Coffee and spices: How to grind both at home in less than $30

What do coffee and spices have in common? Coffee beans need to be grounded and so do spices. Do you buy bottled blended coffee or packaged grounded spices simply because you couldn't afford to grind coffee or spices at home? Here's a review of 5 best selling grinders on Amazon that you can buy online for less than $30. Call them electronic grinders on a budget that will allow you to enjoy coffee, freshly grounded from those exotic beans or food flavoured with freshly grounded spices.

Things to know before you proceed

• Almost all the electronic coffee and spice grinders have features like stainless steel, powerful motors and the other innovations a modern appliance would have. To make this review as realistic as possible and keeping usability in mind, only Cons have been given to highlight any specific problems or complaints that customers face.
• The grinders featured in this review are generally OK for coffee, flax seeds and spices like pepper, cardamom, fennel seeds, mustard, cinnamon, cloves and some such.
• Clicking on the Amazon.com product links will take you to the actual product page where you can view current prices, customer reviews and buy the product.
• At less than $30, you get what you pay for. You cannot compare these grinders with the likes of Braun or Breville because you are shelling out less than 1/3^rd of what you'd pay for them. The more expensive grinders may carry a reputed brand name, but will practically do the same job with a little more finesse.

At a price that is less than half of our budget threshold, the Toastmaster 1119 push button electronic grinder makes for a great buy. Besides the usual features of a stainless steel blade and a retractable cord, you also get a pulse function which allows you to precisely grind coffee or spices according to taste. This is your standard grinder, not too big and not too small. Not too powerful and not too weak. It is priced right and it will do the job. If you are looking for a budget solution to grinding coffee, pepper, flax seeds or more, this is a good pick.

Cons

• At this price, none

A 200 watt motor, stainless steel blades and a capacity to grind about 20 cups of coffee per grind makes the Krups 203 electric grinder a mainstay in any kitchen. Versetality is the name of the game because Krups promises that the 203 will grind coffee, spices, nuts and even grains. The Krups 203 is definitely not the cheapest electric grinders available online but is far less expensive than many of the other best selling models. This makes it a value for money buy in my books!

Cons

• The bowl and the blades cannot be removed, making cleaning a tedious job if you happen to forget about it overnight

What makes the Krups GX4100 different from the Krups 203? For starters, the GX1400 has a less powerful motor at 140 watts. But it has an extra feature that makes it a little more expensive that the 203, but still managing to creep into this list because it is discounted at $29.99. This electronic grinder has a pulse action button. In plain English, it gives you a bit more control of how fine you want to grind your coffee beans or spices. The capacity is same as the 203 at 3 ounces.

Cons

• The grinding bowl is fixed which makes cleaning a difficult task, similar to its cheaper alternative, the Krups 203 electronic grinder

Boasting to be one the cheaper electronic grinders available online, the Proctor Silex E160 BY Coffee Grinder is a nice compact grinder that can be used to grind spice as well. Compact, seems like this grinder's second name and it comes with a retractable cord and stainless steel blades. This grinder is best for grinding smaller portions of coffee or spice.

Cons

• It is a compact grinder, which makes it inappropriate for grinding big lots
• Proctor Silex E160BY is not highly recommended if you want to grind your coffee beans or grind spices to an extremely fine powder

Managing a sneaky entry into our list of under $30 grinders due to its current discounted price, the Hamilton Beach 80374 Hands Free electronic grinder is the only one with a removable bowl or grinding chamber. While the other grinders have to be inverted to get the contents out, this one has a removable grinding bowl which makes it easier to transfer the grounded material and also easier to clean. It boasts of a hands free operation that promises to grind your coffee beans or grind spices to precise preset settings. It's features make it the most feature-packed electronic grinder in this list.

Cons

• The presets will allow you a hands free grinding experience, but this is probably not-so-welcome for ardent coffee lovers who want to be able to boast off their art and grinding skills by manual precision grinding