Wondermill Wonder Junior Grain Mill Review

[@OkieJammer2736]

A hand-cranked, reasonably priced grain mill has been on my GOTTA GET LIST, so this video is great timing. A hand-cranked mill is obviously the best for long-term power outages and I'm now sold on the Wondermill Wonder Junior. Well done and thank you much!

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

Wonderful! Glad to help. Wondermill has changed the color of it. As of 2021 the new color is red. Thanks for watching and the kind words.

[@robertramseur7369]

Thanks for the video. Just a suggestion regarding breaking bolts that you were putting into that oak log: I find that if you drill a pilot hole just slightly smaller in diameter than the threads of the screw threads are , then take bar soap and pack the threads full of soap before you screw it into the wood it goes in much easier without breaking the screw . Be sure the pilot holes are slightly smaller than the outside edges of the screw threads. You won't pull them out because the threads bite the wood very well. Try that and I think that will help.

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

You're welcome, Robert and thank you for the very helpful suggestions. A larger pilot hole would have definitely been better, especially in an old oak stump. They're kinda like concrete. 😀

[@darknightofthesoul7628]

Thank you for this very thorough and important video. I just purchased this grinder after returning a cheaper brand that DID NOT come with instructions on how to use it. I had wanted to buy the more expensive Kitchen whatever model...but I'm told they are out of stock due to a company fire...may never be available. This model was recommended on a list of best grinders, coming in a close second. Your demonstration proved that review to be correct - a very nice surprise to find truth in advertising. I really enjoyed your honesty and kindness, especially with your animals. Blessings. PS: Just subscribed!

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

Thank you so much, @Preston Alexander. We appreciate your kindness and thank you for subscribing.

[@raygelinas5272]

This is ironic. Amy and I have been talking about getting our mill out since we haven't used it in quite some time. We have the same one you have, so thanks for a little refresher course. Keep up the good videos!!!

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

Aww. Gotta love the irony. It's also way cool that you have the same one. Thank you for watching, the kind words and the support.

[@MEMcAndrews]

Great video. Really well done, and love your personality! Thank you!

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

Aww. Thank you so much.

[@Mustardseedhomesteading]

Thank you so much for putting this video together! This was very helpful!😁

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

You're welcome. I'm so glad. Yay!

[@philipirwin5286]

Neat, I haven’t ever thought about the need to ground my own flour, but you’ve got me interested now. Thanks

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

Yea, I totally get that.. Bill is the driving force behind this one. Well, and the pandemic. After using it, I'm glad we got it and I actually look forward to using it.

[@bassiclyme]

IM SURE THEY NOW ADD STUFF TO THE FLOWER AT THE STORE FOR PROFIT

[@mickbeckers]

This is such a good tutorial. Much more than a review. Thanks heaps!!

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

Thank you. 😊

[@TheSHOP411]

I bought my wondermill quite a while back. They have certainly gone up in price. I have to go get mine out and give it a spin again. After the initial test grind, I put it away for that day we all buy one for. It's been so long I don't remember if mine had both augers. It's stored up at our other property so it will be next week when I can get to it. Now I really want it. LoL. Good video.

[@TheSHOP411]

Quick question, do you know if it will grind corn to make grits and corn flour?

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

Thank you for watching and the kind words. I can relate on reconnecting anew with a prior purchase. 😊

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

Yes, it can grind corn too. Yay! From the Pleasant Hill Grain website: "Using the stone burrs, your Wonder Junior can grind wheat (both hard and soft), oat groats (dehulled oats), rice, triticale, kamut, spelt, dry beans, lentils, dent (field) corn, popcorn, dried sweet corn, split peas, buckwheat, barley, rye, millet, teff, quinoa, amaranth, sorghum, dried mung beans, garbanzos, and more (all dry grains and beans.)"

[@TheSHOP411]

Thank you. I just found it too. It's like they were hiding it. Instead of saying corn in their alphabetical list of items to grind, they had it under yellow hard field corn 🤦. I also did some research, and I have the older model. No biggie but I don't have that nice masa/nut auger. Shucks. Still, I'm growing field corn this year and can't wait to make my own grits and corn meal. As long as the stupid squirrels don't eat it all. Thanks. Gonna sub.

