Aldi Has a $13 Crate & Barrel Copycat That’s Perfect for Fall

We love our kitchen MVPs. A sharp kitchen knife, a big frying pan, a few reliable baking sheets—there are tools we use every single day to get breakfast, lunch, and dinner on the table. But there’s another, overlooked product that we use every day. It’s a humble tool that we reach for to add fresh flavor and dimension to all of our meals: the salt and pepper mill. And while spice mills have existed in one form or another for hundreds of years, the modern gravity mill may be the best version yet. 

If you’re not familiar with the gravity mill, it’s an awesome kitchen tool that makes seasoning your food easier and mess-free. Essentially, it’s an upgraded version of a salt or pepper mill that has a small motor to grind up peppercorns and large salt crystals in an instant.

If you normally use packaged ground pepper and table salt, using freshly-ground is the easiest way to pack more punch into every meal you cook. However, if you use a traditional salt cellar, you have to make sure your hands are freshly washed in order not to cross-contaminate. Regular pepper mills are great, but involve a lot of cranking and grinding if you are making a dish with lots of fresh pepper.

Gravity mills give you the best of both worlds—but it’s often a steep investment. However, thanks to this week’s Aldi Finds, you can pick up a set of gravity mills for $12.99. 

Aldi’s Ambiano Electric Gravity Salt & Pepper Mill Set

From Sept. 24-30, Aldi is selling the Ambiano Electric Gravity Salt & Pepper Mills in black and white, or green and blue colors with a smooth matte finish. The mills are made with stainless steel and feature an adjustable ceramic grinding mechanism.

The matte design reminds us of the green and blue Joseph & Joseph Hilltop Salt & Pepper Grinders that sell for $46 at West Elm, or the black and white version at Crate & Barrel. And this similar Williams Sonoma matte set sells for a whopping $170. The Aldi version, however, is just as functional—and just as beautiful—and only costs $12.99.

These battery-operated mills are incredibly easy to use. Simply turn the mill upside down, and freshly ground salt and pepper will come out evenly. It is battery-operated, and while earlier versions of this product came with batteries, it’s not currently specified on Aldi’s website. These can be used while cooking, but are pretty enough to be used at the dinner table during your meal.

Aldi fan @keep_it_organised posted a video on Instagram of how the gravity mills work, using an older model of the find, and other Aldi shoppers chimed in, sharing how much they love these gravity mills. “I’ve had mine for almost two years [and] use them every day,” shared one user. “I have a set myself [and] love them,” added another. 

If you don’t need new spice mills in your kitchen, take a look at your holiday shopping list to see if there’s someone who would love these beautiful and useful kitchen tools. But make sure to act quickly—these gravity mills are only available for a limited time.