Disclaimer: I received the product for free. All opinions are my own honest thoughts on the product.
I do a lot of cooking from scratch – and I like fresh ground spices in my food. They taste better that way. Since I don’t grow everything I use myself I know buying whole spices and grinding them myself is as close to home grown taste as I am going to get. Many of the home grinders I have tried break – or are hard to operate. When I saw the Artesio Soft Touch Electric Pepper Mill and Grinder by Ozeri I was curious to give it a try. All of the Ozeri products I have trialed or bought and used on my own have been great. I expected the same from the high quality from the Artesio Soft Touch Electric Pepper Mill and Grinder and was not disappointed.
I received the Artesio Soft Touch Electric Pepper Mill and Grinder by Ozeri last week. I immediately unboxed it and wanted to use it but it did not come with the four double A batteries that it requires in order to work. I had failed to notice that point on Amazon.com prior to it arriving or I would have had batteries on hand. I chose to purchase rechargeable batteries so I did not run out of battery power when using it since it grinds and has a small light on the bottom of the grinder that is ideal for low light situations.
Once the batteries were installed, I filled the see-through pepper chamber with tri-colored peppercorns. I then set it to the finest grind and gave it a whirl. Let me tell you it does grind superfine. So fine in fact that if I hadn’t been putting pepper on a white surface I never would have seen it until I had too much on my food. I decided that setting was not for me and changed the grinder adjustment so I ended up with larger pepper flakes. I found an adjustment that was perfect for me – smaller flakes than pre-ground store bought pepper but still large enough that I could see them.
I have used a wide array of pepper grinders over the years – some large, some small and I have to tell you the soft touch non-slip grip and the shape of this pepper grinder makes it so easy to hold onto when you are using it. I actually prefer it over all the other ones I have. The other item I love – that I mentioned earlier – is the built-in light on the bottom of the pepper grinder. It is a very small light – smaller than a Christmas light bulb – but it is bright enough that you can see how much pepper you are adding to your food. It is ideal for low-lit dining ambiances. I like it because I still do not have proper electrical lighting in my kitchen. Working by kerosene light – especially at night makes it hard to see just how much pepper you are adding to your food with a grinder. Now that problem is solved!
If you’re wondering how hard it is to clean – they made that super easy too. All you do is wipe the outside case and chamber with a clean, damp cloth and let it air dry. You never use abrasive cleaners or immerse it in water or other liquids. To date, mine has not required cleaning but all I have used it for is peppercorns.
In addition to grinding pepper, the Artesio Soft Touch Electric Pepper Mill and Grinder by Ozeri also grinds salt and spices – although it does not give a list of which spices it grinds. I do intend to test it out for grinding salt and spices eventually but have not yet as I typically grind my spices in a larger grinder when I blend them together and I use sea salt which is does say may jam this grinder. However I do like the idea of being able to toss various whole herbs into the pepper chamber and let each person add the amount of herbs they want to their meal.
Here are a few main points about the Artesio Soft Touch Electric Pepper Mill and Grinder by Ozeri.
Durable ceramic grinder
Automatic and effortless
Built-in light for low-lit dining
Easy-to-use grind adjustor
Award-winning elegant design
New ultra-soft grip
Finger-print resistant material
Runs on 4 AA batteries – not included