The Unexpected Kitchen Tool You Can Use To Grind Spices

The DIY movement extends well past painting and retiling your bathroom or building a fire pit in your backyard sans the assistance of a well-skilled contractor. This idea of doing it yourself also stretches to the kitchen. Whether you enjoy growing your own herbs, trying your hand at mastering cake decorating for your kid's birthday party, or are part of the sourdough starter gang, of which even Jake Gyllenhaal is a member, taking on these culinary endeavors can be both fulfilling and might even save you a few pennies in the process. 

This DIY philosophy is also worth embracing when it comes to grinding your own spices, and according to Lifesavvy, part of the appeal to this is that whole spices stay fresh longer, meaning you aren't tossing bottles of your favorite spice because you couldn't use it all before the best by date. While many people prefer the traditional mortar and pestle method for crushing up spices, you might be surprised to learn there is a much quicker way to accomplish this task when you don't have the time to spend doing it by hand. In fact, you probably use this unexpected kitchen tool in the mornings to create the perfect cup of coffee to start your day off.

Per the blog Drinks without Borders, you can use a coffee grinder to turn your whole spices into powder, which you can use in your favorite recipes. As Lifesavvy points out, using a coffee grinder could be the quickest method of grinding up spices when you need them in a pinch. But if you are going to use your coffee grinder for this purpose, there are a couple of things you need to take note of.

First, you want to look at the blade of your coffee grinder. According to Drinks without Borders, you want a coffee grinder that uses blades, however, the outlet points out that most use something called a burr which, per The Roasterie Coffee Company, is described as "two revolving abrasive surfaces" that grinds up your coffee. While you can still use a grinder that has burrs, this may change the uniformity and texture of your ground spice.

And the second thing to keep in mind, according to Lifesavvy, is that if you use the same coffee grinder to grind up herbs and spices that you use to grind up your coffee beans, you might find your coffee tasting a little different, depending on what spices you're working with. Even if you are a master at cleaning your coffee grinder, the site notes that you probably won't get every last ground. The outlet suggests having separate grinders for your spices and your coffee.