Whisper Mill
I've given this particular grain mill the best rating of all - as it combines the best features ... it's nearly as quiet as a hand mill (well, close to it, anyway!) ... it's at a reasonable price range, and it mills as fast or faster than most other electric grain mills.
Although all electric grain mills are noisy - this one weighs in at around 81 decibels... and considering that many others top 90 db. - this grain mill can hold the title of the quietest electric mill. But let's be honest - it's like running a vacuum cleaner. But considering that you can mill enough wheat berries to make a large loaf of bread in under 2 minutes, it's not going to cause hearing loss.
This is actually called the 'Wonder Mill', and is merely a name change for the original 'Whisper Mill' - it's still manufactured by the same company. I'd hardly call it a 'whisper', but it does operate with less noise than any other electric grain mill. And although this is not a commercial unit, the company website shows a video where they mill 1,000 lbs of grain in 9 hours, 20 minutes of continuous operation. So you can accept that it has the staying power to handle your homemade bread requirements!
The canister that you see on the right in the above photo is where the flour is blown into after milling - and the lid for the mill can be put on the canister - and any extra unused flour can be simply popped into the freezer.
Keep in mind that although archeologists have found wheat in 3000-year-old pyramids that was still viable, once wheat is milled into flour - you have no more than a 2-3 day window before that flour begins to lose vitamins, and turns rancid from the oil content. This is a good thing - as it means that you're dealing with real food, and not chemically processed flour that will last for months... so if you don't use all the flour you mill right away, simply leave it in the canister, pop the lid on it, and into the freezer it goes. No muss, no fuss, and virtually no cleanup! (and delicious bread!)
The list of millable items is pretty much the same as other grain mills - stay away from oily seeds & grains, and you'll have no problems.
You can mill any of the following:
- Wheat (hard red winter, as well as soft)
- Amaranth
- Barley
- Buckwheat
- Chick Peas
- Dried Field Corn
- Dried Garbanzo Beans
- Dried Green Beans
- Dried Lentils
- Dried Mung Beans
- Dried Pinto Beans
- Dried Pinto Beans
- Kamut
- Millet
- Most Legumes
- Oat Groats
- Popcorn
- Quinoa
- Rice
- Rye
- Sorghum (Milo)
- Soybeans
- Spelt
- Split Peas
- Tritical
Don't mill any of the following in the Wonder Mill, the high oil content will definitely put a damper on your milling:Coffee Beans
Dried Fruits, Dates or Raisins
- Flaxseed
- Nuts of any kind
- Oatmeal
- Poppy Seeds
- Sesame Seeds and Spices.
- Sugar
- Sunflower Seeds
Here's a review from one owner of the Whisper Mill:
This is such a breeze to use! Quick & easy clean up too! Attach the bowl to the grinder, pick your setting, turn it on, dump in the grain, turn it off, remove the bowl, open the lid, & there's the flour ready for use!
The flour does get warm. I don't know how that affects the nutrients. Considering how fast it grinds I'm thinking it shouldn't affect them much. Even so, this way must be far superior to the flour you buy in the store. So fresh! Yum!
There is a little filter on the top to keep flour dust out of the air. It works great. No mess at all while using this! The filter can be removed in a half a second to be cleaned & replaced in another half second. It is amazing how quick & easy this is! If people knew they could have fresh flour this simply, I think a lot more people would be grinding their own grain!
The grinder is loud. It reminds me of a shop vac. It is quieter while grinding the grain! It's louder once it's empty! Makes it really easy to tell when it's done.
We bake a lot. This mill is oh so worth every single penny!
Review by K. Kisser
Just a comment about the heat issue - the Whisper Mill actually has one of the lowest temperatures of the finished wheat from many models tested - it's just under 100 degrees. Although I'm certainly no scientist, I rather doubt if very much in the way of nutrients is destroyed by a minute or two of 100 degree heat. But if this is a concern, simply keep your wheat berries in the refrigerator... then when you grind your flour, it'll never even come close to 100 degrees.
The technical specs on the Wonder Mill - Whisper Mill are:
The World's Cleanest, Quietest, Easy To Use Mill.
High speed, stainless steel mill will not overheat your flour.
Maintenance and trouble free design - no gumming, jamming or glazing.
12-cup capacity flour receiver doubles as a convenient storage canister.
1-3/4 hp motor, 120 volts, Lifetime Warranty
Shipping Weight: 11 lbs.
Here's another excellent review written by an owner of a Wonder Mill:
I received this about a month ago and have used it a couple of times to grind wheat and I'm seriously impressed. I did a bunch of research and decided on this mill. I grew up with a mother who would grind her own wheat each week to make bread, so I knew how loud these things can be, and how long it can take to grind wheat. I had a friend who also ordered it and she commented on how loud she thought it was. When I used mine the first time I was seriously so impressed. It was so quiet compared to what I grew up with ... incredibly quiet.
And ... I ground 8 cups of wheat in less than 5 minutes ... and it was beautiful soft fine flour. Let's just say after the first time ... I'm in love!
Review by P. Pond
If you cannot decide on which grain mill you'd like to buy, my recommendation is the Wonder Mill - you simply cannot go wrong with this unit. By all means, look at all the others, and if you have particular requirements that this Whisper Mill cannot handle, then purchase what will work for you - but if you are unsure at all - then take my word for it, you won't be disappointed with this one!