Do you want to pick the best grain mill and are overwhelmed with the choices? Come learn the differences between the Mockmill vs. the NutriMill for the best small flour mill for home use.
Ready to mill your own flour at home? If you are ready to make fresh milled sourdough bread, whole wheat pizza dough, and freshly milled cinnamon rolls, the first thing you’ll need is a grain mill.
Choosing the right grain mill can feel like a daunting task. I’ve put together the pros and cons of the more popular electric mills, the Mockmill and the NutriMill classic.
Once you choose your mill, make sure you check out my post on where to buy wheat berries.
Benefits Of Milling Your Own Flour
Nutrition Benefits – Store-bought flour has the wheat germ and bran removed, which takes out the beneficial nutrients. Fresh flour is packed full of vitamins, antioxidants, fiber, and is easier to digest.
Grains Last A Long Time – Grains in their whole form are very shelf stable. When stored properly, wheat berries can last up to 30+ years.
Preparedness – If you want to build a more sustainable and well prepared food supply, having a family grain mill and storing wheat berries is a great place to begin.
Best Grain Mill: Mockmill vs. NutriMill
The Mockmill
Pro’s of the Mockmill
- Beautiful – This was the first reason I switched, which is a little vain. However, it really is beautiful and I can leave it out on the countertop, making it more convenient for everyday use.
- Smaller Profile – The slender profile of the Mockmill allows me to leave it out all the time without feeling pressed for countertop space.
- More Convenient – Since it doesn’t take up much space and has that small profile, I have no problem leaving it out on the counter all the time. This makes grinding flour so convenient, and I find myself using it so much more because of its ease of use.
- Stone Grinder – Stone mills grind grain between two stones which allows it to have more settings. You can make fine flour with the stones or use a coarser setting to crack grains or spices, so it has more versatility. The corundum-ceramic stone burrs are also self sharpening.
- Easier To Clean – To grind the flour, you just turn on the machine, add the grains, and it shoots the fresh milled flour right into a bowl. All you do is clean the bowl after use.
- Able to Re-mill Grains – Say you want to make homemade cornbread and you run the corn kernels through the grinder and find that the flour is a coarser flour than what you need. With the Mockmill, you can re-mill the grains at a finer setting, where you cannot re-mill coarse grains with the NutriMill classic.
Con’s of the Mockmill
- Smaller capacity – The hopper is smaller, so it holds a smaller amount of grain at a time compared to the NutriMill.
- Price Point – It is definitely pricier. If you are wanting the best electric grain mill and price is of concern, I would go with the Mockmill 100 in the white housing. It’s not as pretty as the birch wood, but it will get the job done. I find all the of benefits of the Mockmill worth the extra cost, as it is something I use consistently.
- Turn On The Grain Mill First – This isn’t a big deal, but you do have to turn the grain mill on before adding the grain. If you add the grain first and then turn it on, it will not work and you will have to take the whole thing apart and put it back together.
The NutriMill
Pro’s of the NutriMill
- Large Capacity – I can easily fill the top portion up with grain and turn on the NutriMill, walk away, and come back with the large bowl filled with flour. Whereas the Mockmill has a small funnel that holds grain, so it can’t make quite as much at a time. But as long as you have a large bowl, you can still make a lot of flour.
- Price – You can find the Nutrimill classic for a more affordable price.
Con’s of the NutriMill
- Larger Profile – It is much bulkier in stature and takes up more space. Not only did I not want to leave it on the counter because of its looks and its size, but it also took up a lot of room in the cabinet.
- Not As Convenient – Since it isn’t as pretty, I kept it stored away in the bottom cabinet. Every time I wanted to grind flour, it had to be lugged out to grind. Even though this process isn’t super cumbersome, it did prevent me from grinding flour more often.
- Impact Mill – While this isn’t technically a con, it does limit its versatility. An impact mill essentially grinds the grain between two stainless steel fins that crack it into flour. The Nutrimill does heat up the grain more due to this type of grinder, but the studies have shown it heats it up less than 120 degrees, so it doesn’t impact the nutrients much.
- Harder To Clean – Since the Nutrimill has a bowl with a lid, you have to pull it out, detach it, then clean the separate parts. I didn’t wash it super often, but it is much harder to clean compared to the Mockmill.
- Produces More Dust Than The Mockmill – It tends to be more dusty compared to the Mockmill. Also if you do not make certain that the bowl is completely pushed in, you will have flour everywhere.
NutriMill Harvest
There have been newer NutriMill grain mills that have come out in more recent years. The NutriMill Harvest is a stone mill that has a look similar to the Mockmill, but is more budget friendly. While it may not be as efficient, it is a great option if you want an aesthetic and capable mill for baking.
