Just take a stroll through most kitchen stores and you’ll see dozens of varieties of pepper grinders available. They can be traditional,, electric, fun, or just plain odd. While looks are important if you plan to keep the grinder out on the table or counter, it’s what’s inside that counts.

Most grinders inside a pepper mill are made of some metal, like stainless steel or a carbon-steel blend. The problem with that is that every time you hold your grinder over a steaming pan of food to add pepper, the water in the steam collects on the grinders in the process. Regularly adding moisture to the metal gears will eventually cause them to rust or gum up, leaving your grinder useless. I’ll bet you’ve seen this before, especially with novelty grinders.

So how do you avoid it? Look for ceramic gears. Water vapor won’t affect ceramic like it will metal, and you’ll find that your pepper grinder lasts for years instead of months. I’ve used my ceramic-geared pepper grinder (which cost less than $20) for at least 10 years and it still functions perfectly.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money to find ceramic gears, either. You just have to be savvy when you shop. If the package doesn’t say if it’s ceramic or not, it probably isn’t — but just take a look at the bottom of the grinder and see for yourself. Or if you’re shopping online, check the item descriptions carefully. You also don’t have to sacrifice style either, because there are plenty of pretty and inexpensive grinders available with ceramic gears.