The claim: These grinders unleash the flavor and aroma of freshly ground cinnamon's essential oils with the turn of the wrist. Easy to use, the grinders are built right into the top of the glass bottle. To unlock flavor, simply open the cap, turn upside down and twist.
Cost: $2.19 per 1.5-ounce bottle, with a built-in grinder
Where: Spice aisle of supermarkets
This isn't a cinnamon grinder so much as a re-grinder. The cinnamon in the glass bottle already has been roughly ground. By comparison, McCormick's pepper grinder contains whole peppercorns that you grind as you use them. The significance for both spices is that unground cinnamon sticks and peppercorns have a longer shelf life, because it takes longer for the oils that provide much of their flavor to evaporate. How fast the oil evaporates is largely a function of how much of the spice's surface is exposed to air. With cinnamon sticks -- which are dried tree bark -- only the outer layer is exposed to air. The exterior of each granule of ground cinnamon is exposed to air, so grinding increases the evaporation area exponentially. While rough ground cinnamon theoretically should stay fresh somewhat longer than finely ground cinnamon, I don't think the extra effort is worth it. I couldn't tell the difference between the McCormick grinder cinnamon and the finely ground cinnamon I bought a few months ago. Anyone who likes cinnamon enough to consider buying this grinder probably would be happier buying and grinding cinnamon sticks or just buying finely ground cinnamon every six months or so.
-- Brian Bowling
Whoever dreamed up the McCormick grinder deserves a standing ovation from anyone who cooks or eats. These hand-size glass containers topped with plastic grinding devices have had a starring role in my kitchen and on my dining room table since they first appeared. No longer am I constantly replacing oversized, decorative pepper or spice grinders whose bite too quickly erodes into uselessness. The salt grinders are particularly useful when humid weather welds crystals into a solid block. McCormick is extending the product line into other spices, with grinders filled with cinnamon nuggets alone or combined with sugar crystals. Like their predecessors, they deliver fresh, vibrant infusions of flavor with a twist of the wrist. But because most of us are used to having cinnamon in its powdered form, the little ground bits of cinnamon bark feel a little gritty. They're practical for adding a quick, bright flavor dusting to French toast or as a garnish atop cappuccino foam or whipped cream. But grinding and grinding and grinding long enough to produce a larger quantity quickly leads to wrist fatigue. I'll reserve this for decorative uses but stick to the traditional powder for larger quantities used in recipes.
-- Alice T. Carter
McCormick's individual pepper and salt grinders are kept within arm's length in my kitchen. I love that, by the time the plastic grinders begin to wear out, the peppercorns and salt crystals are about gone. And it makes me feel like such a gourmand grinding over a pot or dish. I even like the sound it makes. So I was looking forward to trying the new cinnamon and cinnamon-sugar grinders. It's the perfect time of year to enjoy buttered toast with a dusting of cinnamon sugar to accompany a cup of hot tea. I anticipated a bitey fresh cinnamon flavor that surely would rate far above and beyond the sprinkle mix I keep handy. But in order to get enough cinnamon sugar to cover my toast, it took an enormous amount of grinding and cranking. By the time I took a bite, the toast was cold. (Perhaps I use more than the average person?) The cinnamon flavor was not especially heightened, either. But I'll keep these on my shelves for a quick grind over yogurt or applesauce.
-- Sally Quinn
