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We're using this as a spice grinder for making smoothees, and it works great and is easy to clean. Color really didn't matter to us since it's kept under the counter, so we picked the red which was on sale.
I have my grinder in the bathroom, so I just grab a handful of TP and sweep the stray grounds into the sink. I've had reasonably good luck grinding beans into reasonably even-ground coffee. If it's still too coarse I hit for another few seconds.The grinder will leave small pockets of coarser chunks, and occasionally identifiable half-bean or larger fragments, but 95% of the rest of the chunks will be uniform size. I start with lazy slob habits and then adjust towards my inner obsessive-compulsive side if the mess is too much to bear. This is a solidly built, easy to use product, it works very well for its intended purpose, and I feel like it's going to give me as many years of service as I want. I don't think the 5% oddball chunks affect the flavor of the resulting coffee.Careful not to grind even a few seconds long or it will grind your coffee too fine, and when I do this I get bitter coffee.I'm sure this would be an absolutely awesome spice grinder as well.It seems very sturdily built and since I only grind one kind of coffee (until the bag of beans runs out) at a time, I don't bother to clean the grinder between grinds.
I got this grinder for $30 at Target, choosing it over B&D and Mr. You have to experiment a bit to get the grind right; it would be great if there were a little timer or something, but now I just count and check the grind consistency against some preground coffee I have. I'm sure someone who is careful and fastidious could develop a routine that minimizes stray grounds. Yeah, slap my wrist, whatever. It just leaves a small ring of grounds at the bottom of the grinding chamber that stick to the stainless steel.I have managed to make a small mess now and then with the grounds. Coffee grinders that were around $20, and I'm very glad I paid the extra $10.
Highly recommended.
The solution is simple enough - use a coffee brush that costs just a couple of dollars. However, I went by what some of the reviewers suggested: Don't fill past the "Max Fill" graduation mark in the grinder and this won't be a problem. However, since most of the reviews on it are very positive, I decided to go ahead and try it. Maybe I just have poor taste.NoisyI would have to agree with the complaints that this unit is noisy.
This was my main concern when I was debating whether to get the grinder. What I like most about is:- the safety feature: this grinder can only be turned on with the top in place.- the bowl is detachable and dishwasher-safe so you can wash it.I was hesitant about buying this grinder because of the conflicting opinions about it. Looks CheapI have to tell you I actually find the Onyx Black KitchenAid Blade Coffee Grinder rather attractive and well-designed. uh. I followed this piece of advice and found that, indeed, they were right on the money.Uneven GroundsThe instructions actually say not to "pulse" it but to leave the contents to grind continuously.
It looks just like it's pictured on the product page. a grinder.There you have it. I'm glad to say the complaints about this grinder are largely unfounded:MessyThe most common complaint: The cover doesn't form a tight seal, the ground sticks to and accumulates on the cover, and when the cover is taken off, it leaves a mess on the countertop. The KitchenAid Blade Coffee Grinder would have earned high marks if it weren't for this unfortunate flaw. I'm able to get a very consistent ground coffee every time by doing so.Coffee Ground Packed Down Under Blade A small quantity of coffee grind gets packed under the blade after grinding.
I had the same issue with the Toastmaster coffee grinder I had before this one but I had taken for granted it was an issue inherent in all grinders. I get an inexplicable grinding noise whenever I operate it and the documentation doesn't address this problem in its troubleshooting section, but I suspect it has to do with the fact that is this unit is. I hope it helps you in deciding whether the KitchenAid Blade Coffee Grinder is right for you.
This grinder was very efficient and ground up a bag of coffee beans in a short amount of time and cleanup of this item was so simple. I recently purchased the Kitchen Aid coffee grinder for my daughter for her birthday. In the past, we have dealt with other types of coffee grinders and have not been exceptionally pleased. I would recommend it to anyone who was looking for a coffee grinder. It also matches my daughter's kitchen.
It is working great for over 3 years which says a lot about this product.
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