mortar & pestle

[WadePatton]

Got one for Christmas. Just started using it...good GAWD how did i live without it?!! It's a green marble one. (no not menthols cowboy. green marlboro, get it? oh nevermind). And is wicked good at pulverizing seeds of spice and flavor.

Please share your hand-ground secrets and general applications of this simplest of kitchen machines.

One of my immediate uses: I don't care for cracked peppercorns ala pepper mill (never have), but love fresh _ground_ pepper from mortar. Now I'm mixing in all sorts of seed herbs to see what i can find...and of course no more rolling pin-crushing of the toasted cumin.

[maunahaole]

use it for guacamole.

[zetroc]

I use mine to grind up toasted sesame seeds from the asian grocery... many uses.

[jitahs]

Yes on the pepper & toasted cumin.

Have a large Japanese ceramic textured one that I never use - too hard to clean.

When lazy I use a hand held chopper to make Thai/Laotian curries, but mashing it all together in the mortar and pestle makes it better. Takes about 20-30 minutes.

Friend has land in the Sierras. On it are several Indian, I forget which, grinding holes. Instead of a mortar there's a boulder, the texture very much like a Mexican mortar. Very cool.

[WadePatton]

Yes, yes, now i want a big one for grinding corn... find me a rock sommers...

[AJPM44]

Go big and try to make aioli like a bad ass French grandma

[alexstar]

Yes on the pepper & toasted cumin.

Have a large Japanese ceramic textured one that I never use - too hard to clean.

When lazy I use a hand held chopper to make Thai/Laotian curries, but mashing it all together in the mortar and pestle makes it better. Takes about 20-30 minutes.

Friend has land in the Sierras. On it are several Indian, I forget which, grinding holes.

Miwok

Instead of a mortar there's a boulder, the texture very much like a Mexican mortar.

Molcajete

Very cool.

Definitely worth having a mortar and pestle, though as you say, the textured ones (molcajete included) can be a pain in the ass.

[Too Tall]

Jinx. I finally scored a huge granite mortar + pestle after yrs. of wanting one.

The best trick I have so far is to toast cumin seeds until they begin to smoke than dump into the mortal with course salt, add paprika...can you see where this is going? Kinda the ultimate dry rub machine.

Also, I am using the salt mill less and less. Using course salt in the mortar I can work it to exactly the grain size I want.

[jitahs]

Miwok

That's them, thanks. The women were found to have worn out elbows due to not downloading the human food processor app.
Celebrity chefs my ass.

[Zimmermanbicycle]

I have a simple small hardwood setup,great for mashing up spices with coarse salt for a rub!
-Eric

[WadePatton]

Oh my. I ground my coffee this morning in the antique grinder per usual...then I gave it a working over in the mortar...WOW!

[rubeboy]

try grinding fresh corriander seeds. There's a great floral aspect to them when they are fresh out of the mortar. It really adds another dimension to whatever you're cooking.

[jitahs]

Simple recipe:

Dry pan, toast cumin & coriander but do not scorch
Smash & grind w/mortar and pestle while warm
Soak lentils, then cook in chick stock or whatever w/most of spice
Salt as needed
When done, hit it with remainder of spices, stir 'n' serve.

[Too Tall]

Simple recipe:

Dry pan, toast cumin & coriander but do not scorch
Smash & grind w/mortar and pestle while warm
Soak lentils, then cook in chick stock or whatever w/most of spice
Salt as needed
When done, hit it with remainder of spices, stir 'n' serve.

Nails it. As soon as I'm back home that will happen.

[HSTFixed]

Go big and try to make aioli like a bad ass French grandma

Like that Grandma in the Provence episode of No Reservations!!! Never seen anything like that. Her daughter saying that if it breaks Grandma will say it's because they were talking too much.

Mortar and Pestle is top 5 favorite kitchen tools and my electric spice grinder sits on the shelf collecting dust. Only time it comes out is if the quantity needed exceeds the size of my Mortar, and the answer to that is that you can never have too many shapes/sizes/materials of mortar and pestle. I need more.

toasted cumin and coriander seeds dumped in and crushed starts the best homemade taco seasoning ever!

[summilux]

You should really try a Sumeet. It's an electric grinder designed for Indian households. For wet and dry grinding it works so much better than anything american/european.

[WadePatton]

Who should? I much prefer the simple tools. my only "modern" kitchen gadget is a high-power blender used 98% for smoothies (no counting the poppery and the antique grinder for coffee). One can buy machines to do nearly everything. I prefer not. Love the simple stuff, a knife instead of any sort of chopper/slicer/dicer gizmo, etc. A large part of that is the feedback one gets from manual tools whilst using them. Not just some blast of noise and funky cleaning job to do. You can buy a machine to knead bread, but why give up the fun part?

What I can't believe is that I'd never put my hands on a mortar & pestle before. I'm loving it and using it all the time. Ground the celery and dill seed and peppercorns i used in my recent chicken soup. Best soup I've ever made. I never had one because Mom didn't have one, just not that common 'round the kitchens I've been.

It's going to put a nice spin on the next bbq and sausages that i make too...pretty much everything that takes spice.

Y'all want an electric appliance/gadget thread, go do it. I may start a "manual/simple machines" thread for knives* and rolling pins and grinders and graters and presses oh my. THIS one is about the Mortar & Pestle.

*already discussed quite heavily.

My M/P is small and marble. Don't they come of many materials and different sizes? I might has to get another one.

[jitahs]

The m&p just gives a different result than grinding. Yer smashing oils and getting variegated textures which just adds character. Grinders are fine, but the rudimentary tool FTW.

ymmv, yadda...

Hey Wade, pay attention to the items listed in the thread!

[WadePatton]

items? meaning food items? yes, i'll get to that in my kitchen as the uproar of organizing it and roasting coffee settles down.

MORE on M/P

Wooden? seems delicate for some things. Granite, i'm considering a large flattish granite combo. Marble, i already have an "order" in for the larger version of what i have-which is about 4" (200mm) across the top.

was knocking 'round at "the splendid table" website for some fills on tidbits i'd heard on the radio program and found this link to their "store" on the front page:

From Lynne and Sally:

"Things just taste different when crushed by hand in the world's original food processor. Try out your favorite pesto recipe using a mortar and pestle and you will never go back. A good one can take on anything from guacamole to grinding spices, nuts and even coffee in a pinch. There is a huge variety found in cultures all over the world.

[emphasis added]

The Splendid Table with Lynne Rossetto Kasper | American Public Media

Now that i know something about 'em...the collecting will begin.

Tell us, is yours porcelan, marble, granite, wooden*, metal(?-yes they are out there), crabon fibre?. Do you have more than one.

I'm considering having one turned from osage orange-a most durable and dense wood.

[Too Tall]

Ye olde family M/P is a large wooden job. I save it for non oily grinds. The massive granite M/P I've got cost a whole $30 and is best for anything but esp. when you need to work spices to a fine consistency.

I suppose you have one of those hand crank margarita mixers eh? ;)