what i use
hi, and welcome to the equipment corner of my kitchen. i'm really glad you're here.
everything on this page is either sitting on my counter right now or in my mom's, and i genuinely love every single one of them. i get asked about the mill and the mixer far more than i get asked about the actual recipes, and i love that, because picking your first one is such a fun thing to get right.
so here's the whole lineup, laid out as clearly as i know how, plus two little quizzes if you'd rather just be told what to get. take your time, poke around, and if you're still stuck at the end of it, please just ask me. i really don't mind.
just so we're completely open with each other: the links below are affiliate links. if you buy through one i earn a small commission, and it doesn't cost you a penny extra. you can read the full disclosure here any time.
$20 off, just for being here
the code takes $20 off the artiste, the bosch universal plus, the classic and the impact. start from my link and it comes off automatically, or type it in at checkout, whichever you prefer. the harvest is the one it doesn't cover, so you'll see full price on that one.
recipeboxdiaries
always on my counter
these three are behind every single recipe on this site, and i'd happily buy all of them again tomorrow.
the ones i grew up on
i didn't start out with the harvest and the artiste. these three were in the kitchen long before, they're all still wonderful, and for a lot of people one of them is honestly the better choice.
heavy duty mixer
bosch universal plus, white
$499
this is the artiste's big sister, and honestly a bit of a legend in the fresh milling world. same clever bottom drive design, same 6.5 quart bowl, except it will knead up to 14 pounds of dough and 34 dozen cookies without ever complaining about it.
i grew up on one of these. my mom still has hers, still pulls it out every week, and it still runs beautifully after all these years, which tells you far more than any spec sheet could. if you're the one making six loaves on a saturday morning, this is your mixer, and it will probably outlive us both.
bulk milling
nutrimill classic grain mill
$329
a high speed impact mill with a 1 3/4 horsepower motor that will turn out up to 20 cups of flour in a single go, and quickly at that.
this is the mill i grew up with, so i'll always have a soft spot for it. i'll be straight with you though, it's loud. worth every bit of it, but loud. if you've got a big family to feed, or a cottage bakery, or you're selling bread at a market, nothing else here will keep pace with you the way this one does. and because of the airflow design the flour comes out around 118°F, so all the good stuff stays exactly where it belongs.
easiest way in
nutrimill impact grain mill
$249
the classic's little sibling, and probably the kindest way to dip a toe into fresh milled flour. same impact milling, smaller body, and noticeably quieter than the older high speed designs.
it was built around bread flour and it does that beautifully. if you're just easing into milling and want to keep it simple, please start here. it's a lovely first mill and it'll take you a long way. i promise.
compare them side by side
pick any two and i will lay them out next to each other. no bad choices here, they are just built for different kitchens.
both of these are lovely machines. the table is here to help you pick the one that fits your kitchen, not to talk you into the expensive one.
which grain mill is right for you
no pressure and no wrong answers here. just pick whichever line sounds most like your kitchen, and i'll tell you what i'd get in your shoes.
what are you actually baking?
your pick
the nutrimill impact, $249
start here, and please don't overthink it. it was designed specifically around bread flour, it's the quietest of the impact mills, and it's the smallest thing on this page. you get to find out whether you love milling without spending a fortune to find out, and if you do fall completely in love, it's still a lovely little mill to keep around.
your pick
the nutrimill harvest, $499
this is exactly why i chose the harvest for my own kitchen. that texture dial takes you from cracked grain all the way to ultra fine, so your bread flour, your pastry flour, your gluten free flours, your beans and your morning cereal all come out of the same machine. it's the most flexible mill here by a mile, and it looks so lovely sitting out, which matters more than you'd think.
worth knowing: the $20 code covers the other four, but not this one.
your pick
the nutrimill classic, $329
20 cups of flour in a single batch, and fast. this is the workhorse for big households, cottage bakeries and micro bakeries, and it has been for over twenty years now. it's the loudest of the three, and the moment you're milling enough for six loaves you'll forgive it completely.
which stand mixer is right for you
there are really only two options here, so this one's easy. pick your honest answer rather than your aspirational one, you'll thank yourself later.
what's the biggest batch you'll realistically make?
your pick
the nutrimill artiste, $299
easy one. it handles up to 8 pounds of dough, which is far more than you'll ever ask of it, and it's just as happy with a single small batch. this is the one sitting on my counter and i've never once wished i'd bought bigger.
