How to grind something really finely

[ntbsnthlrchn]

How would you grind something like nuts and vegetables really finely without adding water i.e. not using a blender?
I thought of a meat grinder, is there such a thing as a peanut butter mill? I have googled, but if they exist they don't seem to be very common.

I'm thinking as finely as commercial peanut butter.

Would a meat grinder grind nuts as finely as that? I want to know before I buy one, because it's all I would use it for, and if it can't do that it's not worth much to me.

 

[Half Baked]

How about a mortar and pestle?

I guess a Vitamix is the same as a blender for this.

 

[Gretchen]

A food processor will. When you grind nuts that finely you turn them into nut butter.

 

[kitchenelf]

ntbsnthlrchn - are you trying to use NON-electrical appliances? If a blender is out it seems a food processor would also be out. A meat grinder won't grind fine enough I feel sure.

 

[Chopstix]

I use my Braun hand blender with jar attachment to turn roasted peanuts into peanut butter. Agree with Gretchen that a good food processor will do the same thing.

 

[TATTRAT]

robo coupe is the ultimate friend. If all else fails, a regular food processor will do, just be sure to add ingredients in an order that will suit your needs.

 

[ChefJune]

I believe the ingredients for peanut butter are...... PEANUTS!

I prefer the food processor to the blender for stuff like that. I think it's much easier to clean afterwards...

Just my 2 cents...

 

[TexanFrench]

If you can find an old hand meat grinder with attachments, the wheel to make peanut butter is a solid disk with small grooves radiating out to the edge of the wheel. The peanuts are actually crushed, and the peanut butter oozes out along the edges of the wheel, through the grooves.

I remember watching my mother do this. Fine grinding alone doesn't release the oils; the nuts have to be crushed.

 

[Chef_Jen]

Yes you can get a grinder that does peanut butter. Generally they are just upscale coffee grinders In my market you can "grind your own" Peanut butter.

However a meat grinder will not get it as fine as you want. I would suggest food processor

 

[bethzaring]

just for the record, Lehmans Hardware, www.Lehmans.com, sells a hand cranked, (non-electric), blender, made in Peru, looks nifty...$100.

 

[ntbsnthlrchn]

ntbsnthlrchn - are you trying to use NON-electrical appliances? If a blender is out it seems a food processor would also be out. A meat grinder won't grind fine enough I feel sure.

No, electric is good. I just exclude a blender because I've already tried it and found I must add lots of water to get stuff finely ground. I damaged my blender grinding thick stuff while I was at it too.....

Will a food processor provide more torque, then? This is like a fairly thick paste, it only just flows. I think the blender could do it given enough time and torque. The connection arrangement on the bottom started getting stripped, though. Like a bolt head getting striped by a wrench, but the wrench getting "stripped" as well.

Huh. Maybe I can shove paper clip bits in there or something. Or braze it on, if the would make the socket square in the first place it wouldn't be a problem.

 

[ntbsnthlrchn]

Yes you can get a grinder that does peanut butter. Generally they are just upscale coffee grinders In my market you can "grind your own" Peanut butter.

However a meat grinder will not get it as fine as you want. I would suggest food processor

Hm.... that's what first occured to me, an overgrown disk coffee grinder. What are such things called? Are they expensive? I've used the peanut butter machines in a shop, that would be too expensive, but if there's a home version.......

 

[skilletlicker]

ntbsnthlrchn, I use this grinder for soaked dried corn. I mention it because it is fairly inexpensive, works like the hand grinders TexanFrench was describing but may be easier to find.

If you can find an old hand meat grinder with attachments, the wheel to make peanut butter is a solid disk with small grooves radiating out to the edge of the wheel. The peanuts are actually crushed, and the peanut butter oozes out along the edges of the wheel, through the grooves.

Every time I open a jar of peanut butter I think that the grain mill might give me a better, fresher result. Next time I'm in the grocery I'll get some peanuts and try it out. While I'm at it I'll put some nuts in the processor to see how the two peanut butters compare.

 

[marmalady]

just for the record, Lehmans Hardware, www.Lehmans.com, sells a hand cranked, (non-electric), blender, made in Peru, looks nifty...$100.

Wow, Beth, Thanks for reminding me of these great folks! Used to get their catalog in the mail, but hadn't ordered from them in some time - so, you know, out of sight----------!

 

[Harborwitch]

I used to make peanut butter in my Vitamix. It was really yummy stuff. I've also used the food processor - I think it is easier to control the texture of the peanut butter with the food processor.

The question is what else are you trying to grind up???

 

[urmaniac13]

I use my Braun hand blender with jar attachment to turn roasted peanuts into peanut butter.

This is exactly what I use, and it works perfectly when we want to make some paste with almonds or pistacchi, it really grind them into powder. This is also a very versatile tool which I use almost everyday for various purposes, it would be a great investment if you don't have it, or anything similar.

 

[Michael in FtW]

I guess my first question would have to be ... what the heck are you trying to grind, and for what? Nuts and vegetables are NOT the same!

Are you trying to make peanut butter? That needs one thing and one type of processing. Are you trying to make vegetable juice- that needs something else.