You undoubtedly want to take good care of your Cuisinart coffee grinder since it brings you joy - or at least good coffee, which is really the same thing - every morning. If you've been using yours for a while, you may be wondering how you should clean it.
We've done the research and can tell you the best way to clean your Cuisinart coffee grinder so it will continue to work well for years to come.
To clean your Cuisinart burr grinder, do the following:Â
- Unplug your grinder.
- Unscrew the hopper from the base.Â
- Use a soft-bristle toothbrush to brush off the upper burr, the inside of the feed tube, and the outside of the tube.Â
- Wipe down the areas you brushed off with a dry cloth.Â
- Using the same brush, clean inside the base where the lower burr is located.Â
- Turn the base upside down and shake it out over your trashcan.Â
- Wipe out the inside of the base with a dry cloth.Â
- Remove the tank and hand wash with warm water, and let dry.Â
- Clean the chute that empties into the tank with the brush and wipe it down with a dry cloth.Â
- Reassemble the grinder.Â
Read on for more tips on caring for your coffee grinder, including how often you should clean your grinder and how to clean a blade grinder, keep reading.
How to Clean a Blade Grinder
If you have a Cuisinart blade grinder, you can clean it by running a handful of uncooked rice through the grinder and pulverizing it until it's finely ground. This will help absorb the oils left behind by your coffee beans.
Dump the ground rice in the trash and wipe out the inside of the grinder with a slightly damp cloth. You can hand wash the top cup of the grinder and let it dry.
Other Considerations for Cleaning a Burr Grinder
You can also grind rice in your burr grinder between thorough cleanings to help absorb oil and odors. However, this shouldn't be used as a replacement for cleaning your grinder.
Because of the way burr grinders are designed, coffee grinds and dust can build up in the threads and other mechanical parts. This can affect the size and consistency of your ground beans. It can also cause wear and tear on your grinder.
Click here to shop for burr grinders on Amazon.
What's the Difference Between a Burr Grinder and a Blade Grinder?
The most common type of Cuisinart grinder is a burr grinder, which you can clean using the steps listed above. To see the complete process, you can watch the video below. A burr grinder uses two abrasive surfaces, called burrs, to grind your beans, while a blade grinder uses two or three blades to chop up the beans.
Burr grinders are considered superior by coffee aficionados. They grind beans to a more consistent and smaller size, producing a better cup of coffee. The downside is that burr grinders are more expensive than blade grinders.
Blade grinders offer more power for faster grinding. They are also more affordable if you're getting started grinding your own coffee beans. However, blade grinders often have inconsistent results, giving you grinds ranging from very fine to very coarse.
Different size grounds can cause your coffee to taste bad because they release different flavors. If you're using a blade grinder, pulse it off and on instead of leaving it running to produce more consistently ground beans.
Click here to shop for blade grinders on Amazon.
Should I Wash My New Coffee Grinder?
It's okay to hand wash any completely plastic parts of your grinder, such as the removable tank and the lid, but you shouldn't wash the burr plates. Just brush them off and wipe them with a dry cloth to prevent any damage to them. Never submerge the base of your grinder or the hopper in water.
Do You Clean a Coffee Grinder After Each Use?
How often you need to clean your coffee grinder depends on how much you use it, but you don't have to clean it after each use. If you use it in a professional setting, such as a coffee shop, weekly cleanings are appropriate. If you use it at home for personal use, you can get by with cleaning it once a month.
If you use your coffee grinder for very different types of beans, you may want to clean it between them. If you grind a bold dark bean followed by a lighter, more delicate type of bean, the flavor may get contaminated.
Can You Clean a Coffee Grinder Without Taking It Apart?
If you don't want to deal with the hassle of taking your grinder apart and brushing off the individual parts, you can use tablets that are designed to clean your grinder. These tablets are made to be ground in your coffee grinder just as you would grind beans. They absorb the oil and get rid of coffee dust.
To use these, grind the tablets in your grinder, then wipe out the grinder with a dry cloth. Follow up by grinding a batch of inexpensive beans and then dumping them out.
Click here to shop for coffee grinder cleaning tablets on Amazon.
Do Coffee Grinder Blades Get Dull?
Just like any other blade, coffee grinder blades get dull with time and use. Coffee beans are often packaged with small impurities such as rocks that can also damage your blades. Here are some signs your grinder blades may be getting dull:
- Inconsistently sized grounds
- Clumping grounds
- Dull-feeling blades
How Do You Sharpen Cuisinart Coffee Grinder Blades?
To sharpen your coffee grinder blades, first, make sure your grinder is unplugged. Then remove your blades according to the manufacturer's directions. You can use an ordinary kitchen knife sharpener to sharpen each side of the blades. Reassemble the blades and grind a test batch of beans.
Maintenance Tips for Your Coffee Grinder
In addition to regularly cleaning your coffee grinder, you should follow some other steps to take care of your grinder. First, make sure you always sort through your beans before you grind them. Sometimes foreign objects that can damage your grinder are packed in with your beans.
Don't grind spices or other substances in your coffee grinder. Spices can leave traces of oil in your coffee grinder that will affect the flavor of your beans. Other substances can also affect the taste of your coffee. If you grind materials that are harder than coffee beans, they can dull your blades.
How Long Do Cuisinart Coffee Grinders Last?
There are a lot of variables that affect how long your Cuisinart coffee grinder will last. The first is how often it's used. If you're using your coffee grinder in a coffee shop hundreds of times per daily, it won't last nearly as long as if you only use it on weekends at home.
Another factor that can affect the life of your coffee grinder is how often you clean it. Although you don't need to overdo it, cleaning your coffee grinder regularly will increase its lifespan.
When coffee grinds build up in the mechanical workings of your coffee grinder, it can damage it. Too infrequent cleanings can also dull the blades on your coffee grinder.
Finally, the model you buy will determine how long your Cuisinart coffee grinder lasts. The more expensive models will generally last longer than the cheaper ones, although not always. In general, if you take care of your coffee grinder and only use it for personal use, it should last around five to seven years.
Click here to shop for gourmet coffee on Amazon.
Conclusion
If you're looking to make the best coffee at home, a Cuisinart coffee grinder is an excellent investment. Whether you choose the blade grinder for casual use or the burr grinder for daily use, grinding your own beans lets you level up your coffee-making. With the proper care, your coffee grinder will give you the perfect cup of coffee for years to come.
If you enjoyed this article, you might also like these:
What Kind Of Pods Does Cuisinart Espresso Machine Use?
Can An Immersion Blender Grind Coffee Beans?
