People have practiced grinding rice for centuries. From making rice flour to cook with to rice powder that is surprisingly great for your face, there are plenty of reasons to grind this grain into a fine powder. Rice flour is an excellent alternative for those who have a sensitivity to gluten or have Celiac Disease.
If you’re interested in using rice powder as a setting powder, or a new meal that requires rice flour, you’re able to make this at home. Your mind probably jumps straight to your blender or food processor, but what about your coffee grinder?
You can Grind Rice in a Coffee Grinder
You absolutely can grind rice in your coffee grinder. If you want to try rice flour as a substitute for regular flour in a dish but don’t want to spend money on pre-ground rice flour without knowing if you like it, you can make it at home easily.
Most people have some uncooked rice in their pantry. You can quickly grind rice in your coffee grinder to make your own rice powder for your face or for baking. One thing to keep in mind is that if you use your coffee grinder, you will only be able to grind a small amount at a time.
How Will it Affect the Coffee Grinder?
If you’re worried about how grinding rice in your coffee grinder will affect the equipment, there’s no need. Rice is very gentle on the coffee grinders, burrs, or blades.
The only real effect that rice could have on a coffee grinder is if you run it for too long. If you’re grinding uncooked rice into a flour, but your grinder is starting to overheat, it can cause damage to the coffee grinder. But this is easily avoided as long as you pay attention.
How Will it Affect the Taste of the Coffee if You Use it to Grind Coffee Beans Later?
Good news for those who need freshly ground coffee each morning. Grinding rice in your coffee grinder will have zero effect on the taste of your coffee beans, unlike if you choose to grind wheat or spices in your coffee grinder.
Since grinding rice is actually used to clean the coffee grinder, you don’t need to worry about your coffee tasting like plain rice. Plus, plain, uncooked rice doesn’t have much of a taste in the first place. Now, if you’re grinding rice for rice flour and haven’t cleaned your grinder since grinding coffee beans, you could end up with flour that tastes like coffee.
But don’t worry! It’s easy to avoid your rice flour tasting like freshly ground coffee. If you’ve ground coffee that morning and need to make some rice flour, just run a couple of tablespoons through the grinder to clean it and remove any taste of coffee.
How to Grind Rice in a Coffee Grinder
Grinding rice in your coffee grinder is very simple. To grind rice in your coffee grinder, you need to make sure that you use uncooked rice, not cooked. You can use white or brown rice; it doesn’t matter. You’ll want to grind a small amount at a time to ensure that the rice is ground into a fine powder.
You’ll want to put two or three tablespoons of uncooked rice into your coffee grinder at a time, depending on the size of your grinder. Regardless of your coffee grinder’s size, starting with two or three tablespoons is a safe amount. This will prevent any clogging or larger bits. After you’ve thoroughly ground the first two or three tablespoons, you can empty the grinder and start again.
Sometimes coffee grinders can heat up very quickly, so it’s important to keep an eye on the grinder while you’re grinding rice. If you see that your coffee grinder is heating up quickly, turn it off and let it cool down before you continue to grind the rice.
Pros of Grinding Rice in a Coffee Grinder
One of the perks of grinding rice in your coffee grinder is that you don’t need to clean your grinder afterward. If you’ve ever used your coffee grinder to grind more than coffee beans, you’re probably aware that people use rice to clean the grinder.
When you grind your rice, it has such a mild taste that you don’t need to worry about the flavor of the rice contaminating the coffee beans you grind the following morning.
Another perk is that you don’t need to purchase expensive rice flour from your local store or online since you can make it yourself.
Cons of Grinding Rice in a Coffee Grinder
Even though your coffee grinder has the ability to grind rice, it may not be able to grind it into as fine a powder as you want it to be. Because coffee grinders are typically made with burrs and not blades, don’t be surprised if it takes multiple times through the grinder before it’s a fine powder.
Possible Alternatives
If you don’t want to use your coffee grinder to make rice flour or rice powder, check out these alternatives.
Use a Blender
Using your blender to grind uncooked rice is a fantastic alternative to using your coffee grinder. The blades in the blender may be able to get the rice into a finer powder than your coffee grinder. You’ll also be able to grind a little bit more rice at a time when you use your blender.
Purchase Rice Flour
If you don’t want to go through the hassle of grinding your own rice into a powder or rice flour, many grocery stores sell rice flour. You may need to look around for it, but you should be able to find it in the baking or flour aisle.
Use a Food Processor
This alternative is similar to using a blender but worth the mention. Using a food processor is similar to the blender in almost every sense. The blades are able to grind the rice finer, more quickly. You can also grind more than two or three tablespoons at one time.
