FinaMill…Part Deux

I have been cooking all my life, well, almost. I fell in love with the rhythm of the kitchen at the tender age of 4, watching my mother, grandmother and aunts move around each other in perfect harmony, laughing, singing and drinking coffee as they cooked together. That music was all I ever wanted to hear in my life.

My Italian relatives cooked simply from fresh ingredients, herbs snipped from the garden in summer and from the pots on the window sill in winter. We didn’t use a lot of spices except in baking; the classics like nutmeg and cinnamon, which was purchased, ground, in glass jars from the local market.

I grew up hearing that there were two kinds of people in the world: Italians and people who wished they were. As a result, Italian food was what I cooked and ate for the most part.

It wasn’t until my adult life cooking for myself and working as a chef that I wanted to experiment with spices from various cuisines and cultures.

And I had no idea what I was doing.

I had read that spices needed to be ground so I bought several mortar pestle sets to grind spices and discovered that it was more work than I wanted. I bought several gadgets designed to make spice grinding a breeze and they all quickly ended up in the back of the cupboard for one reason or another. And buying them in big jars was not for me as I could tell at the opening of each new jar that the spice was not fresh and I would not get the full impact of the flavor or health benefits from its use.

Enter FinaMill. I confess that I was skeptical at first, thinking that yet again, the novelty of this newest gadget would wear off and I would be back to square one and it would land in the back of my cabinet with the other orphaned grinders and graters.

I could not have been more wrong.

From the moment I began to play around with my FinaMill, I was in love; a dramatic reaction, I know, but it’s true. From the FinaPod Pro Plus for salt and the FinaPod Peppercorn (coming soon!) for black pepper to my new favorite, the FinaPod GT specifically designed to grate hard spices.

As an avid baker, as well as a cook, the GT has proven itself to be my new best pal time and again.

While a big fan of classic flavor combinations like cinnamon and chocolate, I also love to throw a wee twist in now and again, but I don’t want to buy massive quantities of spices I will not use often, like cardamom. While it’s a spice that’s loaded with antioxidants and contains cineole which is anti-bacterial, antiseptic and can freshen breath as well as support heart, respiratory and immune health, it’s definitely a spice to grate fresh to get the full benefit of its flavor and boost to my wellness.

The same goes for star anise, cloves and nutmeg, all of which I use occasionally and grating these spices fresh in my FinaPod GT has changed the way I see them. I used to think they tasted more like dirt than spice. Buying whole nutmeg or cloves and then grating them fresh rocked my world. The way I see it, if I am going to go to the trouble to use a spice that can protect my skin against the signs of aging (thanks, nutmeg) or get relief from arthritis (amen, cloves) or help me to digest more efficiently (as star anise does), I want the most bang for my buck by grating them fresh in my FinaPod GT.

I have to confess though, my FinaPod GT gets its most stringent workout from cinnamon, a spice that finds its way into more desserts than I can count because I love it and because it helps to regulate blood sugar and reduce inflammation.

A little bragging, if I may, on behalf of my favorite kitchen gadget. The FinaPod GT has just won the gia Award (Global Innovation Award), which may not mean a lot to you, but in the world of housewares and their value to us, it’s like the Oscars.

And now, here’s what’s in it for you. Head on over to this link on FinaMill.com:

FinaMill.com;  https://www.finamill.com/pages/healthy-cooking-with-christina-cooks

Sign up to receive the free bi-monthly free newsletter and you’ll get 10% off your first order (even on the FinaPod GT), along with yummy recipes for you to try and enjoy.

But wait…there’s more!

On that same page, you’ll see “Complete Your Kitchen,” a discounted bundle package being offered to my followers exclusively.

I’m telling you, kids; as a person not in love with gadgets, I have found one that has stolen my heart, the FinaMill. Trust me on this one.