The Best Salt & Pepper Mill Buying Guide

When it comes to cooking, salt and pepper are two essentials that no dish can go without. And while many people might be content using just a shaker, there's something about using a mill that takes your cooking up a notch. Not only do mills give you more control over the amount of spices you add, but they also release flavour in a way that shakers can't.

So if you're in the market for a brand new top-of-the-range kitchen gadget, investing in a salt and pepper mill is the way to go, and this blog is here to help decipher the perfect one for you. Whether the mill is Wooden, Acrylic or Electronic, we're here to help you find the design made for your kitchen. this handy buying guide will ensure you get the salt & pepper grinder you are after.

What features are you looking for?

While shopping for your new salt and pepper mill, whether this is a brand-new purchase or an upgrade from your current model, you may want to ask yourself; What features do I want my new mill to provide?

This can vary from the aesthetic design to match your kitchen to the mill size to suit your kitchen table. All features can be taken into account to leave you happy with your purchase.

Below we have listed various products specified by their stand-out features. Take a look;

2-in-1 Mills (also called Combi mills)

• Kew 2-In-1 Electric Salt & Pepper Mill Set 210mm - Squeeze the top to release the flavour. This electronic-activated mill is 2-in-1 and is convenient and space-saving.
• Seville 2-In-1 Salt & Pepper Mill 140mm - Save space and time with this 2-in-1 mill, allowing you to switch between salt and pepper easily.

Adjustable Grinding Mills:

• 105 Beech Salt & Pepper Mill Set 165mm - Easily adjusted to grind from fine to coarse by loosening the knob at the top.
• Keswick Salt & Pepper Mills 180mm - A contemporary mill with a classic dark walnut stain which looks beautiful on a table and offers essential gourmet seasoning control.
• Bridgwater Salt & Pepper Mills 135mm - The Precision+ grinding mechanisms (sharp ceramic for salt, carbon steel for pepper) are guaranteed for life so you can season with confidence knowing you will get high quality and consistent milling time after time.

Electronic Mills:

• Richmond Electric Salt & Pepper Mill Set 215mm - This luxurious electronic salt and pepper mill set is set to impress your guests, and make cooking easier at the touch of a button. Adjust the grind from a fine to a coarse setting to suit your dish using the knob situated at the base of the mill.
• Burford Electric Salt Or Pepper Mill 180mm - The Cole & Mason Burford Electronic Singular Mill offers a sleek and contemporary way of seasoning your food, hassle free - at the touch of a button.
• Penrose Electric Salt Or Pepper Mill 210mm - The Penrose Electronic Mill has been designed to save time and make seasoning that little bit easier. With motion-sensitive automatic grinding, you only need one hand to operate, just simply pick up and turn upside down to start grinding, and then return upwards to stop.

Smaller-Sized Mills:

• Button Salt & Pepper Mill Set 180mm - Compact salt and pepper mills with a contemporary look, designed for picnics and dining outdoors. Small enough for holidays and weekends away, the button mill is the perfect gift for campers and glampers alike.
• Keswick Salt & Pepper Mills 180mm - A contemporary mill with a classic dark walnut stain which looks beautiful on a table and essentially brings gourmet seasoning control to everyday kitchens, measuring 18cm high and available separately in salt or pepper.

Designed to match your kitchen:

• Derwent Salt & Pepper Mills Set 190mm are the perfect balance of contemporary style, classic elegance and exceptional performance. Made from crystal clear acrylic and stainless steel they make a beautiful addition to any home - and available in 5 eye-catching colours.
• Oxford Capstan Beech Mills 155mm are available in a variety of colours, so revel in the luxury of choice and combine an array of shades, or mix and match. They're super affordable too - why not buy one in every colour?

Mills for every setting

Another important consideration is how you will use your salt & pepper mill. Will it be for the armature home chef? Everyday use? Adding drama to a table setting? Or a travel set to ad to your next glamping trip?

Here we’ve listed the most common uses we find people want to consider a set for, and the products best suited to these uses.

Everyday Use

Let’s start off with the most common. Everyday use. You want some functional and affordable. It needs to withstand the usual day-to-day handling from grownups and children alike. And like everything that’s used regularly, it might not be the most well taken care of items so it needs to be durable.

That doesn’t mean you should sacrifice good design, however. In fact good design will accommodate all of these needs whilst still complimenting the aesthetic of your kitchen.

Our best advice here is to keep it classic. It needs to be lightweight, wipe clean, scratch-proof and withstand damage when being mis-handled.

Our recommendation:

It has to be the Beech Capstan Salt & Pepper Mills which are available in 5 different sizes and light or dark finishes. They also suit your pocket - and are priced from £13.

Home Chef

The next most common requirement is that of the home chef. This is someone who takes enormous pleasure in cooking and wants the equipment to help them design the perfect dish for friends, family, special occasions, and romantic nights in.

Key requirements include a good grip, easily cleaned, easily refilled, but most importantly, the ability to adjust the coarseness of the grind.

Our recommendation:

The Richmond Electronic Mill is the handy salt and pepper mill set you need when working quickly and efficiently in the kitchen, when having speed on your side is key. Season with one hand and stir with the other, in order to ensure you're concentrating on what matters the most; consistency and taste.

Adding some drama to the centrepiece

Many people don’t appreciate that whilst your everyday mills might look great on your kitchen counter, or brought out during a normal weekday family meal, they don’t appropriately compliment the look you’re going for when hosting a dinner party or special occasion.

For these events you want something a bit more special. Design, flare, and the unusual are the main considerations here. But you also want something that suits the ‘look’ you’re going for. These mills might be a finishing touch to a table design rather than a statement piece.

Our recommendation:

Available in 5 different colours to match the hardware on your kitchen handles, choose the Derwent Salt & Pepper Mill Gift Set 190mm