Damp salt is what ruins a salt mill. Coarse sea salt holds enough moisture to corrode a steel grinding mechanism from the inside. It does that even after the salt has been dried. Peugeot prints the warning in capitals on its own mills: do not use wet sea salt, even dried.
So buy a salt mill built for salt. Woodsea splits the two: the Spice Rings salt mill carries a ceramic mechanism, which cannot rust, and the pepper mill carries a metal one. Peppercorns are dry, so rust never comes into it.
If you grind ordinary dry table or rock salt, any mill copes. If your salt comes out of a bag as damp coarse crystals, the mechanism is the whole decision.
Which Woodsea mill for which job
Salt grinder Spice Rings, oak, 28 cm, 49.99 EUR. Ceramic mechanism, so this is the one to put salt in.
Pepper grinder Spice Rings, oak, 28 cm, 49.99 EUR. Metal mechanism. Peppercorns are dry, so rust is not a risk here.
Salt and pepper set Spice Rings, oak, 99.99 EUR. Buying the two mills separately comes to 99.98, so take whichever is easier to order.
Spice Rings or Upside Down
Woodsea makes two lines, and the difference is where the mechanism sits. On Spice Rings it sits at the bottom, as on most mills. You turn the mill upright and the grind falls from underneath. On Upside Down it sits at the top. The mill stands on its wide end, and nothing collects on the counter under it.
The Upside Down pair is also shorter and rounder. It stands 22.5 cm on a 5.4 cm round body, against 28 cm on a 5 by 5 cm square one.
Both lines cost you the same thing. You cannot see how much pepper is left, and there is no way around that in solid oak or walnut.
Pepper grinder Upside Down, oak or walnut, 5.4 x 22.5 cm, 74.99 EUR in either wood.
Salt grinder Upside Down, 5.4 x 22.5 cm, oak 74.99 EUR and walnut 84.99 EUR.
If damp coarse salt is what you actually use, buy the Spice Rings salt mill. Take the Upside Down pair when you want the shorter, rounder shape standing on the counter.
What actually breaks on a wooden grinder?
Two things, and neither is the wood cracking on its own.
Damp salt does the most damage, and it does it out of sight. In a steel mechanism it corrodes the grinder and the mill is finished. In a ceramic one the worst it does is cake and jam the grind, which you can clear.
Standing water is the easier one to avoid. The bodies are the same solid oak and walnut Woodsea uses for its boards, and it warns that a dishwasher will crack and warp those. Hand wash the mill, dry it at once.
Which one to buy
- For salt and pepper done properly, Salt grinder Spice Rings and Pepper grinder Spice Rings at 49.99 EUR each. Ceramic in the salt mill, metal in the pepper mill. The set is 99.99 EUR for the same two.
- For the shorter, rounder pair that keeps the counter clean, the Upside Down duo bundle at 127.48 EUR in oak or walnut. That is 22.50 EUR under the two oak mills bought singly, and 32.50 under the walnut ones.
Both lines were drawn by the Lithuanian product designer Barbora Adamonytė-Keidūnė and are made in Lithuania.
How long does a Woodsea grinder take to arrive?
Woodsea processes an order in 1 to 2 business days. Inside Lithuania it ships with Venipak, 2 to 5 working days from dispatch, to a courier address or a parcel locker. Pickup in person is ready in 1 to 2 business days. Delivery inside Lithuania is free from 90 EUR, which the set and the duo bundle both clear. Outside Lithuania it ships with DHL, 5 to 7 working days. The full terms are on Woodsea's shipping policy.
About Woodsea
Woodsea makes wooden kitchenware and homeware in Lithuania, handmade from solid European hardwood: cutting and serving boards, knife holders, candlesticks and salt and pepper grinders.