Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Equipment Review - Diamant Grain Grinder


**** *
Many years ago (prior to Y2K), Sir Knight and I made some major preparedness investments.  One of the investments we made was the Diamant grain grinder from Lehman's Non-electric.  What an incredible piece of equipment it has proven to be!  We have used our grain grinder for over ten years to grind everything from pastry flour to cracked corn.  We have ground wheat (of every variety), beans, buckwheat, corn - just about anything you can think of.  The only thing the Diamant won't grind is peanuts (because of the oils that are present).



Because the Diamant has a huge flywheel it is relatively easy to turn.  Of course the finer you want your flour, the harder the work.  Cracking grains is a snap and takes very little effort.  The handle is huge, so there is plenty of room for two people to stand opposite each other and grind at the same time - many hands make light work!  There is a spot on the Diamant flywheel for a v-belt, so hooking it up to an engine is relatively simple.

One of the selling points for us was the fact that not only could the Diamant provide the finest flours available, it could also crack grains for animal feeds.  We wanted the ability to crack our own homegrown grains in the event of a total economic collapse or worse.  The Diamant is a proven workhorse, often bolted in the village square in its native Denmark to provide the residents with a reliable grinding source.





Last year, I knocked our Diamant off the counter.  One bolt and the front casing broke and I was devastated.  A call to Lehman's later, and we were back in business.  Lehman's carries a full line of replacement parts for the Diamant.  The newer Diamants are made in Poland rather than Denmark.  I have heard nothing of their losing quality after their move.




The Diamant is one of the better preparedness investments we have made.  We would unequivocally give the Diamant four out of five stars.  The only reason this grinder didn't earn a five star rating is the price (which is out of this world).

A grain grinder is one of the best preparedness purchases a family can make.  Choose wisely.


Hushpuppies
6 tablespoons butter, melted and divided
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
2/3 cup grated smoked Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/3 cup milk
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 450 degree.  Brush a madeleine pan with 2 tablespoons of melted butter, set aside.  In a bowl, combine cornmeal, cheese, green onion, flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and paprika, mixing well.  Set aside.  In a small bowl, combine milk, eggs and remaining 4 tablespoons butter, whisking well.  Add milk mixture to cornmeal mixture, mixing until just combined.  Spoon dough into prepared pan.  Bake until hushpuppies are golden brown and cooked through, approximately 12 minutes.

Mixing dry ingredients
Stirring to combine
Spooning into prepared pan
Hushpuppies!

7 comments:

  1. I like the big wheel on your grinder. I have a hand powered model from Lehman's, but it involves A LOT of exercise. I use my electric grinder and the other will only come out in an emergency.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am really enjoying the recipes you have been including with your preparedness posts. It makes the information so much more relevant - and fun!
    Blessings,
    C.

    Also, a quick plug for your Naturally Cozy products - they're beautifully made and work like a charm.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The fact that any township would supply a Diamant grinder for community usage is so heartwarming.
    It demonstrates where there priorities lay.

    It is such a beautifully crafted and fine piece of equipment.
    And, it will become a many generations, handed down family heirloom.



    Thank you for this recipe Enola!

    I have wanted to make these baked, instead of fried.

    Can't wait to try them!

    And, I recognize that Minute Maid baking pan you're
    spooning that mixture into. Another piece of wonderful craftsmanship, long gone by.


    notutopia

    ReplyDelete
  4. anonymous cowardMay 5, 2011 at 5:18 PM

    Now that is an awesome grain mill! I thought our Country Living Grain Mill (scratch and dent discount model) was cool, but not as cool as the Diamant. Having said that ours "only" cost $385.

    The CLGM flywheel is perhaps a bit smaller and the handle only has room for two adult hands, but it grinds flour to cake flour consistency in a single pass.

    The Missus baked a pizza from hard spring wheat flour that the Son and Heir ground up and the crust came out finer than the store bought whole wheat flour! We are looking forward to trying to make our own nut butter soon with the CLGM.

    Does the Diamant come with stones or burrs? If burrs, how long did they last?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Are there any reviews pitting this against the Country Living Grain Mill? The Diamante looks nice, but I can't justify the cost over the Country Living. I found some good video comparisons (like at onlygrainmills.com ), but none for the Diamante. Do you think it's really worth the extra? Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  6. ( June 10-2014 ) Hi, me and my wife wanted to say how much we appreciate you taking your time to provide valuable information and pictures! The problem we are having is where to purchase this mill...we have searched and searched but can't find a single website or even any leeds. Would you provide an actual website where we can purchase this mill....we have come acrossed sites which provided links that said it would take us to where we could purchase this mill but as usual anymore, the links were lies and only took us to sitesthat sold other types of mills or even had nothing to do with one!

    ReplyDelete
  7. From another site:

    Lehman's sale on Diamant grainmills.....
    https://www.lehmans.com/p-45-diamant-grain-mill.aspx
    If you use coupon code "TEN114" at checkout, you get an additional 10% off.

    The original importer has them for $850, with a reported 2% off for sending a check (rather than using a credit card). I contacted them years ago, but never ordered on from them. I believe they are a reputable company, but purchase from them at your own risk. Here's their site: http://in-tecdiamant.weebly.com/

    I ended up purchasing one off a famous on-line auction site.


    ReplyDelete