We tested salt and pepper grinder sets that are popular and sold at major retailers. We bought and paid for every mill set we tested. Easily adjustable with a rotating tab for coarse to fine grinding, they have non-corrosive ceramic grinders that won't absorb flavours or odours. The grinder is positioned at the top of the mill so it won't leave a mess on the table. The mill rests flat when upside down for easy refilling. Choose your mills With its grinding mechanism on top, this OXO Good Grips Salt Grinder won’t spill salt all over the dining room table, and our customers love it. Sometimes seasoning requires accuracy. You might want to pepper your steak, but not the chips to the side of it. While one of the electric grinders did produce both fine and coarse grains consistently, we felt the ease of use benefits were spoiled by poor test results on other factors. 2. Most grinders can't do both coarse and fine grinds very well

John Lewis plc, registered office: 171 Victoria Street, London SW1E 5NN. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Register no. 724309) for the purpose of introducing the credit provided by Creation Consumer Finance Ltd, registered office: Wellington Buildings, 2-4 Wellington Street, Belfast BT1 6HT. When creating meals for your family and friends, it’s a good idea to go easy on the salt and pepper and simply allow each individual to add as much or as little of the spices as they prefer to their meal. Keeping a salt and pepper grinder set on your dining room table will provide easy access to these coveted spices. We rated each mill on how easy it is to use with oily hands and dry hands. It tend to be the pricier grinders that are easy to use if you have oily hands. Time to grind a teaspoon Versatility: Consider the material of the grinding mechanism. If it doesn’t absorb odors (ceramic, for example), you may be able to switch between pepper and, say, cloves without mixing or tainting flavors. (But our pros recommend dedicating the grinder to pepper to ensure clear flavor.) Be careful when using a pepper grinder for salt — salt can be corrosive, and some salt-specific grinders are a better choice for the task.

It’s good practice to use a dry brush or cloth to fully clean out your grinders before refilling them. Some salt and pepper grinder sets don’t include the actual spices. You’ll need to buy your salt or pepper separately. We tested two electric grinders and were surprised at how many batteries were needed (eight for each set) and how difficult the batteries were to fit. Creation Consumer Finance Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Register no. 311518).

Large items (delivered by two people, such as appliances and furniture) can be returned using our Home Collection service. We assessed whether there was a differentiation between the size of the fine, medium and coarse grinds for each as well as how the sizes compared across models.Finished in stylish steel and acrylic, the salt mill looks the part, as well as performs it. A simple twist of the collar adjusts the coarseness depending on whether you’re seasoning a dish or wanting a crunchy, salty garnish. It has six fixed grinding settings that are easy to select and clearly labeled on the base of the mill. The grinding action was smooth. But it was somewhat difficult to refill, since it's designed with a center post to drive the grinder, and you must add the peppercorns around it.

Ease of refill: Some mills and grinders have a narrow opening that makes it harder to smoothly funnel peppercorns into the chamber. Look for models with a large and easy-to-open access point. Electric grinders may require up to four AA batteries each, which means you’ll need eight batteries per set. The perfect salt and pepper grinder set would be able to produce both fine ground and coarse ground spices, be easy to fill, durable and easy to use. Ease of filling Salt and pepper grinders are every cook's staple, but we've tested the most popular from Joseph Joseph, Le Creuset, ProCook, Peugeot, Salter and more, and found a big difference in how easy they are to fill and operate. With plenty in our kitchenware range, you can create a dining room to show off with pride. Start with our table cloths—from plain and understated to bold and beautiful, we offer cloths for various occasions. We also have wipe-clean options—perfect when little ones make a mess. Make sure you have plenty of placematson hand to minimise spillages to the table. They also keep hot plates off the table, helping protect sensitive tabletops.Use care with salt and pepper grinder sets that are made of glass. They are very susceptible to breaking when dropped. If you buy a quality mill set, you'd expect it to be able to produce super fine grains for delicate seasoning and chunkier grains for marinating. Many of the grinder sets could only do one or the other well. But our recommendations above did produce consistent fine spices or coarse grains, and it's easy to adjust the settings to the desired level. 3. Traditional style grinders are hard to use with wet and oily hands With its ceramic grinding mechanism on top, this pepper mill won’t leave a ring of ground pepper on your surfaces every time you put it down. A simple twist of the collar adjusts the coarseness depending on the recipe of the day. These give a better fragrance and release a real burst of flavour. They also enable you to select the coarseness of grind.