1,029. Making Cheese, Crushing Spices

Shvisas Yom Tov 3:12

Cheese may not be made on yom tov because the flavor of cheese will not be diminished if it is made the day before yom tov. On the other hand, one may crush spices in the normal fashion on yom tov because they will lose their flavor if crushed in advance. Salt may not be crushed on yom tov unless one holds the pestle at an angle, crushes the salt in a bowl, or in some other way deviates from the normal way in which one crushes salt. The reason for this requirement is that salt will not lose its flavor if one crushes it before yom tov. Pepper may not be ground in a mill on yom tov. Rather, one may only crush it with a pestle as one does other spices.

Shvisas Yom Tov 3:13

One may not crush grain in a large grinder on yom tov but one may do so in a small grinder; this qualifies as sufficient deviation from the normal manner. In Israel, it not even permitted to do so using a small grinder because the grains there are of a superior quality and will not lose their flavor if one crushes them before yom tov.