MockMill Grain Mill and Palouse Brand Wheat Berries

Okay, I think this is a first. I got a product in order to do a recipe (which I already published) and now I'm doing a review.

No review was required, but I'm kind of giddy about my new toy, and I'm also including a few words about the wheat I bought. Because what I got is a grain mill. Yup. I'm grinding grains.

The mill (a MockMill) attaches to a KitchenAid stand mixer, just like any other attachment, and it has stones that grind the grains from super-fine to chunky, depending on what you want.

The mill is super-easy to use. Just attach it to your stand mixer and pour the grain in and let it grind. The mill is designed so it spews the flour neatly into the KitchenAid work bowl, but I've also used a regular bowl when I wasn't planning on using the mixer to do the kneading.

I had one slight problem with the MockMill when it wiggled its way loose from my mixer during the grinding process. After using the mill on a friend's machine, I realized it's an issue with my particular mixer. With the same grain, it barely wiggled when it was attached to her mixer.

But, that's something to watch out for the first few times you use the mill, until you know whether your mixer is wiggly or not.

Here comes the confession. I'm actually not a huge fan of whole wheat bread. I mean, I don't hate it. But when I want bread, I usually want white bread. Yes, I know whole wheat is better for me than white bread. But ... sigh ... I get plenty of fiber and nutrients from other foods. And I don't eat all that much bread. Not really.

But here's the weird thing. I really really really love the bread I've been making from freshly ground whole wheat flour. I can't really say what the difference is, but I look forward to eating it. It's not, "Oooooh, I'm going to make a tasty sandwich that happens to be on whole wheat bread." Instead, it's ... "hmmm, I think I'll have some whole wheat toast."

It's that good.

So let's talk about grains. I bought some bulk wheat berries to start off with, then I bought some more on Amazon from Palouse Brand. And I'm really happy with their products. I'll be ordering from them again, for sure. Mmmmm. Wheat. Besides wheat, they sell dried beans, lentils, and split peas.

If you're looking for wheat or other products, give them a look.

I'm not saying that I won't be trying other brands and other products. Heck no. Now that I've got a grain mill, I'm going to be seeking out different types of grains and different varieties of those grains, and Palouse doesn't sell everything I could possibly want. I didn't see rye, for example.

Right now, in the wheat category, I already have hard white summer wheat, hard red winter wheat, hard red spring wheat, and soft white wheat. I'm going to be grinding spelt and farro eventually. And rye and oats. And can grind rice or make cracked rice if I want to. Maybe I'll try to replicate steel cut oats. I mean, I've got a mill. I'm going to use it!

If you happen to want a grain mill and you're interested in the MockMill, there's a special offer right now on a package that includes the mill, a cookbook, and some grains. The package normally sells for $259, but if you use the code cookistry when you check out, you'll get an $80 discount so you only pay $179 - which is a good deal considering the MockMill all by itself costs more than that.

There are actually a couple different packages available, so make sure you look at what's offered and pick the one you like best (the differences are the grains). You need to go to the summer promotion link, but you'll only get the discount if you use that super-seekrit code at checkout: cookistry. Don't forget to do that, or you'll pay a lot more.

Who's it for: Let's face it, a grain mill is definitely a specialty item. The Palouse Brand products don't need to be grounds, so those could be for anyone.

Pros: You can grind any grain you want, whenever you want! Eat more grains! Mmmm ... food!

Cons: Not everyone is going to want to grind grains.

Wishes: Seriously, so far I'm happy with both the mill and the grains.

Source: I received the MockMill from the manufacturer for a post on my recipe site; I was not required to post a review. I bought all of the grains I've been grinding. There are affiliate links in this post; it doesn't cost you more, but I get paid a little for your purchases.

FEELING LUCKY?

Go to this post to WIN a Mockmill! Ends 8/23/2016.