Cuisinart DCG-12BC Grind Central Coffee & Spice Grinder

THE COOK’S TOUR

One of the most essential tools in any kitchen is a good grinder for spices and, yeah, coffee. In a category full of bad design, this is the best bad design for two key strengths: Cleaning, and a strong motor.

The devil in these gizmos is in the detailing: They’re hard to clean, without putting an electric gadget around running water, or wasting rice, which also dulls the blade, to get rid of essential oils from the stuff that your reducing to a coarse grind, or powder.

The DCG-12BC has a removable cup/blade, which is super easy to clean. They even provide a lid, if you store what you grind in the grinder. That’s not me, but hey, different strokes for different folks!

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Torque is your friend in a good grinder. Can they get up to speed fast, and produce an excellent, uniform grind, or do they get caught on the goods in the cup, and create an erratic grind?

The motor has to be durable too. One unit that we tested, from another manufacturer, had a tag on the power cord advising you to use it less than 30 seconds at a time, and allow one minute for the motor to rest before using it again, to avoid risk of FIRE. Oh yeah, that went back, fast!  This unit does big jobs, including batching out five spice, and other blends that use tougher spices.

If cleanliness is next to Godliness, this unit is both angel, and devil.

The stainless steel grinder cup is easy to clean, and get rid of all of the essential oils that can cross-contaminate spices or coffee. The plastic base locks in better than an all-metal cup, and can’t deform, or bend from misuse.

On the other side, you really need to tap the top after grinding, and remove, flipping it upside down, or some of the dust that sticks to the top is going to end up on your counter.

Additional cups may set you back as much as the grinder, about $23/ea., but, if you want to keep your coffee and curry apart, then you can always splurge.

I have yet to find a “perfect” grinder/mill. This one is a bit above average.

PROS

• Easy to clean;
• Powerful motor;
• Small storage footprint.

CONS

• Like 90% of the mini-grinders, pretty loud;
• Messier than average.
• Stalinist, utilitarian design keeps it in a drawer, not on your counter;
• Touch bar button can get a bit dirty, and need more cleaning, than other simple push-to-activate models;
• Smoked plastic not as easy to see through as clear with spices;
• Not very ergonomic, unless your hand is square.

MY TAKE

Here, function tops form.  Spice mills  are kitchen workhorses. This one, sadly is more plow horse than show pony. Cuisinart earns my three diamond ChoiceStuff™ award* for this plow horse. Could ya make it a little prettier, less messy, and fit my hand better?

* OUR RECOMMENDATIONS ARE NEVER ADVERTISER INFLUENCED. WE DO OFFER, THROUGH THIRD PARTIES, AND OUR OWN STORE, ITEMS FOR SALE ON COMMISSION. ADVERTISERS ARE ALLOWED IF WE ALREADY RECOMMEND A PRODUCT.