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

I hope the stupid squirrels stay out of your corn field and that you have a bumper crop. Thank you for the sub.

[@rebeccasanford8607]

Thank you for this review. I have broken both my arms shoulder involvement. Even though I’ve recovered…I’m not sure I can manage that clamp. Bummer for me. Thanks again

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

Glad it was helpful! I'm sorry to hear about your arms and shoulders.

[@rebeccasanford8607]

@@wobblyotteroutdoors - thank you! LOL…I don’t bounce so good anymore if I fall

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

😂 Aww.

[@dalepres1]

Your video is the missing link from Wonder Mill. Their printed and download installation instructions tell only about 50% of the process and they have no videos on assembly at all. Thank you for sharing your experience; now I can get my new mill to use and get some bread cooking.

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

Yay! So glad to help. Happy bread making.

[@k.floatflute4278]

Been thinking how prepared you are with what is going on in Texas you do such a nice job thanks for all your tips and videos

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

Thank you. That means a lot. There seems to always be something to learn and ways to improve. Fortunately, we are doing well. I didn't expect to ever see zero degrees F and below weather in our area, and especially for temperatures to stay so low for so long. It has exposed areas of weakness in our emergency preparedness plan and reinforced the spots that are going well. We will be sharing our experience in an upcoming video. The goal is always to learn, adapt, and share in hopes it may help someone else too. We learn so much from our viewers too.

[@sandylee8184]

Thank You for making such a detailed video, I am sold, unfortunately at $349 on Amazon, it is out of my reach, I will be looking for a gently used one.

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

You're welcome. Oh my, the price has gone up considerably. I hope you find the perfect gently used one.

[@angelakuprel6381]

I have been trying to find a video of this mill grinding corn kernels. Does it grind those as well as the grain you've shown? Thanks for your time

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

Yes, it will grind dried corn. It's in their "Will it grind" list near the bottom as "yellow field corn." Here's the link to the list: www.willitgrind.com/

[@angelakuprel6381]

@@wobblyotteroutdoors thank you for the link. Have you actually tried grinding corn with it? If so, please provide details of your experience, many thanks!

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

You're welcome. No I haven't ground corn with it.

[@christinehbailey]

Very informative, thank you! I have been trying to decide on manual vs electric. I think we might go for this!

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

You're welcome, Bailey. Thank you for watching. They have accessories that provide other power methods for grinding. So it looks like you can have both with one unit.

[@ncktbs]

you may want to look at adding a thrust bearing at 7:30 you have enough room, and it might make it easier? however i don't know if that slack goes away when fully setup to grind

[@divergentone777]

You can also purchase the drill-bit connection to power it - if you'd like to make the job faster (and easier)

[@timrossmultimedia]

BUT.. you'll need a very powerful drill and they ain't cheap! My 7.5 amp wouldn't touch it. And it takes every bit of my 9amp DeWalt to turn the crank. By the time you put out $200+ for the DeWalt you could almost buy a MockMill 100. Just my thoughts. Hope they help. All this said--- we LOVE our Wondermill Jr.

[@divergentone777]

@@timrossmultimedia Thanks for sharing!

[@Paladinbr]

A follow up video on the wet grind would be nice. Maybe nixtamalize some corn for masa. It's tasty, you'll probably like it.

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

That's a great idea @Paladin_BR. Thank you.. It's helpful to know the interest is there. And I do love corn tortillas too.

[@danielbothman3511]

@@wobblyotteroutdoors xi'd love to see how fine and how fast it can grind freshly nixtamalized masa. the mexican made ones are fine for tamales, but the burs are not good enough for tortillas.

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

@Daniel Bothman I will order some dried posole/hominy to grind to see how fine we can get the masa/flour. Then we'll make some corn tortillas! Gotta plan for success.

