Best Salt Grinder Reviews 2023

Nowadays, people have become increasingly mindful of what they eat. That means there are more and more households that are looking for healthier food and optimal ways to prepare them. Regardless of how complicated a meal may be to prepare; basic spicing still remains the same. Salt is a common go-to seasoning that every individual, from top chef to home cook, uses regularly. With this new health-aware approach to cooking, more conscientious methods of food preparation are in demand, where people prefer salt grinders or mills over table salt. The reasoning is simple, a salt grinder or salt mill ensures better taste with less salt. Essentially, it reduces the salt particles to finer grains, which can easily cover a greater amount of food. We understand how important quality and functionality of a salt grinder or mill is, so we have taken the time to do some extensive research. In doing so, we have identified 5 of the best salt grinder brands and have singled out one product from each of them. Do note, however, that these brands have other similar products to consider should you want to look at other models. Since we did all the hard work, you can now easily pick out the mill or grinder you think is best.

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Overview

PROS

CONS

SPECS

Material(s)

Dimensions

Style

Grind Method

Coarseness

Our Top Choice

Cole & Mason Derwent Salt Grinder

Cole & Mason has a passion for cooking and great flavors. Its mission is to provide the best seasoning equipment for all levels of cooking.

It features a precision, machine-cut, carbon steel professional grinding mechanism, which delivers quality and finesse. It also has 6 preset grinding levels.

It’s been reported that the grinding level markings wear off.

Acrylic and steel

2.36 x 2.36 x 7.52 inches

Sleek and modern

Carbon steel

6 grinding levels

Best Value

OXO Clear Salt Grinder

OXO is a brand committed to the design and creation of innovative consumer products that make everyday living easier for the majority of people.

It is airtight, has a non-corrosive ceramic grinder, a non-slip grip for easy grinding, and a clear acrylic body so you can always see what’s left in your grinder.

This, however, is a manual grinder, and is therefore not ideal for grinding large quantities of salt.

Acrylic and steel

2.4 x 2.4 x 7.8 inches

Sleek and stylish

Non-corrosive ceramic

5 grinding levels

Pepper Mill Imports Copper Salt Mill

To offer the finest made pepper, salt, and spice mills in the world has been the only goal of Pepper Mill Imports from the day it was founded.

It has a grinding mechanism that actually grinds. The mill is protected from corrosive salts with a food-safe nylon liner, and its all metal body ensures durability.

Due to exposure to salt, the copper could discolor.

Copper

11.2 x 2.8 x 9 inches

Traditional European

Nylon

Screw controlled

Peugeot Paris U’Select Salt Mill

The Peugeot brand is governed by two cardinal principles: Excellence and Pleasure. All its products are designed to celebrate taste and enhance flavor.

It uses a stainless-steel grinding mechanism that won’t corrode from salt contact, and it has a simple, adjustable grinding system.

None have been reported at the time of this review.

Beechwood

2.2 x 2.2 x 7 inches

Traditional

Stainless steel

Screw controlled

Olde Thompson Combination Mill

Olde Thompson prides itself in being the largest manufacturer of salt and pepper mills in the world. Over 150 styles of mills guarantee a mill perfect for you.

It features Olde Thompson’s exclusive, fully adjustable grinding mechanism, which comes with a lifetime guarantee. It is also easy to use and maintain.

It may require constant refills since it is split to hold two different contents.

Stainless steel

4 x 3 x 4 inches

Modern

Ceramic

Knob controlled

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What is the Best Salt Grinder?

To help you get the most out of this review, you’ll need to know exactly what you want in a salt mill or grinder. Do you want one made from steel, plastic, or ceramic? Would you want one that is specifically for salt or would it be helpful to use it for pepper as well? Is durability more important than ease of use? These are just a few questions that need to be considered to get a clear idea of the grinder you would want. Once you have a better picture of what you want, you’ll be able to easily recognize your ideal salt mill or grinder brand when reading the following reviews.

