I received this KoMo grain mill for review. Ā As always, all opinions are entirely my own.
The KoMo Classic Grain Mill has changed my life.
Okay, that’s a little dramatic, but in some aspects it really has.
When I first saw the KoMo Classic Grain Mill, admired its aesthetic beauty and saw that it’s made in Germany, I knew I had to investigate. Ā I popped over to Pleasant Hill Grain, KoMo’s exclusive U.S. importer, to check it out and chat with their staff about its features, and then spent some more time reading reviews online. Ā I made the decision to get one.
When I first got it nearly two months ago I thought I’d probably use it once, maybe twice a week. Ā Without exaggerating, I use it at least 4 daysĀ a week, and sometimes that’s more than once per day.
Whether it’s to make some fresh flour for cookies, muffins or bread, to grind some yellow dent corn into polenta or fine cornmeal for dinner that evening, or crack some oat groats to soak overnight for the next morning’s breakfast, I’m continuing to discover more and more ways to put it to work as a daily part of our healthy eating routine.
Using my KoMo grain mill has bumped up my love of baking several more notches and has made experimenting with a wide variety of grains so easy – grains that you simply cannot find in ground or cracked forms in the grocery store. Ā When you have your own grain mill, the sky’s the limit!
My grain mill hasĀ become kind of like a cell phone – once you have one and start using it you can’t imagine life without it.
I don’t even buy flour anymore. Ā I grind everything fresh as I need it. Ā The KoMo produces a half pound of flour in 2 minutes. Ā No set up, no clean up, it’s a cinch. Ā I get my whole grains in bulk from Pleasant Hill GrainĀ (all natural, organic & non-GMO) and just take out however much I need for a couple of weeksĀ at a time and store the rest in the heavy airtight, mylar-lined bucketsĀ they come in.
My pantry wall is lined with food storage containers filled with dozens of different grains, beans and other dried ingredients. Ā This is just a portion of it.
The KoMo Grain Mill is the result of a German-Austrian collaboration by Wolfgang Mock and Peter Koidl. Ā Their aim was to produce top performing grains mills, both commercial and for the home kitchen, that are built to last a lifetime while also making them aesthetically beautiful enough to become a focal point of any kitchen.
Pleasant Hill Grain is KoMo’s exclusive U.S. importer. Ā Purchasing from them means you can be assured that you’re getting a genuine productĀ withĀ KoMo’s warranty while also receiving the excellent customer service that Pleasant Hill Grain is famous for.
Features of the KoMo Classic Grain Mill:
- German-made and top quality craftsmanship
- beautiful in appearance (worthy of leaving out on your counter as a showpiece)
- made from durable beech wood or American walnut
- relatively quietĀ compared to other grain mills
- ultra hard, long-lastingĀ millstone. Ā Stones vs. metal burrs produce a finer grind and heat up less quickly than metal, thus preserving the nutrients
- it’s heavy, 16 pounds, and doesn’t slip or slide while in use
- 360 watt industrial strength motor
- it’s fast: Ā It produces 8-9 ounces of fine flour per minute
- its solid wood hopper holds 2 pounds of grains at a time andĀ can run continuously so you can refill and keep grinding for whatever quantity of flour you need
- easy to use, Ā just plug it in and flipĀ the switch
- it can grind all dry grains, including soft or hard wheat, oat groats (dehulled oats), rice, triticale, kamut, spelt, buckwheat, barley, rye, millet, teff, quinoa, amaranth, sorghum and dent (field) corn. Ā It will also grind lentils, dry beans (pinto, red, garbanzo, kidney & more), and dried, non-oily spices. Ā Most grain mills can’t handle garbanzo beans but the KoMo Classic can. Ā *Check out my video below where I demo the KoMo grinding 13 different ingredients.
- easy to adjustĀ the fineness of theĀ grind, everything from cracked grains to the finest flour of any other electric grain mills
- cleanup is minimal (it’s self-cleaning) and full access to the milling stones takes just ten seconds, without tools.
- comes with a 12 year warranty
Really my only disappointment is one that applies to all electric grain mills and that’s that you can’t grind nuts or oily seeds. Ā But again, that’s not unique to the KoMo, that’s true for any electric grain mill. Ā But with the KoMo if you do grind something that has a little moisture or oil in it there’s an easy remedy: Ā Simply run some rice through the mill and it cleans out the millstone.
One other thing that I would mention: Ā You technically shouldn’t grind dried sprouted grains in the KoMo because of the possibility of some moisture left in the grains. Ā But I’ve done it a couple of times so far anyway with success and here’s how: Ā I didn’t let the sprouts grow very long and made sure to completely and thoroughly dry them out in the food dehydrator. Ā Because of the little dried sprout tails it took a little longer to grind the flour and to coax the grains down the hopper, but it worked. Ā And I had two gorgeous batches of organic sprouted whole wheat flour.
Check out this gorgeous line of KoMo grain mills (and there are even more of them than pictured here). Ā I should start collecting each model. Ā (Yeah, that’s not going to happen. Ā But it never hurts to dream.)
If you’re gluten-free you’ll especially appreciate the long-term savings you’ll reap by having your own mill. Ā GF flours are expensive! Ā But with a grain mill you can whip up a pound of brown rice, amaranth, chickpea, oat, millet or buckwheat flour (and many more) for just the price you paid for the bulk grains. Ā In many instances you save 50% of the cost by grinding your own.
The KoMo Classic Grain Mill isn’t cheap but there are two things that are strong selling points for me: Ā 1) It grinds flour more finely than any other electric grain mill on the market plus it’s also able to crack the grains more coarsely than other mills. Ā 2) Ā It has a 12 year warranty. Ā And from everything I’ve read about them, they’re really built to last a lifetime. Ā I hope to have mine for a very long timeĀ and someday when I’m too old and feeble to press the “on” switch I’ll pass it down to one of my kids.
