Blender or food processor
A fast blade in a jug that grinds toasted sesame to tahini, blends cooked or soaked material with water into milky extracts and chops material for pressing. It does not strain.
Modern adaptation
Tahini (sesame paste)
sesame paste
Toasted sesame seeds ground to a pourable paste, made by two manufacturer routes: a high-speed blender in minutes, or a stone chocolate refiner over three hours.
Two routes to a pourable paste
Tahini is sesame seed ground until it flows. The two routes in this record are both manufacturer methods. Vitamix publishes a blender recipe that uses seeds only, and the Premier chocolate refiner manual gives a stone-refiner recipe with 5 per cent sesame oil added.
The blender route is quick. Toasted seeds at room temperature go into the container, and the machine runs from the lowest to the highest speed for two to three minutes while a tamper presses the seeds toward the blades. Vitamix describes the toasted seeds as producing a smoother paste.
Sources for this section
The stone refiner route
The refiner route grinds for three hours. The manual calls for 950 g of seed roasted in a thin layer and 50 g of sesame oil, with the seed added about 100 g at a time so that each addition incorporates before the next. The drum yields about 1 kg.
The manual sets a ceiling on heat. The product is kept below 150 °F (65 °C), and the recipes never go above 140 °F (60 °C). The machine must not run dry for more than a few seconds.
Sources for this section
Storage
The refiner manual suggests storing the paste for up to three months in a cool, dark, well-ventilated place with no odours, in sterilised airtight glass. It says the times are recommendations and that the maker sets its own best-before date. Vitamix gives no storage time.
Sources for this section
History
The two routes are recorded here as manufacturer methods. The regional history of tahini is not researched in this record.
Ingredients
Yield 1 kg · Scaling: source batch only
1.18 L5 cup as recorded
705 g, at room temperature.Sesame seeds, roasted (refiner route)Roast in a thin layer, mixing so the bottom seeds do not burn.
950 g
About 6½ cups; 95 per cent of the refiner charge.Sesame oil (refiner route)
50 g
About ¼ cup; 5 per cent of the refiner charge. The oil is a formulation choice of the refiner recipe.Method
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Refiner: never dry-run the drum for more than a few seconds, and do not exceed the temperature limits the manual gives.
- Blender route (Vitamix): optionally toast raw seeds at 350 °F (180 °C) for 10 minutes, stirring and rotating them halfway. Use the seeds at room temperature.
- Put 5 cups (705 g) of toasted sesame seeds into the blender container and secure the lid.
- Start on the lowest speed, quickly increase to the highest and blend for 2 to 3 minutes, using the tamper to press the seeds toward the blades.
- Refiner route (Premier manual): roast 950 g of sesame seeds in a thin layer in a convection oven for about 30 minutes, mixing so the bottom seeds do not burn. The manual prints the temperature as 265 °F (140 °C), a figure whose units do not match the other limits.
- Pour 50 g of sesame oil into the refiner, then add the seeds about 100 g (½ cup) at a time, letting each addition incorporate. If needed, warm the drum with a heat gun, never above 140 °F (60 °C).
- Process for 3 hours, then empty the drum into sterilised, airtight glass jars.
Conditions
Yield1 kg
Temperatureup to 60°C
Places
No source in this record establishes a place.
Related
Equipment
Chocolate refiner (melanger)
A chocolate refiner or melanger uses powered rotation and stone rollers to refine cocoa mass. Some models also process nut and seed pastes; design, material and operating limits vary.
Premier Chocolate Refiner, 8 lb
The current standard 8 lb Premier is a named DCM countertop refiner, distinct from the generic melanger class and the separate tilting model. Historical manual and FAQ figures differ; verify capacity and duration against the exact unit.
Vitamix Professional Series 750 blender
A model-specific countertop blender with a 2 L low-profile Classic container, ten manual speeds and five presets. “Pro 750” is the European short name for Professional Series 750; electrical ratings differ by region.
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Dried pumpkin seeds
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Hazelnut paste and gianduja-style spread
Roasted, skinned hazelnuts refined in a stone melanger into a fluid paste, then sweetened and finished with cocoa as a gianduja-style spread.
Peanut butter
Peanut butter is a paste of ground roasted peanuts, usually with salt. Smooth and granular versions come from the same method, differing in how finely the nuts are ground.
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Sources
VitamixMethod
Tahini705 g toasted seeds, 2 to 3 minutes, tamper, toast 350 °F (180 °C) for 10 minutes, toasted seeds smoother
Cited in: Two routes to a pourable paste
Diamond Custom Machines (DCM); manufactured by Sivanesan Company (Ind.), Chennai, IndiaMethod · Storage · Equipment limits
Premier Chocolate Refiner with Stainless Steel Stone Holder: User Manual950 g seeds, 50 g oil, 100 g additions, 3 hours, about 1 kg, up to 3 months storage, temperature limits
Cited in: Two routes to a pourable paste; The stone refiner route; Storage
