Making the Best Mustard with a KADY® Mill

Mustard looks simple in the jar. In the tank it is a wet grind, an emulsion, and a hydration problem at the same time. Seed must break. Water, vinegar, and oil must take up the solids. Heat and hold time have to develop flavor without cooking the batch into paste that will not pump.

Kady International has listed mustard among the foods made on a KADY® Mill for years: some of the best mustard is made in a Kady mill. The reason is the same high-speed rotor-stator process used for sauces, emulsions, and other food and chemical dispersions. One head wets the seed, cuts the particle size, and builds a stable mix.

What a Mustard Batch Demands

Whole or cracked mustard seed is tough. Bran and hulls resist a slow paddle. If the grind is too coarse, the mustard tastes harsh and separates. If the batch sits too long on a low-energy mixer, heat and acid get ahead of particle size and the texture turns pasty or watery.

A typical formula also carries water, vinegar or other acid, salt, spices, and sometimes oil or gums. Those phases have to emulsify while the seed is still breaking down. That is why plants often run a chopper, then a mill, then a finish tank. A Kady mill is built to collapse those steps.

How the KADY® Mill Works on Mustard

The mill pumps product through radial slots in a high-speed rotor and throws it into the staggered slots of a stationary stator. Tip speeds reach 9,000 feet per minute. The action is impact and attrition, not only stirring.

1. Seed and liquid are drawn into the head from above and below.
2. High-velocity passes fracture seed and wet the fresh surfaces with brine or vinegar.
3. Repeated trips through the tight rotor-stator gap reduce particles and build body.
4. Oil, if used, is sheared into the mix so the mustard holds together on the shelf.
5. Auxiliary propellers keep the tank moving so coarse seed does not settle out of the working zone.

Because energy is concentrated in the head, grind and emulsion can finish in one vessel. Jacketed tanks allow heating or cooling when the recipe needs a controlled cook or a cool grind to protect flavor.

Texture, Heat, and Flavor Control

Mustard quality is texture first, then bite. The mill gives the maker levers that a slow mixer does not:

• Particle size. Interchangeable heads and variable speed let the same machine make a rustic whole-grain style or a smoother prepared mustard.
• Short cycle time. High energy per pass shortens the grind, which helps limit unwanted heat and keeps the batch from sitting in acid longer than the recipe needs.
• Emulsion stability. The same shear that breaks seed also disperses oil and gums, which supports a uniform jar from first fill to last.
• One-step processing. Wet-out, size reduction, and homogenizing can share a tank instead of a chopper-plus-colloid-mill line.
• Scale-up. Lab mills use the same rotor-stator idea as production units, so a small trial can guide plant horsepower and tip speed.

Kady mills also deaerate when air in the paste is a problem, and they can be specified with sanitary materials and clean-in-place friendly layouts for food plants.

Equipment That Fits a Mustard Line

Kady custom-engineers the mill to the recipe and the room:

• Lab mills such as the Model L, LT2000, and Model LB for recipe work and sample jars
• Top-entry production mills for many existing food tanks
• Bottom-entry mills when heavy seed or thick paste settles
• Continuous-flow mills when the plant wants a steady stream instead of long batch cycles

Options include jacketed vessels, vacuum or pressure service, sweep arms for thick product, and stainless construction on wetted parts. Refurbished mills can be modified for food duty and shipped with a new-machine warranty.

From Seed Trial to Production Mustard

No two mustards grind the same. Yellow, brown, and oriental seed differ in oil and hull. Vinegar strength, hold time, and target smoothness change the load on the head. Kady offers testing so the actual seed and liquor can be run and checked for grind, temperature, and cycle time before a production mill is sized.

That is the practical meaning of making mustard on a KADY® Mill: fewer machines, a tighter particle-size range, and a batch that looks and spoons the same from run to run.

Kady International
30 Parkway Drive
Scarborough, ME 04074
Phone: 207.883.4141
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8 AM–5 PM

Some of the best mustard is made in a KADY® Mill because the head does the hard work the recipe used to ask of three separate machines: break the seed, wet it out, and finish a stable paste.