Guides

Practical answers for manual mills — how to refill them without a mess, how the coarseness screw actually works, and how to keep wood happy for years.

• GUIDE The Best Peppercorns for Grinding Fresh Pepper → Which peppercorns to load in your mill: why whole dry black corns like Tellicherry lead, how the colors differ, and what to avoid.
• GUIDE Best Salt for a Salt Grinder: What to Fill It With → The salts that grind cleanly — coarse sea salt, Himalayan, and kosher — plus the fine and damp ones that jam a mill, and why the core must be ceramic.
• GUIDE Can You Put Sea Salt in a Grinder? → Yes — coarse dry sea salt is exactly what a ceramic salt grinder is built for. Here's how to do it right and the one type of sea salt to avoid.
• GUIDE Grinder Top Won't Unscrew? How to Open It Safely → A grinder top that won't budge is usually salt-stuck threads or a sealed disposable — here's how to free a refillable mill without cracking the wood.
• GUIDE Grinding Himalayan Pink Salt: Does It Work? → Yes, Himalayan pink salt grinds beautifully in a ceramic mill. Here's why it's a great grinder salt, the coarseness that suits it, and the one thing to watch.
• GUIDE How Does a Pepper Grinder Work? → A plain-English look inside a pepper grinder: the burr mechanism, why the top nut changes the grind, and what makes ceramic and steel cores behave differently.
• GUIDE How Much Does a Pepper Grinder Hold? → How much a mill holds by size — from a compact 6-inch everyday grinder to a tall 10-inch table piece — and how often you'll really need to refill one.
• GUIDE How to Fix a Pepper Grinder: A Troubleshooting Guide → A troubleshooting map for a misbehaving mill — won't grind, too fine, too coarse, a stuck top, or clumped seasoning — pointing you to the exact fix for each.
• GUIDE How to Break In a New Pepper Grinder → A new mill often grinds rough or slow at first — here's how to break in the ceramic burr and season a wooden body so it runs smoothly and lasts for years.
• GUIDE How to Store Salt and Pepper Grinders → Where and how to keep salt and pepper grinders so salt doesn't clump and wood doesn't dry out: away from steam, out of the dishwasher, and a few small habits.
• GUIDE Parts of a Pepper Grinder: What's Inside a Mill → A named tour of every part of a pepper grinder — nut, rotor, burr ring, spring, shaft, and chamber — so adjusting, refilling, and fixing one make sense.
• GUIDE Pepper Grind Size Chart: Fine to Coarse (Interactive) → An interactive pepper grind size chart — fine, medium, coarse, and extra-coarse settings, what each is best for, and how to dial it in on any mill.
• GUIDE Pepper Grinder Grinds Too Fine? How to Coarsen It → Why a mill only makes fine powder — and the single adjustment that opens it up for a coarse crack, plus what to try when the grind won't get coarser.
• GUIDE Pepper Grinder Not Working? How to Fix It → The five reasons a pepper grinder stops working — empty, too-fine, damp clumping, a sealed disposable, or a worn core — and the fix for each.
• GUIDE Pepper Grinder Too Coarse? How to Get a Finer Grind → When a mill only cracks big chunks, the fix is one turn of the nut — here's how to dial in a finer grind and why some mills won't go as fine as others.
• GUIDE Pepper Mill vs Grinder: Is There a Difference? → 'Pepper mill' and 'pepper grinder' name the same tool — but the words hint at refillable vs disposable and pepper vs salt. Here's what each one implies.
• GUIDE Salt Grinder Stuck? How to Unstick It → A stuck salt grinder is almost always damp salt clumping the mechanism. Here's the two-minute rice-and-dry fix, and how to stop it seizing again.
• GUIDE Sea Salt vs Table Salt for Grinding: Which to Use → Why coarse sea salt grinds cleanly while table salt clogs a mill — the crystal size, additives, and moisture that decide what belongs in a salt grinder.
• GUIDE Types of Peppercorns: Black, White, Green, Pink & More → A quick guide to peppercorn types — black, white, green, and pink — how each tastes, which grind well in a mill, and how to build a blend worth showing off.
• GUIDE What Is a Pepper Mill? Mill vs Grinder Explained → What a pepper mill is, how it differs from a shaker, and why 'mill' and 'grinder' mean the same tool — plus what makes a refillable wooden mill worth owning.
• GUIDE What to Put in a Salt Grinder (and What to Avoid) → Which salts belong in a grinder and which ruin it: dry coarse crystals like sea salt and pink Himalayan are ideal; damp, fine, or oiled salts jam it.
• GUIDE When to Replace a Pepper Grinder → How to tell a worn-out grinder from one that just needs a fix: the signs of a dulled burr, why ceramic rarely wears out, and what to buy next.
• GUIDE Whole Peppercorns vs Ground Pepper: Is Fresh Worth It? → Why fresh-ground pepper beats the pre-ground jar: how pepper loses its aroma once cracked, when ground is fine, and what to grind for the biggest flavor jump.
• GUIDE Why Won't My Salt or Pepper Grinder Grind? → A quick diagnostic for a grinder that won't grind: telling an empty mill from a too-fine setting, damp clumping, or a sealed unit — and the fix.
• GUIDE How to Keep a Wooden Grinder From Cracking → Wood cracks from dryness, heat, and water — not age. Simple habits that keep an oak or acacia mill sound for years, plus how to treat the first hairline check.
• GUIDE Ceramic vs Stainless Steel Grinder Mechanism: Which Is Better → Ceramic and steel grinder cores compared — corrosion, sharpness, flavor neutrality, and lifespan — and why salt changes the answer completely.
• GUIDE How to Adjust Coarseness on a Pepper Grinder → Which way to turn the nut, how to test the grind, and which setting suits which dish — a practical guide to pepper grinder coarseness on top-screw mills.
• GUIDE How to Choose a Salt and Pepper Grinder (Buying Guide) → A five-question buying guide for salt and pepper grinders: size, fill window, wood, core material, and manual vs electric — with the picks each answer leads to.
• GUIDE How to Clean a Wooden Salt and Pepper Grinder → The safe way to clean wooden salt and pepper grinders: the dry-clean routine, the rice trick for the mechanism, oiling the wood, and what ruins a mill.
• GUIDE How to Refill a Salt and Pepper Grinder (Any Brand) → The one-minute routine for refilling a salt or pepper grinder without a mess — top-screw wooden mills, supermarket grinders, and what to do when the top sticks.
• GUIDE Which Grinder Is Salt and Which Is Pepper? How to Tell → Three ten-second checks to tell the salt grinder from the pepper grinder — marks, windows, and what is inside — plus what to do if they got mixed up.