cracking grain

[FaziesAuzzieBrewzies]

Has anybody used a thermomix to crack grain?

 

[sp0rk]

You can use a blender to crack grain, but it takes ages and doesn't give a very good crush
Invest $150 in a Keg King grinder (or a higher spec one if you have the dosh), it's well worth the investment
If you are going to use the blender, hold it on an angle, it helps recirculate the grain better

 

[DU99]

Could invest in one of these units

 

[sp0rk]

Yep, that's the KK one
And a whole lot cheaper than KK are selling it for, that seller must be buying them in mega bulk

 

[nic0]

Well you can turn grain into flour with the thermomix so if you were careful you could crack grain with it.

 

[Yob]

I found blender type devices to be pretty inconsistent, some bits flour some un cracked grains, if you are BIABing then its less of an issue with the flour but in the end a good quality mill will serve you better for longer (less cleaning too)

 

[Spiesy]

Just get a mill, mate.

 

[MHB]

Think about it this way, the crack is the first place you have real control of the whole process.
A good crack can easily make 10% difference to your efficiency, that means that every 10th grain bill could be effectively free.
Probably less important in BIAB than 3V but a good crack can make an hours difference on a brew day, doesn't take a lot of hours to make up the cost of a mill.
Get a decent mill, or choose a retailer who can crack the way you want.
Mark

 

[manticle]

If you're doing partial mashes or just using small amounts of spec grain, the easiest way is just to order it cracked. When I was in that situation and buying from a shop that didn't crack (I knew much less then), I tried all sorts of alternative methods like rolling pins, coffee grinders, etc.

Big pain in balls. Now I often buy grain in bulk so I have my own mill but I also deal with a store that will crack to order.

 

[QldKev]

+1 on a decent mill.

I'd buy a decent brand one with a long term reliability record. Crankenstein, Monster Mill and if you want stainless steel geared rollers then the Aussie built Mill Master. With the US ones if you can find someone else who wants one, then ordering 2 will save a lot on post.

 

[TheWiggman]

Well you can turn grain into flour with the thermomix so if you were careful you could crack grain with it.

My wife hosted a Thermomix party. My only interest apart from the free food was that I heard it "mills grain". She demoed with a handful of wheat grains and after 30 secs of about 110 dB (seriously) mixing it coume out as literal flour. It did a surprisingly good job at making flour, but an awful job at milling grain at a home brew level.

Short and long answer - yes tried cracking it. No, couldn't do it.

 

[TimT]

I used to use a blender. It's kind of pleasing to get results out of such an ordinary kitchen item, and yes, it does work. Though I suspect it did affect my efficiency a fair bit.

I always wondered about the 'coffee grinder' solution. Mmm, coffee beer....

 

[DU99]

when i did grains for extract brewing i used a secondhand Conical burr coffee grinder.

 

[Grott]

As I've been only doing small amounts (250gms) of this and that I use a large airlock plastic bag and run the rolling pin over a few times. You can hear it cracking and does a reasonable job.
Cheers.

 

[NewtownClown]

My wife hosted a Thermomix party. My only interest apart from the free food was that I heard it "mills grain". She demoed with a handful of wheat grains and after 30 secs of about 110 dB (seriously) mixing it coume out as literal flour. It did a surprisingly good job at making flour, but an awful job at milling grain at a home brew level.

Short and long answer - yes tried cracking it. No, couldn't do it.

Absolutely correct - it does "mill" grain, however, we only want to "crush/crack" the grain for best results

 

[technobabble66]

I'd guess many would have a similar experience to me: I used a coffee grinder once (bought especially for this). At the end I thought "well that's just crap, I guess I'll be buying a mill next".
As Yob says - v inconsistent w the 2 extremes of uncracked grains sitting in pulverized flour.
Now I have a mill for grain and it's awesome. I also started grinding my own coffee beans due to having a coffee grinder sitting around doing nothing. My coffee is now much better also. Win!
As suggested above buy pre-cracked grain in the meantime, but get yourself a mill.

 

[Trough Lolly]

To answer your original question, yes, I've used our Thermomix to crack about 150g of malt and to be honest, my triple roller did a much better job at preserving the husks as the mash filter bed. The thermomix shreds everything evenly so you get coarse flour with husk particles throughout it. You will also find it much quicker to crack 4-5 kilos of grain in a dedicated mill setup compared to the jug capacity of the thermomix.

Cheers,
TL

 

[blekk]

Could try running it in reverse. The missus makes almond milk in the Thermomix so could see why it wouldn't work forward

 

[takai]

Yep, that's the KK one
And a whole lot cheaper than KK are selling it for, that seller must be buying them in mega bulk

A mate bought one from that eBay store, they just had it dropshipped from KK themselves, not as a bulk reseller. Probably account price vs retail.

 

[TheWiggman]

I just realised if you're thinking about buying a thermo mix then $150 on a roller mill is pocket change.
My wife though about getting one, but we bought a car instead.