Our Top Choice

The Cole & Mason Derwent Gourmet Salt Grinder is built to give top-of-the-line performance. With its carbon steel professional grinding mechanism delivering quality and finesse, you get more flavor with fewer turns. Is this a bit too much for your needs? Try the Cole & Mason 505 Salt Grinder. It has fewer functions and is more affordable.

Cole & Mason Derwent Stainless Steel Mill – Available for Salt, Pepper or Both & in 3 Colors

Features

For almost a century, Cole & Mason has shared in the success stories of many kitchens, providing top quality seasoning equipment. Their passion for cooking and great flavors has pushed the company to consistently innovate, bringing you seasoning equipment and a range of products crafted with quality and care. No wonder it won the CoolBrands status for 2015! With many recognitions and awards, like the Innovation in Product award by the Excellence in Housewares Awards, Cole & Mason continue to provide the best seasoning equipment for all levels of cooking.

The Cole & Mason Derwent Gourmet Salt grinder (selling at $39.99 – the manufacturer’s recommended retail price) embodies all that the brand stands for. Some of the features that have made this product stand out include:

Modern and Unique Style with high-quality clear acrylic
Carbon steel professional mechanism
Adjustable Settings with 6 precise grinding levels
Easily Refillable
Maintains freshness of content
Clear acrylic design highlights level of content
Easy to clean

Now you surely see why many are making this product their salt grinder of choice.

Cole & Mason has a wide selection of salt grinders you can check out if this salt grinder is not exactly what you want.

Best Value

The OXO Salt Grinder is a sleek and stylish grinder for both kitchen and dining table use. It has a non-corrosive ceramic grinder, a non-slip grip, and a clear acrylic body so its content is always visible. If you are still looking for something a bit different, try the OXO Good Grips Salt Grinder. It has a different design with more stainless steel accents.

OXO Clear Salt Grinder – Also Available for Pepper

Features

The OXO philosophy is very simple: Provide innovative consumer products that make everyday living easier. It has done this by studying people and how they use these products. From left handed users to right handed users, male users to female users and more, these studies have helped by continuously exposing ways in which its products can be improved. With a thought process that questions everything and an unflinching attention to detail, OXO has not failed to provide the best solutions that are available to as many people as possible.

The OXO Salt Grinder (selling at $22.02 – the manufacturer’s recommended retail price) is one of the products that has emerged from this creative brand. It is a simple but sleek and stylish grinder. These are some of the features that make the OXO Salt Grinder effective and yet easy to use:

Sleek and stylish design
Non-corrosive ceramic grinder
Easy grinder adjustment setting from fine to coarse
Clear acrylic body shows when it is time to refill
Non-slip grip for easy grinding
Easy to refill
Air tight. Keeps salt fresh
Comes filled with salt

No doubt this is a simple, uncomplicated grinder that gets the job done.

Not sure on this one? OXO has many other great salt grinders for you to choose from.

The Atlas Salt Mill is a handmade traditional European mill with a mechanism that actually grinds rather than smashes. Adapted from Greek coffee mills, it is touted to be functionally the best in the world. If you love the design and functionality of this salt mill but want it in a different material, then grab the Pepper Mill Imports Atlas Pepper Mill! It’s made with brass and is 8 inches.

Pepper Mill Imports Atlas Decorative Copper Salt Grinder – 9 Inches

Features

From the day it was founded, Pepper Mill Imports has always had one goal, and that is to offer the finest made pepper, salt, and spice mills in the world. Employing a 300-year old proven method, its products are handmade in Greece to the most exacting of standards. No wonder its products are regarded as functionally the best in the world.

The Atlas Salt Mill from Pepper Mill Imports (selling at $84.00 – the manufacturer’s recommended retail price), brings you the best of a proven, 300-year old European grinding method. With a grinding mechanism that was designed to actually grind rather than simply smash, you can expect the highest quality from this mill.

This mill features the following:

Handmade to high standards
Durable all metal (copper) body
Nylon grinding mechanism
Mill protected from corrosive salts with food-safe nylon liner.
A flange base for stability
Traditional European mill
9-inch mill
Limited lifetime warranty

This sure is the mill to get if you love the traditional European look and feel.

If this does not meet all your requirements, Pepper Mill Imports has a wide selection of salt grinders you can check out.

