The Spice Grinder Hack For Flavorful Breadcrumbs

Is the inside of your spice grinder covered in a film of cayenne or coriander? Or maybe it's a blend of Italian herbs and garlic that have left their remnants throughout. Whatever flavors are threatening to contaminate your grinder forever more, forget trying to clean it out with a toothbrush or paper towel. You'll never be able to get all of the spice dust out that way! Instead, why not kill two birds with one stone and make flavored breadcrumbs?

If you've never heard this hack before then sit back, because your mind is about to be blown. And it's actually really easy. All you need to do is add a few chunks of plain bread to your grinder and give it a quick whirl. By the time it's done, you'll have bits of bread ready to toast up and use in your next recipe, as well as a spice grinder that is sparkling clean inside.

There's no need to wait for any bread to go stale in order to take advantage of this hack. Just use whatever you've got. That's where the toasting comes in, after all. And that's as easy as warming some oil or butter in a pan and then adding the bread crumbs. You'll want to add some salt too, of course, and maybe a bit of pepper as well. You may even want to include some additional spices, depending on what was already in your grinder. Just be careful to stir continuously and keep an eye on your breadcrumbs so that they don't burn. It will only take a few minutes and you'll have delicious, crispy breadcrumbs ready for your next mac and cheese, breaded pork chops, chicken tenders, and more.

Alternatively, you can use saltine crackers instead of bread to clean out your spice grinder. Doing so will mean that you can skip the entire toasting process as the crackers will already be nice and crunchy. Whichever you choose, be sure to store the results in an airtight container (and preferably in the freezer) if you're not going to use them right away.

If you're not a big breadcrumb user you might be wondering how else to put your freshly made flavored breadcrumbs to use. One of the best ways is to use them as a salad topper in place of croutons. This genius hack will transform your same old greens into a crispy and flavorful masterpiece. And since the breadcrumbs will sink down into the layers of lettuce, you won't have to worry about the dressing making them soggy — you'll get a bit of crunch throughout the dish.

Breadcrumbs also make a fantastic topping for any number of cheese sauces, pasta dishes, and veggies. So if you'd rather not bread your pork or chicken, what about putting them to use on roasted cauliflower? You can also use them to dust zucchini slices before frying. Or as the crust on eggplant parmesan. 

This hack isn't just for savory dishes either. You can also use bread to clean out a spice grinder after pulverizing vanilla and other sweet spices — then add the breadcrumbs to fried ice cream. The opportunities are almost endless, so there's really no need to worry the next time that spice grinder is dirty. Not only do you know how to get it clean in a jiffy now, but you'll be able to get a whole other ingredient out of it.