I have a brass mortar and pestle and a molcajete. The molcajete gets regular use for grinding spices in small quantities. The brass one is better for larger volumes. Can't imagine not having them, really.

I use a totally cheap white one I got from IKEA years ago. It's great, and works really well.

i have the stone one(Molcajete) from sur la table. i ues it for dry spices and it works especially well for wet spices ground together for curries.

I've been meaning to get one for ages now, but I just can't decide on which one would be right for me. Brand, material, size it just eternally pushes back the purchasing process for me whenever I go looking. So, I end up using a glass bowl and the handle of a zyliss citrus zester which has the right shape.

I have a suribachi that i use quite a bit, and bought at an Asian grocery for cheap. Most of the spices I buy are whole, and it seems like a waste to get out the spice grinder when you only need 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin. I just use the suribachi instead. Easy to clean up too!

I'm actually halfway between love it and never use it. I do use it, but somewhat infrequently. It comes out maybe once or twice a month. It's white marble and somewhat smallish, so while it works great for spices it's not as handy for things like larger batches of herbs.

I use a coffee grinder at the moment. And have been contemplating a mortar and pestle for some time now. I have improvised with a bowl and the back end of an ice cream scoop. My question is, spices seem to fly around the kitchen when I improvise, does it do the same with an actual mortar and pestle? seems rather messy, in a bad way.

Mine is unglazed ceramic, British-made, that I bought at Williams-Sonoma some time ago. Mostly I use it for making garlic paste, which I love to stir into soups, stews etc. shortly before serving. I also use it to crush a few nuts or to make a simple spice mix. I don't use it every day but I'm glad I have it.

We have one just like mckate's -- picked it up for about $5 years ago. I used it just the other day to turn whole cloves into ground cloves for pumpkin-chocolate-chip cookies. Easier to use than a coffee grinder (we only have one), and I feel like ye olde apothecary while I'm grinding!

I have three, which I use a lot. I've got a pharmaceutical glass one I use for spices, an enormous green granite one I use for thai curry pastes, pesto and also spices and a tall clay one with a wooden pestle I use for thai salads. The one I use the most is the marble one. I bought it incredibly cheaply in Chinatown, lugged it painfully home and it's been a mainstay ever since. Pesto in that is so much nicer than food processor pesto.

I have one of these and it's absolutely brilliant:
http://www.skeppshult.com/sv/product/0063/

I use it every day to grind chillies and other spices. It's easy to use and easy to clean and things won't end up on the floor like with a mortar.

I have a marble one like the one shown above. I got it from my sister for Christmas a few years ago and it took me a while to get in the habit, but now I've got it displayed on a shelf in my kitchen so I started buying more whole spices and use it about once a week.

I'm between loving it and never using it. I have a heavy stone one that came with the boy and while it's useful for some things, it's unwieldy and difficult to clean. I hate bringing it out for small jobs and will sometimes just crush things inefficiently with the back of my knife, and for big jobs the food processor usually works better.

I'd get a smaller, easier to clean one that takes up less storage, but apparently he's very attached to it and I hate buying stuff anyway.

I have a small marble one that we received as a wedding present. Recently, I have been using it about once a week and grinding whole spices in it, after I ran out of ground cumin but had some whole seeds. I had never done that before, and I was amazed at how fragrant and powerful the smell and taste was. That good experience meant that I am using the mortar and pestle much more.

To answer an earlier question, the spices don't fly around because the inside and grinding end of the mortar and pestle are rough/textured, unlike a smooth bowl. This keeps what you are grinding in place and helps grind.

I have a large, deep one (made of some kind of heavy stone) and use it for everything from blending toasted whole spices into curry powders to making pesto or aioli. Sometimes I just take the pestle part (that's the thing that goes in your hand...right?) and smash garlic cloves with it for whatever on my cutting board. That way I don't have to wash the big heavy bottom part if that's all I'm doing...

I'd love to get one that was a little more grooved, but I can't really justify buying ANOTHER one!

I have a great one from the Cooper-Hewitt shop that a friend got me. . I use it occasionally in conjunction with my coffee grinder as a spice grinder and another spice grinder. It depends on what I'm making, but it is a lovely design and works well!

