On Sep 17, 2:53*pm, Terry Pulliam Burd > wrote:
> Generally speaking, a mortar and pestle are all that's needed to grind
> herbs and spices, but I would like to find a good herb and spice
> grinder for the really hard stuff like star anise and nuts. Anyone
> have a good 'un they can recommend?

How much do you expect to spend? I have a blade-type coffee mill that
I reserve for spices. (I grind my coffee in an electric burr mill.)
Some seeds are too hard for either a mortar or blade mill. I use a
Porkert mill for poppy seeds. It works for caraway too. (I made peanut
butter with the grandchildren in my hand-cranked coffee mill. The
first pot of coffee made during Irene's power outage tasted a bit
unusual.)

Jerry
--
Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can
get.