Confessions of an Oxytocin Addict

As I was working on Thanksgiving dinner this year, it occurred to me that there is a kitchen device that needs to exist if it does not already. What I want is something that primarily grinds and measures raw salt and peppercorns so that I do not have to do this manually when cooking.

I enjoy using freshly ground salt and pepper in my recipes, and I have several from which I choose. But it is tiring to grind the amounts needed by hand, particularly when you need a sizeable amount for cooking. In addition, it is bothersome to have to grind into a small bowl before using the measuring spoon because have you ever tried to grind into a teaspoon??

I want a kitchen device akin to an espresso and/or a coffee bean grinder but that works with raw spices like salt and pepper. Just like you can set a coffee grinder to produce a specific amount of ground coffee, I would like a device to do the same for raw salt and peppercorns. For example, if I need a quarter of a teaspoon of kosher salt for a recipe, I somehow select that salt on the device and enter the desired amount. That type of salt and the specific amount is ground and dispensed.

Keep in mind that you can purchase individual salt or pepper containers that can do something similar. Instead, what I envision are slender, side-by-side containers almost like bulk food dispensers in grocery stores but much smaller in size and with a built-in grinder at the bottom spout of each container that you can dial up for whatever amount you need – a 1/4 teaspoon, a 1/2 teaspoon, a teaspoon, a tablespoon, you name it.

It could be cool to do this for a variety of dried raw spices in addition to salt and pepper, but salt and pepper are two spices I use and grind most frequently and thus the two I need the most help with on a regular basis.

FYI this post’s featured image is a photo by Anastasia Zhenina on Unsplash. Thanks Anastasia!