your pick
still the artiste, $299
8 pounds of dough covers four loaves very comfortably, so you're well inside what this mixer was built for. go ahead and keep the two hundred dollars. if six months from now you find yourself doubling every single recipe, that's the moment the universal plus starts to make sense, and it'll still be right there waiting.
your pick
the bosch universal plus, $499
14 pounds of dough, 34 dozen cookies, four speeds and a pulse. this is the mixer my mom has had for decades and it still runs like new. at the volume you're baking it isn't a splurge at all, it's simply the right tool, and i think you'll be so glad you got it.
questions i get a lot
these are the ones that land in my inbox over and over, so i figured i'd answer them properly here. if yours isn't on the list, please ask me, i'd love to help.
do i really need a grain mill to bake with fresh milled flour?
if you want flour that's genuinely fresh then yes, because fresh really does mean you milled it yourself. here's the part nobody tells you though: whole wheat flour from the store has usually been sitting on a shelf for months, and the natural oils in the germ slowly go rancid, which is exactly why so many people are convinced they don't like whole wheat. milling right before you bake changes the flavour completely. all that said, please don't let a mill be the reason you wait. go buy a bag of flour and make something wonderful tonight, and get a mill when the time feels right for you.
what's the difference between a stone mill and an impact mill?
such a good question, and it's the one that trips almost everyone up at first. a stone mill like the harvest grinds the grain between two stones, which means you can dial the texture anywhere you like, from coarse cracked grain right through to ultra fine flour. an impact mill like the classic or the impact throws the grain against spinning stainless heads at very high speed, which is faster and gives you gorgeous flour, just with a little less range at the coarse end. so, stone if you want one machine that does everything, impact if you want speed and volume.
nutrimill classic vs impact, which one should i get?
they're closer than they look, so please don't agonise over it. the classic is the bigger of the two, it's faster, and it'll do up to 20 cups of flour at a time with a wider texture range. the impact is smaller, quieter, gentler on the budget, and built specifically around bread flour. if you're milling for a big family or a bakery, go classic. if you're milling for your own loaves and maybe a neighbour's, the impact will make you very happy indeed.
are grain mills loud?
i'll always be straight with you on this one. the high speed mills are loud, and the classic is the loudest thing on this page, although it's only running for a couple of minutes at a time. the impact is noticeably gentler thanks to the whisper mill design, and the harvest is the calmest of the three because stone milling runs at a slower speed. none of them are so loud that you can't carry on a conversation, and you get used to it much faster than you'd expect.
can i mill gluten free flours at home?
yes, and this is honestly one of my very favourite things about owning a mill. rice, sorghum, buckwheat, oats, lentils, chickpeas, black beans, all of it works, as long as it's dry and not oily. the harvest handles this range best because you can take things all the way to ultra fine, and texture makes such an enormous difference in gluten free baking. fresh milled rice flour is a completely different experience from the bag, i promise you.
do i need a special mixer for fresh milled dough?
not special exactly, but sturdy really does help. whole grain dough is thirstier and heavier than white flour dough, and it asks a lot more of a mixer. a bottom drive mixer like the artiste or the universal plus puts all of its torque right underneath the bowl, exactly where the dough is, instead of reaching down from an arm above it. that's why both of the mixers in my kitchen are bottom drive, and why neither of them has ever once struggled.
what does the $20 off work on?
on almost everything. it covers the artiste, the bosch universal plus, the classic and the impact. the harvest is the one product it doesn't apply to, so that one stays at full price. start from my link and the discount comes off on its own, or type recipeboxdiaries in at checkout. either way works, and if it ever gives you trouble just message me and i'll sort it out.
one last thing
you really don't need a single thing on this page to start. buy a bag of flour, pick a recipe, and make something lovely tonight. i mean that with my whole heart, and i'd genuinely rather you bake than shop.
but if you've been circling fresh milled flour for a while now, and you just want someone who actually uses this stuff every day to tell you what they'd buy, this is it, honestly and in order.
and if you're torn between two of them, please message me. i would so much rather help you land on the right one than watch you spend more than you needed to.
every product link on this page is an affiliate link. i earn a commission if you buy through one and it never costs you extra. read the full disclosure.