From coarse to fine: the Peugeot mill has been improved
7.9.2022
Translation: Eva Francis
They're ridiculously expensive, true design icons and last a lifetime. Peugeot pepper and salt mills have been the benchmark in kitchens and restaurants for almost 150 years. Thanks to a simple mechanism, they’re now even better.
At first glance, the design of the new Paris Pepper Mill doesn’t differ from the timeless classic. But look closely and you’ll see the little lines at the bottom of the mill. The bottom of the «Paris u’Select» can be twisted to adjust the coarseness. This makes the best mill even better.
Gimmick or gamechanger?
As a teenager, one of my favourite things to do in the restaurant of a large department store chain was to swap the lids on salt and pepper, or – if my pubescent brain had just been clouded in a particularly hefty testosterone surge – the lids on sugar and salt. Since foresight and discretion aren’t among the strengths of adolescent boys, I was often expelled from the restaurant by an unnerved employee with the question, «Who’s been playing salt and pepper»?
How ironic that, a quarter of a century later, I’m paid for «playing salt and pepper». The following pictures show how fine or coarse the pepper and salt grinds are.
Comparing coarseness
The difference between the levels is significant. While you get something like powder with the finest level, the coarsest level delivers chunks of salt and pepper. So I can get coarse sea salt for seasoning meat, fine salt for flavouring a sauce, a touch of pepper for my salad, or coarse black pepper for a steak – all from the same salt or pepper mill and in the usual Peugeot quality and consistency. Grinding and adjusting the levels is smooth. Yet, it jams sometimes if you’re jumping directly from the largest to the smallest level. But twist it two or three times and everything works smoothly again.
Once the mills are empty, make sure not to mix up pepper and salt when refilling them. The mills have different grinders. While the pepper mill grinder is made of hardened steel, the salt mill grinder is made of stainless steel. If you put salt in the pepper mill, it would start to rust. The two mills also differ slightly in design.
My verdict
I’ve tried them all: electric mills, mills with ceramic grinders, steel mills, even disposable plastic mills. All were either broken after half a year, delivered poor results, or both. That’s why I’m happy to pay a bit more and get a Peugeot mill with a 25-year warranty. I'm a Peugeot fanboy, I must admit. That's why I'm all the more excited about Paris u’Select. I don’t want to go back to using mills with only one coarseness level. In fact, I'm on the verge of buying another set of mills. One for the kitchen and a second for the dining table, so I can «play salt and pepper» in two places.
Simon Balissat
Teamleader Editorial
Simon.Balissat@digitecgalaxus.chWhen I flew the family nest over 15 years ago, I suddenly had to cook for myself. But it wasn’t long until this necessity became a virtue. Today, rattling those pots and pans is a fundamental part of my life. I’m a true foodie and devour everything from junk food to star-awarded cuisine. Literally. I eat way too fast.
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