What is the Advantage and Disadvantage of custom Flour Mills Machine

15, Jul. 2024

 

Best Grain Mill: Mockmill vs. Nutrimill

Sharing is caring!

Please visit our website for more information on this topic.

Trying to pick the best grain mill and overwhelmed with the choices? Come see the differences between the Mockmill vs. the Nutrimill for the best small flour mill for home use.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

Today, I want to share with you my experience with the Mockmill and the Nutrimill. We will look at the differences, what mill Im currently using, and why grinding your own grains is an important part of the homestead kitchen.

Ive been milling my own grains for the last 11 years or so, and for almost all of those years, I have had the Nutrimill. 

It all started at a homeschool conference where a lady named Paula, from Paulas Bread, really sold me on a Bosch mixer and a grain mill. This really opened my eyes to from-scratch cooking, and taking that seriously in my own kitchen.

So, while I have enjoyed using my Nutrimill for much of those years, I recently switched to using the Mockmill. 

Now, that doesnt mean that I dont like my Nutrimill, but today I want to share with you a few differences between the two mills and why I ultimately decided on the Mockmill.

Benefits Of Grinding Your Own Flour:

There are so many benefits to grinding your own grain into flour. Lets look into them.

Nutrition Benefits:

The nutritional value of grain breaks down really quickly after it has been processed into flour. So as it sits, it actually becomes less healthy.

For flour that you buy at the store, it needs to be able to last a long time so it can be shipped and stored on the shelves until it makes it into your home for use. To be able to last longer, many of the healthier parts of the grain are removed. This helps the flour to spoil less quickly.

Variety:

I can buy grains like einkorn, kamut, spelt, and hard white wheat (pretty much any type of grain you want) in bulk. This makes it really easy to experiment with varieties.

Grains Last A Long Time:

Grains in their whole form are very shelf stable and last a very long time. Buying in bulk and having your own mill allows you to store a lot of grains. Then, you can make flour at any time without worrying about grinding it all up at once and spoiling any flour you dont quickly use. You can store grains for a really long time, which is really satisfying.

Preparedness:

If you are starting to think about creating a more sustainable and prepared food supply, buying grains in bulk and milling them yourself is one great way to get started .

Best Grain Mill: Mockmill vs. Nutrimill

Lets take a look at the pros and cons between these two mills. While the Mockmill is newer to me, I have definitely already gotten my fair share of use out of it.

Mockmill Features:

Pros:

Beautiful: This was the first reason I switched, which is a little vain. However, it really is beautiful and I can leave it out on the countertop all the time, making it more convenient. Its also the reason I switched the Bosch mixer to my Kitchenaid mixer. 

Smaller Profile: One issue I have with the Nutrimill is that it takes up more counter space than the Mockmill. The slender profile of the Mockmill allows me to leave it out all the time without feeling pressed for space.

More Convenient: Since it doesnt take up much space and has that small profile, I have no problem leaving it out on the counter all the time. This makes grinding flour so convenient, and I find myself using it so much more because of it.

Stone Grinder: It grinds the flour between two stones which allows it to have more settings. You can make flour more fine with the stones or high enough to crack grains or spices. So it has more versatility.

Easier To Clean: To grind the flour, you just turn on the machine, add the grains, and it shoots the flour right into a bowl. All you do is just clean the bowl after use.

With competitive price and timely delivery, Xingfeng sincerely hope to be your supplier and partner.

Can Re-mill Grains: Say you want to make cornbread and you run the corn kernels through the grinder and find that the flour is too thick for what you need. With the Mockmill, you can re-mill the grains at a finer setting, where you cannot with the Nutrimill.

Cons:

Smaller capacity: The hopper is smaller, so it holds a smaller amount of grain at a time compared to the Nutrimill.

Price Point: It is definitely pricier. Mockmills start at $310 and go up to $730 depending on the model and style you choose. Now if you are wanting the best electric grain mill and price is of concern, I would go with the Mockmill 100 in the white housing. Its not as pretty as the birch wood, but it will get the job done.

Turn On The Grain Mill First: This isnt a big deal, but you do have to turn the grain mill on before adding the grain. If you add the grain first and then turn it on, it will not work and you will have to take the whole thing apart and put it back together.

Nutrimill Features:

Pros:

Large Capacity: I can easily fill the top portion up with grain and turn on the Nutrimill, walk away, and come back with the large bowl filled with flour. Whereas the Mockmill has a small funnel that holds grain, so it cant make quite as much at a time. But as long as you have a large bowl, you can still make a lot of flour.

Price: Slightly cheaper. You can find the Nutrimill for about $279.

Grinds Grains: Obviously this is a pro, and it does its job!

Cons:

Larger Profile: It is much bulkier in stature and takes up more space. Not only did I not want to leave it on the counter because it took up so much room and wasnt pretty so it made it look more cluttered, but also it took up a lot of room in the cabinet. 

Not As Convenient: Since it isnt as pretty, I kept it stored away in the bottom cabinet. Every time I wanted to grind flour, it had to be lugged out to grind. Even though this process isnt super cumbersome, it did prevent me from grinding flour more often.

Impact Grinder: While this isnt technically a con, it does limit its versatility. An impact grinder essentially grinds the grain between two stainless steel fins that crack it into flour. The Nutrimill does heat up the grain more due to this type of grinder, but the studies have shown it heats it up less than 120 degrees, so it doesnt impact the nutrients much.

