PhoebeB's Profile

Sara is right. Perfex is the best peppermill ever made. Mine is almost 30 years old, has been in constant service all that time by a serious cook with a family of seven, is still beautiful, still grinds pepper just the way you want it.

A few years ago I had lunch at the home of the most noted 5-star chef in midcoast Maine and commented on the well-worn Perfex in his kitchen. His eyes almost misted with affection. "25 years old. Nothing in the world like it", he said, "and I've tried them all".

Yes it's small, but it holds a lot of pepper and its shape makes for stability and ease of handling. I fill it no more than once a week and I use a lot of pepper.

I find the crank much faster to grind and easier to use with damp or greasy hands than the swivel-top style.

And its styling is so classically handsome that if you polish it up a bit with a damp cup towel it can move from stoveside right onto a beautiful dining table.

If you always give it a little bump with the side of your hand before removing it from what you're grinding pepper on, it won't "leak" when you set it down.