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How to Make a Grain Puffer

Time: 3 hours. Cost: $57. Difficulty ranking: Four out of five.

Posted 1.21.11 at 11:37 am 1 Comments

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Step 1

Andrew MacDonald

1. Add a cup of grain to a quarter-cup of water in a sealed container overnight in the refrigerator. This gets the grain moisture up to at least 20 percent.

2. Cut a three-quarter-inch ring slice (pictured) off a seamless-steel tub with a 2.5-inch inside diameter. File the edges smooth, and wash them. Mount the ring to the center of a flat metal plate (we elected to weld it).

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Read the article: Vise Cakes: Making a Grain Puffer on the Cheap

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1 Comment

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ejbauer

02/15/11 at 1:40 pm

Neat. This is basically the concept of the traditional chinese corn and rice poppers used by street vendors. The rice or corn is placed in in a round metal device which is rotated rapidly over a fire and then placed in something like a large rubber funnel. A handle through the side of the rubber funnel hooks onto the release mechanism of the cylinder; the vendor kicks the handle, releasing the pressure with a loud bang, and the popped material is collected in the rubber funnel. My wife remembers being fascinated by them as a young girl in China. If you google "traditional chinese rice popper" you should pull up a picture of one.

ejbauer

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