My new favorite kitchen gadget: FlicFloc aka The Grain Flaker

Damn it! One by one my kitchen appliances were starting to bite the dust. I’ve come to ask myself if this is me or some universal force trying to tell me that I should step away from gadgets all together. Two broken blenders were more than enough to push me over the edge. I was convinced that I wouldn’t get myself another blender, ever. Of course, this and other New Year’s resolutions ultimately failed. The homemade pesto, bulletproof coffee and warm soup fanatic in me wouldn’t overcome this loss. Or to put it differently, without a blender I’d need to retire from blogging all together.

I still doubt the necessity of most other gadgets though. Let’s consider the exemplary ice-cream machine. The idea to make our own sugar-free ice cream whenever we want sounds fantastic at first. But then winter kicks in early and the tool disappears somewhere in storage for some 9 months or more. Not the kind of tool I like to spend my money on to be honest.

But what if the object of desire is no ordinary gadget after all? What if it has the potential to be a companion for life? A tool made from elegant wood, with an indestructible stainless-steel roller. A gadget propelled by your own body power rather than nuclear power from the socket. A helper for your everyday needs and beautiful to look at!

“And then she jumps to her feet to dance her little happy dance!” – This is me, everytime I look at this little fellow. It was love at first sight! This buddy here is definitely still an insider’s tip, on it’s way to becoming a mandatory household item everywhere.

Only coincidentally did I stumble across it myself. I was tired of the usual oats in the morning and started wondering, how different grains turn into flakes in the first place. Have you ever thought of this?

After a solid amount of research, I was suddenly grasped by excitement! I wanted this kitchen gadget to enrich my daily life asap: FlicFloc, the grain flaker! It is basically exactly what you think it is. FlicFloc the grain flaker helps you make fresh, homemade flakes straight from the whole grain! (I love calling it FlicFloc the grain maker – in my ears it sounds just like the perfect title for a children’s book, don’t you think? 😉

What is a flaker?

FlicFloc is a flaker, or roller respectively, for your very own kitchen table. It enables you to flake anything and everything grain like: Oats, quinoa, millet; I even successfully flaked black rice with it! Just a few turns of the crank provide you with enough flakes to make a delicious breakfast, free from additives and gluten, that is if you choose to use gluten-free grains only. Gone are the days of putting up with rancid packaged foods losing their nutritional value day by day.

KoMo, the producer, absolutely thought of everything to make this newbie a new favorite. And what’s more, it seems pretty much unbreakable! 😉
The flaker consists of five parts only: The compact roller itself, a removable funnel for easy cleaning, a crank, a binding screw to fix it to your table as well as a collecting glass for your freshly rolled flakes. I’m a hundred percent positive that I’ll break the glass at some point, but I still love the fact that the product is made almost entirely from natural resources.

From Grain To Flake In 5 Steps

Handling couldn’t be more fun. I imagine it would also be a nice way of encouraging kids to prepare their own food. How to turn your grains into flakes:

1. Place the FlicFloc at the edge of your table
2. Fixate the FlicFloc with the binding screw
3. Place the collecting glass under the roller
4. Fill funnel with grains of your choice
5. Jollily crank until all grains have magically turned into flakes

Pro tip: Make sure the binding screw is properly locked to the wooden socket or support the FlicFloc with your other hand.

Lev, the clean freak that he is, immediately noticed traces of grain dust falling between the FlicFloc and the collecting glass. But it appeared to us that this is exactly what the producers intended to happen. This way you get the best results with your homemade flakes, pure and tender, free from grain dust.

The FlicFloc is pretty compact and stored away easily. Given, you would want to hide your little helper. I love my FlicFloc close at hand and within sight to feast my eyes on. To sum it up, I couldn’t be happier about this little fellow. This is the sort of tool you’ll keep for a lifetime.

Besides this entry model, KoMo offers a wide range of other advanced flakers and mills. If you are short of time or patience you should consider getting a FlocMan (Komo’s electrically powered counterpart). Fans of freshly milled flour will fall in love with their mill Fidibus or the combo mill for both freshly rolled flakes and finely milled flour.

If you’re still not convinced about adding this gem to your own wish list, here are some recipe ideas on how to make the most of your freshly rolled flakes:

• Enrich your pumpkin carrot soup with some homemade millet flakes
• The night before, prepare a modern version of the beloved Bircher muesli with home-rolled quinoa-flakes for a quick and healthy start the next day
• Invite your friends for a spicy Thai night and whip up a delicious rice pudding made from black rice flakes and coconut milk
• Bake a gluten-free pie crust from fresh oats and buckwheat flakes and fill it with sugar-free vanilla pudding or
• Make a filling and gluten-free raspberry quinoa breakfast cake a la mydarlinglemonthyme.com (see recipe below)

Has the FlicFloc found it’s way to your heart already? What would you use the FlicFloc for?

Thanks a million to the KoMo Getreidemühle for letting me test their amazing product. I wasn’t paid for this review (but I was provided a grain flaker). All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

Recipe: Raspberry, lemon + quinoa slice by mydarlinglemonthyme.com (gluten-free, fructose-friendl, lowFODMAP

I wanted to try this cake forever, but quinoa flakes were nowhere to be found. So this made the perfect recipe to attempt with my new FlicFloc and it worked out perfectly!
The slices make a great breakfast as they are wholesome, fresh and filling. Just as Emma promised, this is the perfect combination between oatmeal and cake. Thank you Emma for this amazing recipe! For the original recipe and Emma’s wonderful blog head over to mydarlinglemonthyme.com

Makes approx. 9 slices

200 g freshly rolled quinoa flakes
70 g fine buckwheat flour
45 g shredded coconut
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
a good pinch fine sea salt

80 ml virgin coconut oil
125 ml rice malt syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground vanilla

2 large organic eggs
Juice and zest from one organic lemon
1 cup (125g) raspberries + 1 tablespoons potato starch

1. Preheat oven to 160C/ 320F. Grease or line a 28 x 18cm slice tin with baking paper, extending up and over the sides by a centimeter or two.
   Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl, mixing well to combine.
2. Heat coconut oil, runny honey and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until melted. Pour into dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add eggs and zest and mix well.
3. Fold through blueberries at the last second then transfer mixture to the slice tin, pressing down with the back of a spoon to even it out. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden around the edges and firm to the touch in the centre. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool before slicing. Will store airtight for 2-3 days, or in the fridge for longer.