Hmm, the tags didn't work. here it is: http://www.cooperhewittshop.org/?path=item&topid=5&itemid=284

I have three. I love them as beautiful objects to look at and functional, regularly used pieces of kitchen equipment. There is nothing better for crushing up dried herbs, among other things.
I have a marble one I got from Marshalls or TJMaxx, like hte green one pictured. Nice and deep, but on the small side for some stuff. It's the one I reach for most often. My other two are porcelain lab equipment, one big and one teeny tiny.
I find that you really want the shape of the bowl to be deep and narrow as opposed to wide or stuff flies out too easily.
Also very important...don't be suckered by the fancy looking metal ones. They don't have enough texture on the surfaces which them a pain to use because everything just slides around.

i have the very one pictured above top (purchased at brooklyn kitchen). i like that it has a pouring spout and find that it works better than other similarly sized ones, but sometimes wish i'd gotten a slightly larger mortar with a heavier pestle with more contact area (key). there is one i have my eye on. it is mustard colored with a pattern on the handle of the pestle. (they have it at the broadway pan-handler and, i think, cooks companion).

Love it love it love it. I bought mine because I wanted to make pesto the old school way ( http://tinyurl.com/atc7lj ). I think it makes a more flavorful pesto and you can make small batches of pesto rather than a big batch like you have to in a food processor. I've also made some great rubs by grinding up a bunch of herbs and spices. Put some dried lavender, lemon zest, course sea salt, and black pepper corns in and grind them up, stir in some olive oil, rub it on some skinless boneless chicken breasts, let 'em marinade for a few hours, then grill 'em up. YUM! Also... It's a lot easier to clean and store than a food processor. It's a great tool.

I also have the cheap, ceramic one from Ikea that I bought years ago. The inside of the mortar and the end of the pestle are un-glazed (to make it abrasive, I assume) but it has polished up after some use. It works really well in a pinch though for crushing up small quantities of whole spices. I've also used it to crush up garlic with coarse salt.

I don't use it too often, but it's small enough to leave out on the counter next to the stove so I don't forget that I have it!

I have a granite mortar and pestle that came from Crate and Barrel. I use it fairly regularly, especially to make a garlic/salt paste (I worry that the garlic smell will get into the stone, but so far it seems ok).

But, I think I would use it a lot more if I'd gotten a bigger one. (So now, I really want another....) I really want to be able to use it to make things like guacamole, but I always make a mess with things falling out of it.

I believe I got mine to grind up cat meds and I haven't used it since, except maybe once. I'll have to read through this and start using it.

I have no idea what brand it is. My father bought it twenty years ago and it's one of his things that I've kept. I use it a dozen times a year.

I have a gorgeous white marble mortar and pestle that weighs about 5 pounds--I use it all the time for making spice pastes and for crushing garlic.

I have a very ceramic one and brass(?) one, that I inherited from my grandmothers kitchen. I primarily use them to grind cardamom and pepper, but would love a large one that could handle salt rubs etc.

We have one from Typhoon that is the most lovely shade of blue, but it broke once while in use... we glued it back together and now it's our garlic storage. Like SoSue, we grind the spices in a coffee grinder that is strictly spice-only.

I have a granite one that I brought in my suitcases from India.

I have one, ceramic, I probably use it 3 times/week. I have a biology background and those early classes taught me to love the mortar and pestel. My favorite thing is to grind cilantro when making guacamole

I have a great stone one I bought in the markets of Phnom Penh, Cambodia and lugged it back to America, despite weighing as much as a ton of bricks. Kitchen gadgets are my favorite souvenir. It is a great way to create curry pastes... just somehow feels more authentic than the blender. Also got a great mango peeler that works like a dream.

I have a bunch. I collect them, actually. I just find them beautiful. The basic cheap gray marble one gets used the most these days, for small amounts of spices or seeds. Pesto made in a m&p is a revelation, far sweeter and more flavorful (and brighter green) than processed. I really, really want one of the mammoth cloverleaf-shaped marble ones from Italy now. Then I'll be done!

I have a medium sized (though very heavy) black/ gray marble mortar and pestle that I bought from the Dansk outlet in Berkeley. I love it! I use it mostly for spices and nuts.

I have a marble one and love it. I grind things like cumin seeds, herb mixes for roast chicken, etc. My rave was here: http://pinkdevoracooks.blogspot.com/2008/12/cooking-tools-that-rock-mortar-and.html

i have a smallish (maybe 1.5 cup) marble one that i use fairly frequently in the summer when i'm in the mood for rustic herb mashes. the sides of the mortar are not polished like the outside, and it almost has little grooves that help catch the stuff i'm grinding so it doesn't slip around. i've been thinking of getting a bigger one with more maneuverability. the other day i made a pesto in mine with toasted sliced almonds i had in my pantry. just crushed them up till they were the size of minced garlic, added minced garlic and crushed until it smelled garlicky, then added the basil and crushed until it was well-blended. the oils came out of the almonds and in the end i didn't need to add that much olive oil. so good!

You'll rarely find an Indian kitchen without one. My mom's had a couple -- one was dedicated for grinding cardamom and other spices for chai. I don't drink chai twice a day like my parents, but I still find frequent use for my set. It's made of stone and for the record, I really don't care for the metal ones.

