Krups 203-42 Electric Coffee and Spice Grinder with Stainless-Steel blades, Black
|
List Price: Our Price: $17.89 You Save: $6.11 (25%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $17.75 (click here) Category: Kitchen See more product details |
|---|
Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Krups 203-42 Electric Coffee and Spice Grinder with Stainless-Steel blades, Black
Customer Review: Works for me...
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this grinder based on the price and because of the majority of the reviews were positive. I can grind 8 scoops of coffee beans in under 15 seconds... and that's with pulsing the blades. I keep the beans and grounds in an OXO air tight container and I have to say my coffee is good!!! For those that want to know, I get Cameron's Toasted Southern Pecan Whole Bean Coffee, 32-Ounce Bag and use a Cuisinart DCC-1200 12-Cup Brew Central Coffeemaker, Black and Stainless Steel
Here are a few things you should know:
1. It needs to be plugged in.
2. I'd say max capacity is around 8 scoops of whole coffee beans. Any more and you may overflow.
3. Definitely get a grinder brush (looks like a basting brush) to clean out your grinder after each use. Or if you're lazy like me sometimes... every 2 - 3 uses. I wouldn't leave grounds in there more than 3 days though.
4. Although this product was meant for a finer grounds or grinds... you can get a slightly coarser grind if you pulse it and shake it around a bit until you get to the grind you want. I dont know how uniform it will be but it works for me.
5. It is pretty loud. Just pretend your blending ice cubes with a blender.
Overall, I am very satisfied with the purchase. One more note is that I've been using the grinder 2 - 3 times a week for 3 months and it's still as strong as when I first used it. And... I would never use it for anything other than coffee beans (I don't want to contaminate my coffee). Hopefully my review helps.
Customer Review: Great for Spices Too!
Summary: 4 Stars
In my books, "Sticks, Stones, Roots and Bones: Hoodoo, Mojo and Conjuring with Herbs," and "Four Seasons of Mojo: an Herbal Guide to Natural Living," I list a coffee bean grinder as one of the important pieces of equipment to have. Coffee bean grinders replace or augment the use of the old fashion mortar and pestle and is a great way to grind down tough woody herbs, barks, dried berries and spices. I've been using my Krups Fast Touch Grinder, 203-42 to create a sage, rosemary, tarragon turkey rub, grinding peppercorns and larger pieces of sea salt. For pumpkin custard and pumpkin bread I've used the fast touch for grinding nutmegs, clove buds and large cinnamon sticks that I break by hand first. Each type of blend took less than a minute to create and the blends are smooth and evenly powdered. Krups Fast Touch amazed me because of its speed and ease (in that regard it definitely lives up to its name). I've had other grinders before that I've used for the same purpose but usually the blades are so high that the herbs get stuck underneath. They also burn out and break very easily. Krups Fast Touch grinder is most impressive! It is also very roomy so you can prepare lots of coffee or herbs or spices at once. The only two things I don't like about it is the short cord and the fact that it is hard to get the top all the way clean so you are left with different types of residue.
Sticks, Stones, Roots & Bones: Hoodoo, Mojo & Conjuring with HerbsFour Seasons of Mojo: An Herbal Guide to Natural Living
Customer Review: Essential equipment
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had a couple of these, and always found it very dependable. It has a high RPM, a great blade (I used to own Brauns and went thru blades every few months - I've never replaced one with Krups). It's a very mature product - Krups has been making it for maybe 20 years. You can get 5-10 years out of this grinder with daily use.
Tips: Fill it to the top of the blade well with beans for enough ground coffee to make 10 cups.
If the rest of the house is asleep, cover the grinder with a towel or coat or pillow to keep it quiet.
You get a paper filter grind after 20 seconds, espresso in 25 seconds. Turn it upside down and slap the bottom a little to shake the grinds down into the cup, pull the body of the grinder off from the top - very mess-free that way. If you grind more than 20 seconds, there will be some fine grounds sticking to the bottom of the well, just loosen them with a finger and dump into the cup. Easy.
To respond to some of the negative reviews - yes, it gives off an electrical insulation smell in the first month or so, but that's pretty standard for small electric motors - it goes away.
I read a complaint about ability to clean the grinder... just brush out the blade well. Same treatment for the cup, or you can hand wash it (I never do, tho)
This really isn't a spice grinder, you want a mill-type grinder for that kind of thing (i.e., like a pepper mill).
If it breaks in the first few uses, send it back! Manufacturing processes aren't perfect, but Krups is a good company.
Customer Review: Just what I wanted
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a fantastic product!
I gave it 4/5 because I don't use it as a coffee grinder, and don't feel qualified to rate it that highly when I use it for a non-primary purpose. I use it as a spice grinder, in which capacity it works wonderfully. Home made garam masala is a cinch with this grinder that performs well and quickly. Everything from stick-cinnamon to cumin is pulverized (literally) by this efficient grinder.
My only nits to pick are these: it doesn't perform quite as well when you are only grinding, say, 1 tsp. of anything (it seems to need a little more in order to force stuff down into the blade; a Tbsp. always does well); and the clear cap which, I suppose, is to allow easy viewing of the ground material, couds with use. I don't know if it's from the oils in the spices or the abrasion of the little bits flying around all the time.
Super pros: great motor, durable parts. I had one for the better part of 5 years before I had to replace it (which I did with another of the same model). The blade is the only one I've seen that is angled up on one end and down on the other, allowing better agitation of material that has settled toward the sides. The Cuisinart and the Mr. Coffee both have blades that angle up at both ends, and I can't see how these would be able to reach down and convince the coriander seeds in the bottom of the grinder to come up and get powdered.
If you want a coffee ginder, I don't know how well this will do. But for a spice grinder this is an excellent choice.
Customer Review: Krups Fast Touch Coffee Grinder: a versatile tool to have in your kitchen
Summary: 5 Stars
I love Krups Fast Touch Coffee Grinder so much I bought a second one. The metal blades spin at very fast speeds on this grinder and performs a coarse to a fine powder grind depending on how long you push the button. The design is safe (a momentary switch on lid ensures the unit can't be activated when open) and convenient (the lid doubles as a carrying vessel for the grind). Cleaning the device could be easier, but using a small paint brush to brush out the grinding bowl and then wiping with a wet cloth or paper towel does the job. The lid can be rinsed and washed with warm soapy water easily. Best of all, this grinder takes up less than 3-1/2 in. (9 cm) round of space in my cupboard.
I typically grind beans for 4 to 8 cups in 10- to 15 seconds. For a coarser grind for use in the french press, it requires half the time, 5- to 7 seconds. A compact cosmetic brush for cleanup stays with the coffee spoon in the sealed coffee bean container. There's nothing like a cup of brewed Diedrichs fresh ground whole bean Black Tiger.
I use the second grinder for grinding spices quickly and efficiently.
If you choose to grind your own Cloves, do not use a grinder that has plastic parts. Clove oil can cloud some plastics. Allspice also has the potential to ruin some plastics. No amount of washing will restore the lid to it's previous condition.
For under $20, this is a versatile tool to have in your kitchen.