Quest For Perfect Pepper Grinder Continues

Sorry to continue my grouse about the difficulty of finding the perfect pepper mill for kitchen use, but here goes. As previously related, I did have the perfect one, able to grind anything from very fine to a good coarse crack, even though it was a little acrylic thing given to me in a wedding shower and looked to be as inexpensive as they come. After years of fine service, that wonder finally cracked its own self, and my quest began. Peugeot has a reputation for being the finest, and they've long been on my dining table, but I hadn't employed them in the kitchen, where my use is more demanding. I even checked at the hallowed E.Dehillerin, Julia Child's cooking store of choice, while in Paris, where I was told I should only use Peugeot. But trying it out in the kitchen, I found I just couldn't get the range of grinds I was looking for.

Since my original perfect mill appeared to be quite cheap, I tried going less expensive than Peugeot, experimenting with the acrylic from Cole & Mason (for use by the cooktop, I think acrylic is a much better choice than wood). The Cole & Mason in fact proved excellent for a medium to coarse grind, giving me everything I usually was looking for in the kitchen (plus fine grind from the Peugeot on the table). But alas, the Cole & Mason irreparably broke after only a few months use. Thinking it possibly a fluke and having been so pleased with its performance, I bought another one, but am sad to report that yet again, that broke in just a few months.

In a trip to Peppercorn, I found that for my uses I was again looking primarily at Peugeot and Cole & Mason. Since Peugeot now offers an acrylic version, better suited to sitting by the olive oil splashing from my stove, I bought that one with fingers crossed. And the preliminary results are indeed promising. That mill is giving me a much better grinding range than the older wood Peugeots on the dining table. Maybe I've found the perfect pepper mill for kitchen use yet again!