Bottom line: Ā I LOVE my KoMo Classic Grain Mill. Ā It can be purchased at Pleasant Hill Grain or on Amazon.
Check out my video below where I use my KoMo Grain Mill to make Easy Danish Rye Bread:
Be sure to also check our my recipe for German Vollkornbrot (German Whole Grain Bread).
I have one more video for you.
And I’m going to admit to something crazy.
Just for fun, I filmed the KoMo Classic Grain Mill grinding 13 different ingredients, one after the other, to see how it would keep up and how it would perform with various grains and beans.
In the end I had 13 different flours and because I’m crazyĀ (okay we’ll just call it “daring”) and because I didn’t want it all to go to waste, guess what I did with it?
“You didn’t, Kimberly!”
“Yes…I did.”
I threw all 13 flours in one big bowl,Ā added some wet ingredients and fermented it for two days to make a 13-grain/bean batter for insane pancakes and a loaf of crrrrrazy bread!
Yeah, I fully expected it was going to taste pretty bad…but man, it was actually pretty darn decent, especially the pancakes! Ā The wonders of fermentation. Ā Check ’em out:
CRAZY 13-FLOUR PANCAKES AND BREAD!!
In my video below you’ll see all 13 grains/beans that went into these pancakes and bread.
SEE THE KOMO CLASSIC GRAIN MILL IN ACTION!!
I am so excited to know that one of you will be the proud winner of a KoMo Classic Grain Mill! Ā This giveaway is open to both my U.S. and Canadian readers. Ā This giveaway has ended.
Disclosure: Ā I was given a KoMo grain mill to review with no obligationĀ to write a positive review. Ā I love my grain mill and wanted to share my experience with you. Ā No further compensation was given and, as always, all opinions are entirely my own.
Brenda Haines says
Wow!!! I would love to win this to grind grains that I can grow and dry myself. How great would that be?! Thank you very much for this chance! :)
Cory says
What a great machine. The wooden exterior is very stylish. Do the mill stones ever need replacing?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Cory, my understanding is that mill stones rarely need to be replaced and are virtually indestructible.
Annie @ Annie's Noms says
This is so cool! I’ve never thought to mill my own grains, but it looks like fun! In love with your pantry though, my idea of heaven having everything perfectly organised and in its place!
Kim Beaulieu says
Oh my gosh, that is one seriously gorgeous mill. I’m in love. It’s absolutely beautiful. And useful. I cannot get over how organized that pantry is. It’s a thing of beauty.
I’d totally use this to make my own flours. I have IBS so it would be great to be able to make my own with this. Plus we have two horses so it would make grinding flax for them easier and cheaper. So it would get plenty of use in my house, for both humans, and equines.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Using this for your horses as well is a great idea, Kim! The KoMo Classic can be fed continuously so it’s quite the work-horse itself :) The next model up has an even stronger motor and is meant to be used commercially.
Christina | Christina's Cucina says
OMG, I can’t believe you’re giving one away, because I was just going to say, I WANT ONE! I couldn’t stop watching the video! I think I’d just grind flours and watch it all day long!
I make no knead bread every other day, but have just run out of the 50 lb bag of flour that I used to buy from a gourmet warehouse that went out of business in December! This would solve my flour problem as I’d use it to grind my own wheat!! What a fabulous machine; it’s gorgeous and I love that it’s made in Germany, too! Fingers crossed on the giveaway! Whoever wins it will be soooo lucky!
cynthia | What A Girl Eats says
Wow! I’ve never heard of this gadget before! I think I really need one! So great to grind your own grains!
Heather | All Roads Lead to the Kitchen says
I’ve always wanted to grind my own wheat berries, spelt…you name it! I’ve been wanting a grain mill forever, thanks for the chance!
Tina W says
I would use it to grind some whole grain flours and be sneaky and bake bread for my Dad. (he claims he can ONLY eat white bread because of his diverticulitis. He also claims he can’t eat 99% of vegetables because of it. Nice try old man! *and yes, I’ve double-checked it all with his doctor)
Patty says
Oh man, everyone who has had bread in Europe knows the pain of going back to American bread. I miss my German Vollkornbrot so much. The pain is real :) Now if the mill could only whip up some cold cuts and cheese…
Megann says
Wow, that is gorgeous – it would match my kitchen space perfectly! I’d love to try make some of my own flours; I love experimenting to see what the different textures and flavours do to my baked goods!
Nutmeg Nanny says
I had no idea how easy it was to make your own flours! I’m so jealous of your pantry too….swoooooon! I think the first thing I would make is chickpea flour since I love it a lot and have a hard time finding it.
Rust says
I would grind grains for bread, and also my homegrown herbs.
fabiola@notjustbaked says
Honestly, I cannot even handle how pretty the grinder is for one. BUT YOUR PANTRY!!!!!! WOW, that is amazing. You are dedicated and that is simply so cool.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks, Fabiola! :) My pantry hasn’t always been this organized but it really makes a big difference, especially when it comes to food rotation. Being able to see everything very clear and visibly (as opposed to stashed in bags in boxes or who knows where) enables me to see exactly what I have, how much, what needs to be used up, what I need more of, and it also inspires recipe creation – every time I walk into my pantry and look at all the ingredients tons of new ideas flood into my mind :)
Steph says
I love this make my own bread so why not grind the grains too
Carly Williams says
I would use the grain mill to grind dry grains- especially beans and quinoa.