Harder To Clean: Since the Nutrimill has a bowl with a lid, you have to pull it out, detach it, then clean the separate parts. Now dont get me wrong, I didnt wash it super often, but it is much harder to clean compared to the Mockmill.

Produces More Dust Than The Mockmill: It tends to be more dusty compared to the Mockmill, but also if you do not make certain that the bowl is completely pushed in, you will have flour everywhere.

FAQ:

Is milling your own flour cheaper?

Yes. It can be significantly cheaper to mill your own flour, especially when buying in bulk. It is also less expensive depending on the type of flour. Long-term, and being able to store whole grains for longer without them spoiling, it is absolutely cost effective.

Which flour mill is best?

There are many choices out there; I absolutely love and adore the Mockmill.

Can you make flour without a mill?

You can technically make flour if you have a high speed blender like a Vitamix.

What is the difference between Mockmill 100 and 200?

The Mockmill 200 can mill grain twice as fast as the 100 model, and the 200 also has a slightly larger hopper capacity.

What can you mill in a Mockmill?

It can mill food-grade corn (not popcorn), wheat berries, rye, barley, oats, medium dried legumes, spelt, kamut, einkorn, brown rice, millet, quinoa, and some spices (must not be oily).

Wet Milling vs Dry Milling: The Differences, Advantages ...

Industrial milling is one of the most commonly used techniques in the manufacturing industry and can be divided into two categories: wet milling and dry milling. To understand the difference between the two, and the challenges that come along the milling process, we first need to gain an understanding of the basics.

What is milling?

The use of mechanical energy to break down particles through various mechanical forces including grinding media, pegs, rods, pebbles, and screens.  When the material is pumped through the mill, the mills components act on the solids in the mixture to tear them apart or crush them, further reducing them in size. The industrial milling process helps to maximize the yield of the mixs ingredients and can improve the resulting products functionality as well. For example, milling can help improve color development, film properties, and product flow in inks and paints.

Understanding the difference between wet milling and dry milling

Now that we have a basic understanding of the industrial milling process, lets examine the difference between wet milling and dry milling. Dry milling typically uses particle-on-particle contact to reduce materials size, while wet milling involves dispersing the material in a liquid and using solid, grinding elements to reduce size. Products can be broken down through either one of these processes, but wet milling, which well discuss first, tends to be a more intensive process than dry milling. Wet milling, also known as wet grinding, is a process through which particles that are suspended in a liquid slurry are dispersed in that liquid by shearing or crushing. Once the milling process is complete, these particles are ready for use or can be dried and separated for incorporation into additional products. Wet milling is more complex than dry milling, thanks to the addition of a liquid, but this process also has the power to reduce a product into finer particles. This allows for the production of a greater variety of byproducts and also can result in improved physical properties in your final product.  By contrast, dry milling utilizes no liquid element, and is most frequently used for the particle size reduction of dry materials like powders and granules, or de-agglomerating and de-lumping bulk materials. While dry milling is a less intensive process, which often makes it the first method considered, wet milling is the best and most efficient way to get to your preferred particle size if extremely small particles are your goal.

Challenges that come with industrial milling

Depending on the type of materials youre working with, different industrial milling jobs come with their own unique challenges. When working with smaller (or older) milling units, the time and labor required to work in batches can be problematic and lead to unnecessary waste of materials and time.  This leaves manufacturers faced with the growing challenge of producing smaller and smaller particles in an efficient and cost effective manner. For instance, as nanoparticles continue to become more and more common in the development of new products, using the correct equipment for this manufacturing process is crucial if businesses want to maintain a leading edge over their competitors. Finally, although wet milling and dry milling are unique processes, one challenge that they have in common is the potential wear and tear on the grinding equipment thats used to break down the material. In dry milling, abrasives within the materials themselves could damage the milling equipment over time, while in wet milling, the carrier fluid used in the process, or the material itself, can potentially eat away at portions of the equipment.

A solution to fit your industrial milling needs from Hockmeyer

There are many types of mills in the market for both wet and dry milling, and the selection process can be daunting, but with the right equipment to meet your industrial milling needs, you can cost-effectively create uniformly fine particles with little to no contamination. When choosing a mill to fit your business needs, its important to find the equipment that maximizes efficiency and performance, and you need to know how the equipment will perform for your product. There are many factors to consider, and material loss can be a big one as its part of your overall manufacturing costs. The lower your costs, the better your bottom line looks. Here at Hockmeyer, our line of innovative, state-of-the-art wet milling equipment will help you get the job done, no matter what your desired end result is. Key players in our line of industrial milling equipment include:

  • NEXGEN Vacuum Recirculation Mill: designed with portability and tight-fitting spaces in mind, the Hockmeyer NEXGEN mill is the most versatile mill in the market.
  • HCP Immersion Mill: this product has opened the door to greater productivity in the particle reduction industry, and uses rapid recirculation to produce Homogeneous Batch Development, achieving faster grinds and tighter particle distributions.
  • HCPN Immersion Mill: on the cutting edge in nanoparticle production, this mill takes the science of nanoparticle manipulation and makes it user friendly to clear the path to new product development.
  • HCPS Immersion Mill: this immersion mill utilizes a separately driven sweep blade to ensure consistent product feed to the mill.
  • Micro Mill: the MicroMill goes beyond traditional milling equipment because it is adaptable to multiple functions and processes and was designed for precise production scale-up.

Looking for additional insight to help decide which mill is right for you, or ready to learn more about industrial milling solutions from Hockmeyer? Contact us for more information about our products and how they can best serve you and your business needs.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of custom Flour Mills Machine. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.