The Paris U’Select is the flagship model of the Peugeot collection. Presented in traditional styling, it features the U’Select grind selection system for the perfect degree of grind. Not satisfied with this? You may rather go for the Peugeot Paris U'Select 9 Inch Salt Mill, which is larger and comes in chocolate brown.

Peugeot Paris Classic Salt Grinder – Available in 4 Sizes

Features

From the commencement of its operations in 1840, the Peugeot brand has been governed by two cardinal principles, Excellence and Pleasure. All its products are designed to celebrate taste and enhance flavor. With mills that have spice-specific grinding mechanisms, you can be sure that every mill you get from Peugeot will deliver great results because it is made specifically for that spice. If you add to this U’Select, its patented grind adjustment system, then you have products that are perfection in themselves.

As the flagship model of the Peugeot collection, the Paris U’Select (selling at $33.25 – the manufacturer’s recommended retail price) is expected to deliver nothing but the best. It has not failed in this regard as it has consistently delivered as promised. Here are some of its features:

Traditional styling
Smoothly turned beechwood
18/10 stainless-steel grinding mechanism
U’Select grind selection system
Easy to refill
Screw controlled grind coarseness
Lifetime warranty on grinding mechanism

There you have it, the features that make this mill tick.

Haven’t decided yet? See other salt grinders from Peugeot’s wide selection.

The Olde Thompson Stainless Steel 2-in-1 Mill is assembled by sonic welding, eliminating screws that can come loose during long-term use. It uses a fully adjustable grinding mechanism that comes with a lifetime guarantee. Not excited about this? You may prefer the Olde Thompson Del Norte Salt Mill, which grinds just salt and has a different design.

Olde Thompson 4" Stainless Steel Pepper Mill and Salt Mill 2-in-1 Combo

Features

Since first opening its doors in 1944 as The George S. Thompson Company, the brand has grown steadily mainly due to the accomplishment of its goal of offering the best quality products, packaging, pricing, and merchandising support. Today, Olde Thompson prides itself in being the largest manufacturer of salt and pepper mills in the world with one of its products reportedly sold every 18 seconds. With over 150 styles of mills, it guarantees your satisfaction with all its products.

The Olde Thompson Stainless Steel Combination Mill (selling for $17.00 – the manufacturer’s recommended retail price) offers the convenience of having both a salt mill and a pepper mill in one package rather than two. With the following features, it surely is a great buy any day:

2-in-1 pepper mill and salt mill
Stainless steel
Fully adjustable grinders for finer or coarser grinds
Designed for commercial use
Comes filled with premium quality peppercorns and coarse sea salt
Lifetime guarantee

Olde Thompson has many other salt grinders you can choose from if this does not meet your requirements.

How Do I Choose the Best Salt Grinder?

Shake, shake! Taste - hmmm, needs some more salt. Shake, shake! Taste, again - needs a little more salt. Shake, shake Oops! The cover of the salt shaker falls off, emptying its entire content into the food. This is a disaster as the food has now been rendered inedible. Yuck!

If you’re lucky enough to have avoided a situation such as this one, then you’ve been spared getting an inedible dish and a salt-sore tongue. Yes, salt is delicious in just the right quantity. But, when food is over-salted, it’s horrible! In the kitchen, it’s necessary to have a proper salt dispensing product in order to avoid any salty situations.

When you use a blender, the machine breaks down food to its smallest possible size thus allowing its flavor to truly come out. It’s also the same with a coffee grinder or a food mill where it is essential to grind or puree a food item to attain your desired drink or food.

Some people may argue that salt in any form is still salt, so using table salt is no different than its ground version. Yet, as with any other spice, not all salt tastes the same. The truth is that you can never satisfy everyone. Each person will have their own taste preference, but more often than not many do claim that iodized table salt does have a harsh taste when compared to more exotic salt types.

Most exotic salts come in large crystals which need to be broken down into finer grains. This is where a salt mill or grinder would come in handy. So, if you are an exotic salt aficionado, then this guide is definitely for you. Do read on, as we will help guide you to choose the best salt grinder that even your kitchen will love! With any luck, by the end of this guide, you will know precisely what you want your soon-to-be-favorite salt mill to have.

