelly,
a 1# bag will grind quite fast. I would be happy to grind some up for you. Lentils and small stuff like that grind the easiest.
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