FAQs
Yes. It can be significantly cheaper to mill your own flour, especially when buying in bulk. It is also less expensive depending on the type of flour. Being able to store whole grains for longer without them spoiling is also very cost effective.
There are many choices out there; I absolutely love and adore the Mockmill.
You can technically make flour if you have a high speed blender like a Vitamix. Check out my post on how to mill your own flour for more information on the ways you can mill flour.
The Mockmill 200 can mill grain twice as fast as the 100 model, and the 200 also has a slightly larger hopper capacity.
It can mill food-grade corn (not popcorn), wheat berries, rye, barley, oats, medium dried legumes, spelt, kamut, einkorn, brown rice, millet, quinoa, and some spices (must not be oily).
Hi Lisa! Are you still loving your Mock Mill? I am torn between it and another brand!
Do you only mill enough for whatever recipe you are making that day or do you mill some to store as well? I’m just wondering since you mentioned it loses nutrients after a couple days..
Thank you in advance for your time!
Yes. I just mill what I need for the recipe that I’m using!
I have had the Nutrimill Classic for almost 2 years now and love it. I have never experienced any dust whatsoever. I do make sure the bowl is completely seated before milling. I wash mine after every use. I don’t want old flour sitting. I am thinking of getting a Mockmill. How often do you have to clean out the area between the stone and the housing? I looks like that area can build up with old flour and get rancid.
Thanks,
Pat
Your reviews of the two mills are well-received but we in our household prefer a multitasker such as a good to very good blender. We have two such blenders, one is Pampered Chef and one is Vita Mix. Both are very good, but I prefer the Pampered Chef which I use for many purposes, from simple blending, making jelly, making hot soups, making nut butters and…milling whole wheat berries for any flour need. I even use my Pampered Chef for canning purposes by using my head ‘out of the box’ whereby those that can tomatoes, for instance, often multi-task, such as peeling tomatoes, de-seeding tomatoes, and more. But not me! I clean my tomatoes, remove any unwanted bad spots, and promptly plop tomatoes into the Chef hopper and blend the crap out of them, including seeds, skins and stem ends with NO left overs! The process takes no longer than a minute or less for each hopper full. I add seasonings and any other veggies to the hopper of tomatoes, like-wise. Then, proceed to canning as usual. I don’t work for Pampered Chef…I just totally enjoy it. The Vita Mix probably does the same as the Chef, I just find the Chef more convenient and easier to use. Why would I want a grain milling machine? Don’t need or want one.
How do I make my own all purpose flour? Is this possible? What berries do I need for it and do I need to mix anything else with it? I make sourdough bread and I use all purpose flour. And is this cheaper than buying it?😊
Any type of whole grain berry. Although, it’s probably cheaper just to buy all purpose flour!
Do you mill your wheat berries and use as is or do you sift it? Do you change how much you use in recipes considering it is freshly milled vs storebought?
Either! Sometimes I sift them.
Any concerns about the material of the stones in the Mockmill? In my limited research they are made from alumina oxide. I am in the process of shopping around and trying to find the best mill for our home. Thank you for posting this great information.
I have the same concern! I was just about to bite the bullet and order one when I started reading up on corundum and that made me pause. It’s supposed to be super hard, but having aluminum oxide grinding my food is not ideal. Trying to get away from plastic, also, and the stainless steel options all come in plastic housing. There is one German made brand that uses granite stones, but it also costs $1000. I guess we have to weigh the risks of possible aluminum contamination with the benefits of freshly milled grain.
Where is the coupon for the Mockmill? I see several windows popping up, but they do not bring me to a coupon. Thank you for your help. I’m new at this entire topic of milling whole grains. Your website and analysis have been helpful.
I don’t have it anymore. They stopped offering it unfortunately. So glad you have found it helpful.
One important note is that NutriMill sells two types of grain mills now. This review looks only at the Classic model.
Does anyone have experience with milling oats? I would like to mill oats into a consistency similar to oat bran. I wasn’t sure if I should buy steel cut or rolled oats and which setting to use on the Mockmill.
After reading some of the comments here, one asks about milling oats. I use my Pampered Chef multi-blender for any such need…any grain and much more. I don’t work for Pampered Chef…I just love it, having had it now for about 3 years. My wife got it for me with this being one of the best gifts ever, except for my wife! I make wheat flour, oat flour, barley flour, corn meal and flour. Any grain available can be used with my Chef blender with the Pampered Chef being a great multi-tasker. Other good blenders may work well, also, but I only have experience with the Chef and Vita Mix.