[@danielbothman3511]

@@wobblyotteroutdoors thanks for the reply. that might be an interesting experiment, but not what i was wondering about. i'm wondering about wet grinding freshly nixtamalized corn. grinding dried hominy is not the typical practice for making tortillas. the typical/traditional method is cooking dried dent corn in water with "cal" (calcium hydroxide aka lime) until the outer coating is dissolved and then soaking overnight (methods here vary). then rinse all the sludge from the dissolved coating, and then wet grinding. THAT is where my interest lies. you can probably buy the cooked (and not dried) hominy at your mexican grocery and save a few steps.

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

I see. Canned hominy/posole is readily available where we live. It's the wet result of nixtamalization. Or the dried hominy could be reconstituted then ground. Hominy is super soft, even the germ. It should be nicely smashable. Thanks for watching and the interesting idea.

[@linelapensee3172]

Thank you it help a lot just received mine and you answered all my questions 😊

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

You're welcome. Yay! So glad.

[@shawnbrown8788]

Wow, thanks for the so detailed information.

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

You're very welcome. Our pleasure! Shawn, I briefly saw another note by you go by that I'm not able to locate, where you mention that they don't appear to be available at Amazon right now. I did a quick check and found the model like we got that comes with the two sets of grinding wheels. They are making them in a red color now, instead of white, so that can make them look differently too. Here's a current link that works; it's a WOO affiliate link. amzn.to/3K8qQjr (As an Amazon associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.)

[@foxfirevalleyvineyrd]

Thank you for the video. I purchased one of these and your video helped a lot.

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

You're welcome. 😊 So very glad.

[@alexs.4290]

Looks like a good workout. Would be curious to see if a food processor would make it more powder after grinding. Nice grinder

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

It is a bit of workout, though less so than expected. Interesting question about the food processor. I think the grinder could have made it even finer, and that I still could have been able to turn the crank. It's more fun to use than I thought it would be.

[@imreoirfeadogstain]

Do you happen to know where I could buy spare grinding stones for my Junior Wondermill?

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

pleasanthillgrain.com/stone-burrs-wonder-junior-grain-mill

[@imreoirfeadogstain]

Thank you! We use our Mill a lot and the stones are wearing out so I really need new ones. Happy grinding😁

[@glennlopez6772]

Thanks for the video! We didn't expect it to give a fineness of store brought all purpose flour. We'd be satisfied if it could give us the fineness of store brought whole wheat flour! The prefix "junior" could perhaps reduce its mass appeal, for those who could benefit from it with or without the COVID scenario!

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

You're welcome @glenn lopez. I too am surprised at how fine the wheat can be ground, while still being able to turn the crank relatively easily. I agree that "Junior" is an interesting choice of word to be included in the name. It is a quite capable mill.

[@kaylabug0719]

What is it clamped too outside, so we could set it up outside like you did

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

We bolted it to the end of a large log.

[@vernonbowling5136]

Looks good for flour 👍

[@a.humphries8678]

I'm inspired to get my mill out. Haven't used it in years. I have some grains that are around 8 years old. They were frozen and stored well, do you know how long things like that stay good?

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

If kept in a sealed container, it looks like six months to a year is what is expected. I was surprised how short usual shelf life is. I don't know how long it will keep in the freezer.

[@dalepres1]

We have used opened wheat 15 years old with great results - by open, I mean in a 5-gallon bucket with a Gamma lid so no O2 absorber, no dry ice, and not sealed. Properly sealed with Mylar, O2 absorber, or older-style where dry ice was used to displace oxygen, wheat will last 30+ years.

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

This is sooo good to know. Thank you for sharing!

[@a.humphries8678]

@@wobblyotteroutdoors thanks!

[@a.humphries8678]

@@dalepres1 awesome. I'm going to give it a go. Thanks.

[@marcgerges1380]

Great insights!

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

Thank you, Marc.

[@grampawterry8957]

It would even grind up Mesquite bean pods . cool

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

I bet you're right. Terry, tell me more about the mesquite beans. What do you make with them after grinding them up?