Price

No matter what purchase we make, price is always an ever-constant factor. Needless to say, salt grinders are no different. As we dug through the huge amount of salt mills, we came upon several inexpensive models that worked very well, priced from about $16 to $60. Pricing, however, all depends on features such as product material, model quality, and grinding precision setting, amongst other things.

We have listed here salt grinders that we believe will offer you good value. We made sure not to include cheap salt grinders which are usually made from inferior materials and would undoubtedly serve you poorly. Choose any one of our featured products based on its model capabilities and you’ll surely be ready to cook up a storm in no time.

Features

When choosing a salt grinder there are some factors to consider that will help you make the right choice. Some of these important features to look out for include:

Type
Size
Material
Ease of Refilling
Grinding Levels
Grinding Mechanism
Durability
Body Type
Content Preservation
Corrosion Prevention
Grip Type

Let’s now look at these in some detail.

Construction and Design

One of the very first things you would need to consider is the type of salt grinder you want. Do you want an electric grinder or a manual grinder? Certainly, electric grinders offer more ease of operation than manual grinders. However, many prefer manual grinders because of greater grinding control over electric grinders that take too long to grind the salt grains.

Depending on preference and cooking requirements, you may want to decide between a combination salt and pepper grinder or just a regular salt grinder. Fundamentally, having a combo may give you the convenience of not having too many kitchen devices clogging up countertops and cupboards.

Salt can be corrosive so you should be particularly concerned about the material used for your salt grinder. Also, even though it will not come into contact with the salt, consider the mill’s external casing as it will affect the durability of the grinder. Salt grinders can be made from copper, plastic, wood, and other kinds of materials. Most grinders use a different material for the grinding mechanism to avoid corrosion.

Look for a grinding mechanism made of ceramic, stainless steel, or other similar non-corrosive material. Some that are made with metal that can react with salt are usually covered with nylon liners that are food safe. Any quality salt grinder worth purchasing must have a non-corrosive grinding mechanism.

When getting a salt grinder, it is important to look at how well sealed it is. You do not want a salt mill that will have small spaces that would allow moisture to enter the mill. The more airtight it is; the better if is for the salt.

Performance and Ease of Use

One thing that’s really great about these salt grinders is how easy it is to refill them. There’s nothing more discouraging than wasting time fiddling with a new gadget that takes forever to clean, close, or refill. But, with these mills and grinders, it’s no mess, no stress.

Another factor to keep in mind is mill grinding levels. The more grinding levels it has, the more you can control the coarseness or fineness of the salt grains. Basically, the more grinding levels it gives you, the more flavor control you get.

Grinder size is yet another issue to consider. If your salt grinder is too small, you’ll find yourself refilling it more often than not. Yet, if it’s too big, it may be cumbersome and awkward to store. So, try to figure out the perfect balance between grinder size and salting frequency to better gauge the type of model you’ll want.

You’ll want a salt mill that is sturdy with a good, secure handle grip. Since you’ll be holding it over your food to season it, you certainly don’t want a model that can easily slip out your hand. Pick once that has a good handle, preferably with a non-slip grip to keep your actual grinder from falling onto your dish.

Finally, some customers may prefer salt grinders with a clear body type. This type of mill allows you to see at what level the salt is so you can decide on when to refill it. Without this useful feature, you may find yourself at times standing over your delicious food only to find out that you’re all out of salt. While this may not actually affect its overall operation, it does make for some seasoning inconvenience.

Go back to the start of the reviews

Get the Best Salt Grinder of 2023!

Now that you have taken the time to read through this review, we think you’re better informed about the different types of salt grinders and salt mills available on the market. Armed with this new information, you can now confidently choose the product that perfectly suits your cooking needs.

Our Top Choice

Cole & Mason Derwent Salt Grinder

Best Value

OXO Clear Salt Grinder

Pepper Mill Imports Copper Salt Mill

Peugeot Paris U’Select Salt Mill

Olde Thompson Combination Mill

Go back to the start of the reviews

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