What is the easiest way to grind poppy seeds?

Question

When I prepare a poppy seeds filling (e.g. for a pie), I currently use an old-style coffee grinder. It takes small amounts (like 2 tbsp at a time) of poppy seeds and grinds them into powder in 2-3 minutes. The resulting quality is OK for me, but the process is not very easy as I often need to stop for the grinder to cool down, to move around the seeds that got stuck to the inner walls, and it takes quite some time when you need to process 200-300 g of poppy seeds that way.

So, my question is: Is there any kitchen appliance or just some other way to grind poppy seeds easier without losing on the quality?

Answer 1

You need to acquire a poppy seed grinder (picture #1). It's still not easy to grind a lot of poppy seed — you will need to break out your supply of elbow grease — but it's much more efficient than a coffee grinder. It also does a better job, because it actually crushes the seeds to release all their oils and other goodness, rather than haphazardly cutting apart some of the seeds and not others. (They do make electric grinders [picture #2], but they're aimed at bakeries and the like, not for home use.)

1. 2.

If you're stuck using what you have, namely the coffee grinder, try adding sugar. It helps keep the poppy seed from sticking everywhere you don't want it to. Naturally, you then need to take the sugar quantity into account when you're actually using the poppy seed.

Answer 2

Poppy seeds are already small enough, what you are most likely trying to do is to break the shell so the flavors can get out. You can get the same result by crushing rather than grinding. A large mortar and pestle would likely give you a good result, and you could do much more at once. If you are going to be doing it often it may be worth investing in a poppy seed mill or grinder, you can get them off the web.

Answer 3

You don't need to specifically buy a poppy seed grinder. Any burr grinder that can grind fine enough will do. Personally I would use a burr hand grinder (usually still sold as coffee grinders), such as a Hario Skerton grinder.

Poppy seed grinders are also burr grinders, but with a general burr grinder you'll be able to adjust the size of your grind, so you'll still be able to use it for coffee, or other spices where you may not want a poppy-seed sized grind.

Answer 4

I use the small 1 cup jar for my Oster Kitchen Center. It takes lots of time to grind 2-3 Tbsp. Shake the jar often to get the most even grind. My Mom had grinder just for this.