Grinding coffee

[bucolic_frolic]

My Cuisinart manual doesn't mention coffee beans. And I didn't find much online. Seems to me I made peanut butter with the large blade. Do you think that would work with coffee beans? They're a bid harder ... any experience? thanks.

[no_hypocrisy]

1. I simply use a coffee grinder which is a lot like a miniature food processor.

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. I think you would have a hard time getting a good even grind. All the grinders I have ever seen have

tiny blades and move the grounds out of the way as they go through.

[procon]

5. Get a burr grinder.

A Burr Grinder crushes large quantities of beans between a moving grinder wheel and a non-moving surface. You can control the grind with the different settings.

[GentryDixon]

21. That's what I use. I was just grinding beans 20 minutes ago. 🙂

[cos dem]

3. If it doesn't tear up the Cuisinart, its liable to get coffee everywhere.

Burr grinders are best, but good ones are pricey. Whirly blades work in a pinch, but can't produce a uniform grind.

[procon]

4. Which one?

Cuisinart makes many products. It would be useful to know which one you're referring to.

[bucolic_frolic]

6. I have an old DLC-7 Pro

Don't use it much. Hard to believe it was bought back in the day mostly for shredding cheese, which was not yet available packaged in a store.

[procon]

8. Yes, but what is that?

Are referring to a food processor, a blender, stick blender, a coffee grinder... This shouldn't be so difficult.

[bucolic_frolic]

11. Oh, yeah it's a food processor.

I think that's about all they made at the time. Their next product was a chopper.

[procon]

15. Ok, got it.

You can grind peanuts in a food processor because they're soft and have a high oil content. Coffee beans are much harder and maybe a top food processor might break them up into smaller chunks, it won't make them into ground coffee.

You will need to buy a specific coffee grinder to process whole coffee beans into a useable grind for brewing. The cheaper models use high speed blades to process small amounts of beans, but the grind is often inconsistent and there usually isn't anyway to control what kind of grind you'll get from one time to the next.

If you enjoy your coffee or brew a lot of it, a Burr Grinder is the best way to grind whole coffee beans. Coffee aficionados tend to prefer the burr grinders over the blade type because the settings are adjustable to produce the grind that you refer, from very fine to coarse. The beans are ground in a uniform size, giving you a more consistent and controllable grind than you can get with a blade. They also process larger amounts of beans. Also note worthy, is that they are easier to clean than the blade type as the hopper and grinding mechanism can be hand washed, although I've put my Mr Coffee in the dishwasher with no worries.

[soothsayer]

7. Can You Grind Coffee Beans In a Food Processor?

https://coffeedorks.com/can-you-grind-coffee-beans-in-a-food-processor/

What Ground Should You Expect
You don’t need an electric or manual burr grinder to achieve the ‘almost perfect’ brew. You can pulverize the coffee beans in a food processor. This motor-driven, spinning blade can help you make two types of ground coffee:
Medium-Fine Grind
It is easy to achieve a medium-fine grind with a processor. Just let it work on your coffee beans for a few minutes and you’ll get an almost excellent grind leading to a perfect cup of coffee. The resulting coffee grounds would be perfect for most pour over brew methods.
Coarse Grind
Simply “pulse” your food processor. Turn it in short bursts to coarsely grind the beans, shake it in between grinds and stop any time before medium-fine grind. This method is a bit tricky and you may not get the same coarse grind consistency of a burr grinder.
Still, it will not be too coarse or under extracted; otherwise, they are going to be weak and less flavorful. Remember that grind consistency helps you extract evenly the good flavors from your favorite coffee beans. An under-extracted coffee has a chalky aftertaste.
Another useful tip is to grind a few beans at a time to reach a consistent grind. It will help you control the texture and allow you to check the grind shape as you continue to add coffee beans in the machine.

[bucolic_frolic]

9. I was wondering about that, but thought uniformity would be a barrier

I grind eggshells. But the results are powdery with larger bits. I thought coffee would be the same.

[soothsayer]

12. I've definitely done it in a Magic Bullet, but that's a wee machine

I’d use a food processor in a pinch if I needed to. Should be fine. And what smells better than fresh ground coffee? Yum

[Major Nikon]

16. Think of it this way

A food processor, a blender, or a whirly blade type coffee grinder can all be used to “grind” coffee, but none of them are really grinders. They are rather like trying to grind coffee with a hammer, which is pretty much exactly how they work. The result at the microscopic level is everything from powder to boulders.

A true grinder will have a blade that turns and an opposing stationary blade that are adjusted to a certain distance away from each other. The result at the microscopic level is a uniform consistency in the size of the particles which translates into more even extraction when you are brewing coffee. These are what are known as burr grinders.

My recommendation is any grinder is better than no grinder. Just about anything is better than using pre-ground coffee.

As far as burr grinders go, I have a few from various hand grinders all the way up to my highly modified Mazzer Super Jolly. There’s a couple of entry level grinders I would recommend, both of which I own personally. One is the Hario ceramic hand grinder and the other is the Baratza Encore grinder.

[bucolic_frolic]

18. Interesting

There's an old old hand grinder with a handle to turn on top around here somewhere. I'll give it a go.

Thanks!

[RobertDevereaux]

10. Ditto re burr grinder.

We are quite pleased with the OXO brand.

[RobertDevereaux]

13. Then join Atlas Coffee Club...

And enjoy their single-origin coffee beans from many places around the globe.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

14. What about using a blender to grind coffee

One plus is the carafe is easy to empty and clean. It pulverizes ice . But would it grind javabeans.

Now I'm going to fill my cup again.

[Warpy]

17. I might be more inclined to use a blender, honestly

but the steel chopping blade should work eventually.

I always used the hand crank model with the wooden drawer. It always smelled so nice, even if I hate drinking the stuff.

Specialized electric coffee grinders aren't expensive, and it would be better than having everything you do in the food processor come out smelling slightly of coffee.

[bucolic_frolic]

19. lol, cross-contamination does happen

[Warpy]

20. Plastic sucks up a lot of aromatic oils

and coffee is particularly persistent.

[bucolic_frolic]

22. So I got some new coffee today, finally.

Good thing, my MAXBoost 1.25 is almost gone. I mean 3 days remaining.

I was really lucky. I got a Lucky Markets Blue Jamaican Mountain Blend ground with moderate acidity, AND an Earth Fare Brazil Bom Jardin mild acidity beans. Considerably less than $5 the pair, 12 ounces each, 100% Arabica beans.

[Demsrule86]

23. I grind beans for espresso...what are you grinding coffee for...espresso is a

very fine grind. I have the Cuisinart and you move the dial ...if you look at the dial you can see if you are going smaller or bigger.