[@grampawterry8957]

@@wobblyotteroutdoors Dried out they make flour , and you can eat them off of the tree . very sweet . I will chew them out hiking . Do a google study on them .. Your missing out if you've never used them .

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

I've definitely been missing out. Thank you for sharing this. Will be looking into it more.

[@carlmiller1224]

Great video thank you!!!

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

Thank you,Carl. We appreciate that, and you're welcome.

[@susanellisvaneeden]

awesome video

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@saeedkhurshid9787]

price plz

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

Price as of March 2021 is running right around $300. It looks to be in stock on Amazon at this moment (our Wobbly Otter Outdoors affiliate link): amzn.to/3wezLub

[@dalepres1]

@@wobblyotteroutdoors As of today, Amazon says no longer available but the product is still current; I just got mine today from Pleasant Hill Grain.

[@scor440]

Mount it higher save your back

[@serenityfarmsprepping2267]

Do NOT eat the first couple batches of ground up anything. Unless you like fine, metal filings in your diet:) It is like a new car and an oil change. Give it a 500 mile test drive and change the oil as new parts wear down slightly against each other!!

[@dollipop12]

This uses stone for the dry grains. 1 or 2 run throughs of wheat or corn will wear down the surface enough to not leave significant dust behind. Now if using the metal plates for nuts or wet grains I'd suggest a few extra run throughs and a hood rinse between each round.

[@yeahrightbear8883]

You could buy a lot of flour for 300 bucks. Premium flour is only 50 cents a pound. meaning you'd have to run 600 pounds through this thing before it would pay for itself. So just how much flour do you plan on using? If you were making bread all the time and used 2 pounds a week that would take about 6 years. But I don't use anywhere near that much flour. I average about a pound a month. So it would take me roughly 50 years to use 600 pounds of flour. But then the issue is the flour you get out of it is not premium quality. It still has lots of impurities such as bran. All of that being said the only reason I could see purchasing one of these would be for the fun of it or the experience of grinding flour.

[@dalepres1]

It's about far more than just price. There's quality and freshness, variety, and supply. Store-bought flour is only good for a year, or if properly repacked for storage, even 10 years. Whole wheat and other grains, properly stored, last 30+ years. Just like any other insurance you may have, having food insurance and the peace of mind that comes with it has its own value. Once you have the tools and storage, enjoying them for flavor and fun, as well as to maintain required skills to use what you stored in an emergency, has its own value, as well - besides being just plain delicious.

[@kimbuterbaugh2669]

Bran is not an impurity. The flour you purchase at the grocery store has been stripped of its nutritional value in favor of making it last a long time on the store shelf. Whole grains, freshly ground, are so much healthier for you.

[@vinlago]

Wheat berries in their whole, unground state last a lot longer than flour does if kept dry and cool. If I bought 20 lbs of berries and a Wondermill Junior Deluxe 2 years ago and wheat becomes expensive, unavailable or unemployment drains our savings then having wheat berries and a grain mill will be more than worth it.

[@joshualloyd1391]

The lack of knowledge that would allow someone to say with a straight face. “ impurities such as bran”

[@yeahrightbear8883]

@@joshualloyd1391 In pretty much every situation other than making whole wheat bread you're not going to want bran in your flour.

[@ΧειραγώγησηΤουΝουαπόταμέσαμαζι]

the bread will always be flat like yours, you can't make a real bread with this one

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

I appreciate your point of view. However, it is possible to make "real" bread, (of any style) with the flour from this grinder. I chose to make a flat bread because it was fast and easy.

[@ΧειραγώγησηΤουΝουαπόταμέσαμαζι]

@@wobblyotteroutdoors make a real bread in a video and i will believe you, i have a diffrent machine and i have always the same problem always my bread is flat, i think because the machine can't make it as fine as the flur from the store, it's always like the sand

[@wobblyotteroutdoors]

Thank you so much for the additional information. I can totally understand that if the flour doesn't have a fine texture that it will be more difficult to make a bread with any loft. Your suggestion is on our video to do list. We'll give it a go.