I have a small marble mortar and pestle from Dean&Deluca. I love it and use it all the time. I tend to buy most spices and herbs whole (for maximum potency) and I grind them in the mortar and pestle almost daily. I also make aioli and mayonnaise in it often.

I actually just got one a few weeks ago! I have used it so far to grind spaces and mash avocado. I really want to try making pesto in it. I don't have a food processor, and I don't think I am going to get one. I have a blender, and now I have this. So far I love it.

I have two, a ceramic one I picked up on the cheap at World Market on the other is a molcajete that was passed down from my grandmother. I used to use both pretty regularly until I got a food processor. Now they are mostly out for display.

I have the green one pictured, like marble. It seats on the kitchen window.

Love it! i have a small white and gray marble one.
I actually use it everyday for grinding spices or nuts, and crushing garlic. We eat garlic every day. :)

I don't have one. I don't cook enough to need one, and I'm trying to down-size my household anyway. But I have one of those fancy avocado slicer---and if you ever wondered---it works great :)

My mortar and pestle is a beautiful, sensuous, gray marble...

I have a small white marble one I got from Ross for $5. I like how tall and narrow the bowl is - good for doing small amounts of spices. Easy to clean, too. It looks a lot like the green marble one in the post.

I could live with or without it, but at $5, why not?

I have the same Mint one as Faith and Emily. But I can't figure out how to use it right! Is there some trick to it, or do I just need to spend more time at the gym?

2 marble ones that i never use. One was my boyfriend's. I have used it for mint mojitos, and for grinding flax seed, but sadly nothing else. I might have to start finding new ways to use it!

I have a heavy ceramic one and a lava-rock molcajete. Since my blender broke, I use them both more often now.

I'm also a sometimes user. I have the one in the top photo.

I used to use it all the time but then I got a garlic press, which also smooshes the garlic pretty well (though not with salt).

I have a molcajete. I use it regularly. Usually, I toast whole spices and ground them for curry. I make flavored salts, especially toasted sesame and salt (gomasio). Occasionally I grind chiles for a paste. I have ground toasted nuts for pastries. I like being able to buy spices whole, they last longer.

I use my mini processor attachment built into my immersion blender.

I'm with Zaya: I'm halfway between "love it" and "never use it." We have a granite mortar and pestle. And we do use it. But not frequently. I'm definitely glad I have it though. It has most certainly been useful. It's no fuss which is why I like it.

I have the granite one that Dorie Greenspan recommended. I use it all the time. I think the larger ones are much more useful, since you can use them more than just grinding spices, and I really prefer the texture of pesto, guacamole and other pastes when I use it. It's so much easier to clean than the electric things too.

I own three. A marble one, which I use most often (daily), a molcajete and a soapstone one from Cameroon (which actually holds my onions most of the time). The molcajete I only when I want to make a paste. I find it works better than the smooth marble or soapstone do.

Because I only buy fenugreek pre-ground (everything else in my kitchen is whole spice), I use at least one of them every day. I don't even know where my pepper mill is, because I'm so used to doing it in the mortar.

I am considering buying a fourth one though, for larger batch needs. All three of mine are small-ish, so I generally have to grind each spice individually.

I bought the ceramic mortar and pestle from MUJI (almost impossible to find online, here's a blogger's photo: http://www.superficiel.org/blog/gomasio.jpg ) It is great for making garlic, ginger pastes for Thai or Indian food. The well of the bowl is textured and glazed, which makes it really easy to clean.

I bought a molcajete for my mom and while I love it and use it every time I go to my parents' house, she mostly uses it to hold heads of garlic. I've used a marble mortar and pestle before and it is too smooth for me, I get impatient and want to crush my spices quickly.

I'm inordinately fond of the fairly large (and very heavy) granite set I use surprisingly frequently and which has made pretty redundant my small white marble one: its rough interior and unusual depth keeps what I'm bashing/grinding/mixing/whisking from flying out & splattering everything in sight; it's amazingly efficient and easy to clean. I will adore it until the day I drop it on my foot. My glowing tribute here: http://gastroplod.com/2009/03/09/mortar-pestle/ .
One tip for keeping a mortar smelling sweet (or rather of nothing) is to grind coarse salt in it and then leave the salt in until next use to absorb unwanted flavours from the previous grinding.

We love the Mortar & Pestle at The Culinary Library so much we've just written a book about them and it's about to be published. If you've got one but run out of ideas look for our new book on sale at Amazon.com in Feb 2012. It's called
Alchemy of the Mortar & Pestle and has hundreds of recipes.