Cuisinart Spice and Nut Grinder, Push-Top Lid for On/Off, Dishwasher Safe

A Tiny Tornado Disguised as a Kitchen Appliance Do not let the size of this little grinder fool you. This thing has more power than some full-sized hand mixers I’ve owned. It looks small and innocent sitting on the counter, but the moment you press the lid, it turns into a tiny kitchen tornado determined to pulverize everything in its path. I originally bought it for grinding nuts, peppers, and other spices. I expected it to chop them up reasonably well after a little patience and several rounds of shaking, scraping, and starting over. Instead, I pressed down on the lid and watched everything inside immediately begin reconsidering its molecular structure. Nuts? Reduced to crumbs. Dried peppers? Turned into powder and regret. Whole spices? They never stood a chance. It has enough power that the first time I used it, I almost felt like I should have warned the neighbors. You don’t slowly ease into grinding with this machine. You press the top and instantly have a Category 5 seasoning event taking place under the lid. The push-top operation is extremely simple. There are no complicated buttons, menus, settings, touchscreens, Wi-Fi connections, or apps asking for permission to access your location. You put the ingredients inside, close the lid, press down, and hold on while the miniature tornado handles the rest. Pulse it a few times for a coarser texture or let it run longer if you want to erase all evidence that the ingredients were ever whole. It’s also the perfect size for smaller batches. I don’t have to drag out a large food processor, assemble six different pieces, and then wash an entire appliance just because I wanted to grind a handful of nuts or peppers. This does the job quickly without turning a five-minute kitchen task into a full afternoon cleanup project. The clear lid lets you watch the destruction happen in real time, which is surprisingly entertaining. One moment you have recognizable ingredients, and a few seconds later you have a perfectly ground mixture. It’s basically a tiny weather system you can control with one hand. Just be careful when grinding hot peppers. The machine performs its job extremely well, but when you open the lid, you may accidentally release a cloud capable of clearing the kitchen, opening your sinuses, and causing everyone in the house to reevaluate their breathing choices. That isn’t the grinder’s fault—it simply completed the assignment with excessive enthusiasm. Overall, I’m extremely impressed. It’s compact, easy to operate, easy to clean, and far more powerful than I expected. It grinds nuts, peppers, and spices quickly and evenly without taking up much counter or cabinet space. Five stars. This little thing may look like a basic spice grinder, but it is actually a tiny tornado for the kitchen. Point it toward your ingredients, press the lid, and prepare to witness complete and immediate pulverization.

From the very 1st use it has been a wonderful addition to my kitchen. I grow, dry and mix my own spices. This grinder works better than any other I have tried. Easy to clean and simple to use.

I bought one of these spice grinders about 1 1/2 years ago when a I was making a recipe for chili which stongly suggested making fresh chili powder instead of the store-bought kind. The difference in the flavor was UNBELIEVABLE! From that moment on, I have been on a crusade to freshly grind all my own spices. My culinary prowess has taken a real leap forward--especially with something like apple pie. I get rave reviews on just about everything I make with the freshly-ground spices. The flavors just jump out at you! I find the machine is easy to use, does a great job and is very easy to clean. The bowl detaches and can be put in the dish washer. I do not put the cover in the dish washer, because I found that the little silicone sealing ring tends to pop out. Now to my confession: I'm always doing things waaaaaaay too fast, so recently I grabbed the grinder to move it, forgetting to unplug it, and Voila! it went flying, and the bowl broke. This was totally my fault. So I ordered a new one (it couldn't arrive fast enough!). Now I have a spare motor/base and cover. One other thing: I have been getting my whole spices and herbs on-line from Spice Barn. The quality is fabulous and prices are incredibly low. The whole spices last a very long time if kept in the sealed bag and out of the light. It turns out to be much less expensive than buying those little jars, which by the way, go stale almost immediately. Go ahead, check your spices. Is your cinnamon 5 years old? Happy grinding!

I purchased this to grind flax seed and other hard seeds for my horses, and so far, it has worked well. I'd burnt up too many coffee grinders doing this in the past, so spent a bit more on this Cuisinart grinder and it definitely is better built. I've been using it daily for a few weeks and it has performed well so far. It does not grind super fine, so if that is what you need, it won't do that (no way to adjust the grind), but it does seem to be up to the task of grinding really hard seeds, which were too much for my previous coffee grinders. I use fenugreek seed in cookies I make for the horses (yes, they are spoiled!), and those ground up well, which was a good test as they killed the last coffee grinder. I left one star off only because, as a previous reviewer observed, you have to store it with the lid on, and that is the trigger to turn it on as well, so I've inadvertently switched it on just by bumping it (I leave it plugged in and on a shelf so it is at hand, since I use it daily). I do worry I might drop or knock the lid off, as it does just kind of hover on top. Only time will tell if this continues to work as well and lasts longer than the past coffee grinders! JULY EDIT: used the grinder daily for flax seed for my horses, no problem, and today it is dead. No warning, no issue before now, just will not work at all. I'm hoping Cuisinart will replace it so will update if I hear from them, but really bummed as I liked the grinder for what I was doing. I took the rating down to two stars, which is based on liking it for all this time, but 3 months of use seems ridiculously short when this was not cheap. AUGUST UPDATE: yes, August...took over two weeks to get a final answer from Cuisinart. My 3 month old dead grinder is covered by warranty, but in order to get a new one, I have to pay to ship the defective unit back (by insured track able method, mind you!) AND pay $10 to ship the replacement. Uh, no...for $20 (what I figure that all will add up to), I'll go buy another coffee grinder knowing it will burn out after a few months. Will NOT buy another Cuisinart, that's for sure. Poor service just dropped my rating for this product to the lowest possible, a single star.

