There are so many interesting utensils and cooking tools that can be found in any kitchen aisle of the department store. Different cooking tasks have given birth to wonderful kitchen tool innovations. These inventions make cooking a more pleasant activity and in some cases can even make the food taste better.

Spice grinders are one of these ingenious innovations. They have been modified from the ancient equivalent, the mortar and pestle. A new handy tool for anyone who cooks is the portable herb grinder. They are great for camping trips, and other out of the house kitchen cooking escapades.

The main purpose for these simple machines are to save time from grinding the spices and the herbs by pounding on them with the mortar and pestle. And they do a really good job at pulverizing the spices for them to taste better. Bigger lumps of the substance tend to have a concentrated flavor that may ruin the over all taste of the dish.

These utensils are made out of different type of materials. Whatever type one chooses to purchase, is according to preference but there area some strong pros and cons. The materials grinders are made of vary from natural to synthetic. These are commonly wood, plastic, metal and aluminum.

Aluminum and other alloy base grinders are proven as the most durable types. But the metal can be harmful if it comes in contact with the body. Considering that there could possibly be a really little amount of metal that could get in the ground spices, this risk could be given a pass.

Wood is a very delicate material used for this instrument. It can easily break if used with black pepper seeds. It is meant for softer herbs. Plastic is the least recommended since the spikes that ground the spices can chip off and get mixed with the food, which is very harmful even in such little amounts.

Grinders also vary in structure. There are two, three and four chamber types. The two chamber device does not have a catcher for the grounded ingredients, which makes this option a bit messy. They can be considered as a substitute to table top pepper dispensers. The three chamber type have the catcher which makes clean up so much easier. Four chambered one come are the expensive ones since they come along with a scraper to remove any excess debris

Cleaning these instruments is easy. There are a variety of methods, application is still a matter of preference. One method is using boiling water on a pot and gently dropping the tool in the pot. This only works for the metal types since plastic can melt and wood will get soggy. Method number two uses a toothbrush and carefully cleaning with the aid of water . This takes more energy that sterilization, but it gives a thorough cleaning.

This kitchen tool is essential especially if one is the type that grows their own herbs. There is a huge difference in flavor when seasonings are bought off the counter and when they are grown in a backyard, dried and then ground to be used immediately in the dish. This is guaranteed to give any dish a more luscious flavor.