The best pepper mills and salt grinders you can buy

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There’s nothing like freshly ground pepper and salt to season a meal to perfection. The best pepper mills and salt grinders use steel or ceramic gears to grind spices to the exact size you want. Of all the pepper mills and salt grinders we’ve tested, Peugot’s Paris u’Select 9-inch Pepper Mill and Paris U’Select 9-inch Salt Mill are the very best you can buy.

If you’ve never had freshly ground pepper or salt, you may wonder why on Earth you’d want to have to do all that work to season your food. However, once you’ve tasted the beauty of freshly ground salt and pepper, you’ll never want to go back to pre-packaged spices.

Pepper, in particular, loses its flavor and strength when it’s packaged already ground. It goes stale and loses its bite quickly. Salt can also take on a special flavor when you grind it freshly — especially if you’re using sea salt and a grinder that lets you determine how fine you want it.

The best pepper mills and salt grinders last a lifetime. They’re made with high-end steel or ceramic gears that grind your spices as finely or as coarsely as you want them. Mills should also be easy to fill up and pretty enough to grace your dining room table or kitchen counter.

A few years ago, I was on a mission to find a great pepper mill and salt grinder. I tried several different brands before I finally settled on the best set for my needs. The picks in this guide are based on personal testing and research into the best grinders and mills you can buy. Read on to see which of our picks is best for you.

Although Peugeot’s Paris u’Select 9-inch Pepper Mill and Paris U’Select 9-inch Salt Mill are our top picks, you should also consider the Peugeot Paris U’Select 7-inch Salt and Pepper Mill Set, the Fletchers’ Mill Border Grill Salt or Pepper Mills, the Cole & Mason Derwent Salt and Pepper Grinder Set, and the OXO Good Grips Lua Salt and Pepper Mill Set.

The best pepper mill and salt grinder overall

Peugeot/Business Insider

Why you’ll love them: Peugeot’s Paris u’Select 9-inch Pepper and Salt Mills set the gold standard with their gorgeous, durable design and adjustable grind settings.

Peugeot has been making pepper and salt mills since 1840, so the French company knows what it’s doing. When I first started my hunt for pepper mills, I was trying very hard not to buy from Peugeot because of the high price tag. However, having tried many others before I finally caved and bought these exact mills, I can confidently say that they are the very best you can buy.

The Paris u’Select mills have six different settings, so you can grind your pepper as coarsely or as finely as you wish. To change your grind settings, simply twist the bottom half of the mill to your preferred setting. Both the pepper and salt mills are made from beechwood and you can choose between a few finishes. I have the dark chocolate colored ones, and they develop a nice polished patina from the oils in your hands over time.

A two-stage burr-style system made from case-hardened steel grinds the peppercorns. Helix-shaped grooves inside the mill crack the peppercorns before grinding to ensure that all the oils and flavors survive the process. The finer settings are really nice for most use cases, I’ve found.

The salt grinder works a bit differently: Two ribbed plates break and crush sea salt to whatever size you choose. The salt grinding mechanism is made of corrosion resistant stainless steel for added durability. I’ve found that the middle setting is best for sea salt so that you don’t have to grind for ages to get enough fine sea salt to season your dish. Go easy, though, because sea salt is strong.

These mills will last you a lifetime. I’ve had mine for several years now, and they’re still going strong. Peugeot has a lifetime guarantee on the grinding mechanism and a two-year warranty on the mill itself.

Pros: Gorgeous wood construction, strong steel grinding mechanism, durable, adjustable settings, lifetime guarantee for grinding mechanism

Cons: Expensive

Buy the Peugeot Paris u’Select 9-inch Pepper Mill on Amazon for $42.26 (originally $48.00)

Buy the Peugeot Paris U’Select 9-inch Salt Mill on Amazon for $46.95

The best pepper mill and salt grinder set

Peugeout/Business Insider

Why you’ll love it: The Peugeot Paris U’Select 7-inch Salt and Pepper Mill Set is a great idea if you want to buy a matching set for your dining table.

If you’re thoroughly convinced that Peugeot is the way to go and you want both the salt and pepper mill, the Peugeot Paris U’Select 7-inch Salt and Pepper Mill Set is a brilliant idea. You get both mills in one package for less than $80. These ones are two inches smaller than our top pick, so you’ll have to refill them more often, but they’re more than adequate for most people’s needs.

The two mills are made from beechwood and their grinding mechanisms are the same as the ones you’ll find on our top pick. They also have the six different settings, so you can go from coarse to fine with a simple twist of the wrist. The warranty is the same as our top pick, too, so you know these will last you forever.

Since they’re a bit smaller than our top pick, this set of mills is ideal for your dining room table. they’ll look lovely and artistic on your table in the same way a nice candlestick holder does.

Pros: Gorgeous wood construction, strong steel grinding mechanism, durable, adjustable settings, lifetime guarantee for grinding mechanism

Cons: Expensive

Buy the Peugeot Paris U’Select 7-inch Salt and Pepper Mill Set on Amazon for $74.95 (originally $79.95)

The best pepper mill and salt grinder made in America

Fletcher’s Mills

Why you’ll love them: Fletchers’ Mill Border Grill Salt and Pepper Mills are proudly made in America with a lifetime guarantee, variable grind settings, and a gorgeous wooden design.

Fletchers’ Mill makes beautiful wooden pepper mills, salt mills, and rolling pins right in New Vineyard, Maine. It’s a family run business that uses sustainable wood to craft beautiful products that are guaranteed to last a lifetime. The company’s pepper and salt mills are terrific.

Fletchers’ Border Grill Salt and Pepper Mills are made from cherry, mahogany, or walnut wood, and you can buy them in fun colors, too. They look classy and simple on any kitchen counter or dining room table.

The mills use a special lock and grind system that allows you to adjust the grind to the exact level of coarseness or fineness that you want. The metal nut on the top is used to adjust the grind. The grind level is a bit less precise than our top pick from Peugeot, but it’s perfectly adequate.

Its pepper mills use a stainless steel two-step mechanism that crushes the peppercorns before it grinds them so as to enhance the flavor and keep the natural oils in the pepper. Meanwhile, the salt mills use an adjustable nylon crushing system to pulverize sea salt.

Fletchers’ Mill makes the second best mills around, so if you prefer something that’s made in America to the Peugeots that come from France, these are your mills.

Pros: Strong wooden construction, attractive design, adjustable grind settings

Cons: Expensive

Buy Fletchers’ Mill Border Grill Salt and Pepper Mills on Amazon for $40 and up (price varies by color)

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