This grinder works well for everyday use like spices, coffee beans, and small amounts of nuts. It’s compact, easy to operate, and doesn’t take up much counter space. The grinding is fairly even as long as you don’t overload it, and it’s quick for small batches. Cleaning is manageable, though you do need to be a bit careful around the blade area. It’s not meant for heavy-duty grinding or large quantities, but for basic kitchen needs, it does the job well. Overall, a solid and reliable grinder with good value.

The divine as my witness, I’m FLABBERGASTED how great this Cuisinart spice grinder is! For thirty+ years, I’ve been using a mortar and pestle to pulverize my hard spices, but my patience and anymore arthritic hands just can’t do it anymore. Every Thanksgiving, I made Pekin ducks. Pekin duck is extremely labor intensive (really takes a full week), but use ingredients I can easily find at my Boston outskirts supermarkets. Thanksgiving now two days away, I decided this year to make my ducks the authentic Cantonese way. Many Canton spices can only be found in Asian markets, but I’m lucky we have them, too. In only seconds, the Cuisinart grinder made fast dust of my recipe’s rock-hard Sichuan peppercorns, whole anise stars, cinnamon sticks, dried licorice root slices, tangerine peels, and more. Their lingering aroma still fills the air of my kitchen as I write. Though some spice dust escaped onto the counter, it was probably because I kept opening it every 2 seconds to marvel. Cleanup was a simple hot rinse breeze. IMO, the grinder’s already paid for itself. Photos are of the grinder’s performance with Cantonese spices and a previous Pekin duck I made. I’ll update soon with my Cantonese! Update: I added a photo of my Cantonese duck (spices ground with Cuisinart spice grinder). While I read many reviews before I purchased this grinder, I just read and watched a few more, plus read some of the recipes in the booklet provided. I think most of the complaints are due to the inconsistencies in the product’s documentation and description. The grinder should NOT be used like a food processor or blender. It’s meant for dry, not wet, ingredients, despite what some of the recipes say. Too, whoever the ‘technical editor’ of the booklet was, they either didn’t translate well or proofread to publishing standards. I’ve only used my unit once so far and could be wrong, but I don’t think the blade assembly is ever supposed to be disassembled from the spice cup. There’s no reason to disassemble it, given dry ingredients. Once empty, just tap out any remaining big residue, brush out any smaller with a dry tooth or bottle brush, hand wash if it matters, rinse, and let air dry. Though the literature says it’s dishwasher safe, I wouldn’t, for fear it might impact the integrity of the blade assembly. The motor base does get dusty but for that, just take a dry toothbrush and call it a day. One reviewer really put the grinder to work every day for 3 months, grinding seeds for her horses. Be still my heart. I’ll be thrilled if my grinder sees over 90 uses, and am green with envy that she stewards such beautiful animals every day. Were it me and knowing how expensive horse ownership is, having to replace a $40 seed grinder every 90 days would be a trivial price to pay!

I had bought another one of these and it was a pain because I couldn't wash out the cup. THIS ONE I CAN WASH and see what's going on in cup when grinding and it's so easy to use. The other one had a feature I liked..the cord wrapped around inside the bottom...but I find washing the cup is MUCH more important to me. So... I'm giving the first one away and keeping this perfect little gem. Yes it was more expensive, but it was worth the money.

This grinder does everything I expected it to. I grind cinnamon, nutmeg, and does a GREAT jod with flax seed! You will get your money's worth with this little jewel. I've heard negative things about this item. As with any grinder, blender, or processor, you must take caution and use common sense as to how you use the item. When the motor acts like it is having a hard time ...., back off and let it rest. If for instance, you are trying to make butter from almonds, this product is not what you want. The resistance on the motor caused from the oil can cause the motor to overheat and destroy the product. THIS IS A GREAT PRODUCT IF YOUN DON'T ABUSE IT AND USE IT IMPROPERLY. This is an update. It is August 19 2012, so I have had my grinder for almost 1 1/2 years and I wrote the above review on March 17 2011. I am still using my originally purchased Quisinart Spice and Nut grinder with NO problems. I did purchase one for a relative and they tried grinding coffee and on the first try, they burned the motor out. Upon inquiry, I found they just held the lid on to make it try to grind when the blade was obviously stopped by a bean that got stuck between the blade and holding cup (Any size motor will burn out if you do this) I've had the blade stop on me and immediately know to stop the machine. I have had this happen to me at least a half dozen times. As long as you turn the machine off and loosen the nut or bean or other obstacle turn the machine back on and it will work fine. I grind many dozens of herbs and spices as I now purchase all of my spices and herbs whole. The machine is FINE. The user may be broken as they may not understand physics. I use my grinder at least once/day. I still give this grinder five stars!!!!!!

Tengo mas que un año usandolo y la verda está buenísimo. Yo muelo especias duras como pimienta negra y anis estrella. no falla. lo recomiendo 100 porciento.

It overheats within seconds and then shuts off

Worst product . Don’t buy

Excellent product! Had this now for several years! I beat the crap out of it...spices, nuts, dried fruit, coffee (maybe even a little cannabis! ;) Continues to work flawlessly! A++

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