Nearly perfect!
Written: Mar 22 '08 (Updated Mar 22 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Holds lots of pepper, large output, adjustable grind.
Cons: Can open accidentally, somewhat hard to fill, expensive at around $45.
The Bottom Line: Easily the best peppermill currently available.
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| splogue's Full Review: Cooking.com Unicorn Magnum Plus Pepper Mill |
You would think that after all this time, a pepper mill that actually works would be easy to find. It isn't. I went through many, many mills. None of them had much output. None of them really allowed me to adjust the grind to anything other than subatomic dust size.
And then I found this.
It holds so much pepper you'll need to buy some more. I use mine constantly, but can't remember the last time I filled it. Maybe once a year, maybe less. Good thing, too, because the refill hole seems really big until you try to figure out how to get peppercorns into it. They are large and rough, so funnels get clogged fast. The last time I did it I used a rolled up sheet of paper, and that seemed to work. I still keep my vacuum handy.
The company that makes these is based in Nantucket, but they went all the way to Italy to get the grinding mechanism. It was worth the trip, because they certainly found a good one.
The main problem with the other mills is that the companies that make them spend all their time trying to make the exterior distinctive to differentiate their product from all the other mills out there, and no time on the grinding mechanism inside, which is really the most important part of a mill.
Lots of pepper comes out with a quarter-turn. So much so, that a full turn will literally hide your food behind the pepper. If you like pepper as much as I do, that's a great thing.
I especially like the fact that it will let me adjust the grind to big and course. Great flavor, no dust.
They make this in two sizes.
The Magnum Plus is the size meant for waiters. The company sells a holster for this purpose on their web site. It is very tall, and holds tons of pepper. I keep one next to my stove at all times, and use it for covering steaks, chicken breasts, and other foods with pepper.
The Magnum size is the exact same mill and grinding mechanism, but is much shorter and doesn't hold as much pepper. I use the Magnum size on my kitchen table, as it is a better size for individuals who just want to add some pepper to their food. I have a couple of the matching salt grinders to go with them, and they also work well.
It has one real flaw, though. The ring that opens the filling hole turns way, way too easily. When you first get yours, fill it all the way up and get out a black roll of electrical tape. Cut a short piece of it and put it along the bottom of the ring (no need to go all the way around, an inch will do). It hardly shows, and it will save you from the inevitable pepper storm that happens when the ring turns while grinding. I'm still finding the occasional peppercorn in my kitchen left over from that little incident.
Now that you've found the best pepper mill, you'll want to fill it with something good. I recommend black Tellicherry peppercorns, which have a really high piperine (the part that makes it hot) content, and volatile oil (the part that makes it flavorful).
Sean P. Logue, 2008
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
splogue
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Member: Sean P. Logue
Location: RTP, NC, USA
Reviews written: 40
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
"If you can't win, change the rules."
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