What happens when you combine fine dining and power tools? You get pure magic. Alton Brown, the star of some of my favorite Food Network shows, has just released a video demonstrating how to turn a normal pepper grinder into a high-powered culinary tool. All you need is a 35 mm film canister and a multispeed cordless drill.
According to Alton Brown's website: "Although I suspect that a controlled sonic pulse system is the key to perfect pepper grinding, almost every pepper mill currently on the planet is based upon a design introduced in 1874 by Jean-Pierre and Jean-Fredrique Peugeot, who, at the time, were best known for manufacturing hand saws, of all things. Their design featured a wooden tube that fed the pepper into a rotary mill, composed of a grooved male head and a grooved female ring. Although steel has long been the norm, ceramic mechanisms, which are quieter, and, I think, more precise, are now coming onto the scene. In another new development, some mills are replacing the classic drive shaft with a mill housing that allows the entire container to be turned.
Oh, and about one-handed electric mills: You know, this is a good concept, but I have never seen it executed properly. Of course, I’ve been working on a little something of my own..."