Designer Dining Accessories - David Mason Design

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I buy DMD products?

We do not sell products direct to the general public. Please email or call us between 9:00 and 16:00 Monday to Friday and we will be delighted to guide you to your nearest retailer. Contact Page

Guarantee

If you have a faulty DMD mill, please send the mill back to us at our head office address with a covering letter and return address. Once approved we will then send you a replacement mill within 10 working days

My salt mill is 'clogged up', what should I do?

Firstly, ensure that the salt you use in your mill is perfectly dry and free flowing and always keep your refill container in a dry place. Adding a few grains of rice to the salt in the mill helps to absorb any latent moisture in the salt. The rice will be ground up with the salt and will not be noticeable in your food. Also try not to use over direct heat or steam as this will add to the clogging.

It is important only to use the pepper mill for peppercorns and the salt mill for top quality sea or rock salt crystals. If salt is used in a pepper mill, it will certainly corrode the grinder, resulting in rapid seizure of the whole mechanism.

How do I change the pepper or salt grinds from fine to coarse?

Turn the knob or screw clockwise to tighten the mechanism and produce a fine grind, and anti-clockwise to produce a coarse grind. On our upside down mill the screw is on the bottom – but the adjustments are made in the same way.

What do you mean by Spring Tension system?

All our mills incorporate a copyrighted “Spring Tension” system. This helps in the adjustment of the grinder via the “screw knob” for either pepper or salt depending on what is being used in your mill

General Tips

From time to time put a small drop of cooking oil on your finger and rub it around the threaded part of the mill shaft. This will help stop any corrosion caused by salt between the shaft and the screw knob and make it easier in the long run to remove the easy grip knob when you come to either adjust the grinder or refill the mill.

Instructions for Use

To refill:

Unscrew metal knob, remove top and fill up with either pepper (if pepper mill) or coarse sea salt crystals (if salt mill) – not rock salt or salt flakes
Do not put salt in a pepper mill, or vice versa
Replace top and knob
DMD mills are fitted with a copyrighted spring tension, advanced grinding mechanism. Simply tighten or loosen the knob for a fine to coarse grinding

Skittles version

Use a small coin to unscrew the metal screw, remove top and fill up with either pepper (if pepper mill) or sea salt crystals (if salt mill) – not rock salt or salt flakes
Do not put salt in a pepper mill, or vice versa
Replace top and screw
DMD mills are fitted with a copyrighted spring tension, advanced grinding mechanism. Simply tighten or loosen the screw for a fine to coarse grinding

Care tips:

Do not expose to heat and avoid direct contact with steam
Store mills in a cool, dry place
Give the mill a shake after grinding to avoid excess grinds falling onto the table or work surface
Wipe external surfaces clean with a damp cloth – do not put into a dishwasher

Why do we need salt?

Salt is necessary for the survival of all living creatures, including humans. Salt is involved in regulating the water content (fluid balance) of the body.

Salt is a commonly occurring mineral, the technical name of which is sodium chloride. It is the sodium part of salt that is important. The body needs a certain amount of sodium to function properly.

Sodium helps to maintain the concentration of body fluids at correct levels. It also plays a central role in the transmission of electrical impulses in the nerves, and helps cells to take up nutrients.

Why is too much salt bad?

In adults, when levels of sodium are too high, the body retains too much water and the volume of bodily fluids increases. Many scientists, although not all, believe this process is linked to high blood pressure, or hypertension, which in turn is linked to a greater risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. Some scientists deny that salt plays any significant role at all. It is therefore advisable to keep within 6g a day to ensure that the body can remove salt through the kidneys into the urine.

Sources of Salt

The main sources of salt in the diet are processed foods
Processed foods are thought to account for around 75% of the average person’s salt intake
10 – 15% of salt is naturally present in food.

Sea salt is healthier than refined table salt as it allows liquids to freely move around the body, and ultimately out of the body via the kidneys.

Peppercorns

Black pepper has long been recognized as improving digestion
Black pepper has demonstrated impressive antioxidant and antibacterial effects
The outer layer of the peppercorn stimulates the breakdown of fat cells, keeping you slim while giving you energy to burn
Used to flavour so many types of food, pepper is extremely versatile. It comes from the Piper Nigrum plant, and it is from the dried unripe fruit that the pungent smell and bold taste are derived.

Black Peppercorns – these are the hottest and when ground release the oils which flavour the food

Green Peppercorns – these are milder than black and are pickled before drying

White Peppercorns – these are the seed cores of the fruit, which are ripened and the fruit husk removed.

Red Peppercorns – are the seed of an evergreen tree, therefore not a true pepper, but combined with the other three provides a sweet, piquant flavour.

Once ground, pepper’s aromatics can evaporate quickly; most culinary sources recommend grinding whole peppercorns immediately before use for this reason.

When you say handpainted – are the canisters really painted by hand?

Yes – they really are. It takes great skill and a very steady hand!

What is a decal?

A decal is a printed transfer which is applied to the ceramic when wet and then fired onto the glaze.

Is wood a hygienic material to use for chopping boards?

Undoubtedly, the most hygienic chopping board is going to be one that is washed most frequently, regardless of what it is made of.

Independent tests in Scandinavia have proven that bacteria does not penetrate wood and in comparison to plastic chopping boards, bacteria does not survive well on wood. Plastic showed the best conditions for bacterial survival.

Recommendations:

Buy three chopping boards – use one for vegetables, one for fish, and the other for meat
Clean the chopping board with normal detergent. Rinse with warm water. Dry the board with a dish towel and keep it in a dry place
It is practical to have various chopping boards in order to always have a dry one to hand

Rubberwood - from managed forests

This is a pale tropical hardwood from the rubber tree which is planted mainly for natural rubber production. The wood is a by product of this industry. After 25 to 30 years of latex production, the tree ceases to produce sufficient quantities of latex. The tree is then cut for processing and the manufacture wood items. A new tree is planted in its place.

Beech - from managed forests

Beech is a pale colour with a straight grain, it is fine textured with small spindle shaped markings.

It adapts well to humidity and is ideally suited to the production of kitchen utensils.
In Europe it is the most commonly used timber for the production of food preparation products and kitchen furniture.