When I was at the Fancy Foods show last spring I stopped by a little booth in the back that was enveloped in the most wonderful aroma of chocolate. I stopped and watched a woman froth up a short pot of fresh hot chocolate with a long, elaborately carved wooden tool — a molinillo.
A molinillo is a traditional Mexican tool used to froth hot chocolate or milky coffee. These from the show are handcarved and distributed by a company called Hernán, who also distributes a really lovely Mexican chocolate called Kekua — some of it with cinnamon included.
These tools are a lot of fun; yes, you can use a whisk or a French press to get a similar effect, but the molinillo is so beautiful that it's worth having for its decorative properties alone.
• Find it: Mexican Molinillo, $14 at Dean and Deluca
Want to try some Mexican hot chocolate? Here's a good recipe:
• Get the recipe: Mexican Hot Chocolate
Related: How to Make Milk Foam (Without a Frother or a Machine!)
(Images: Faith Durand; Dean and Deluca)
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i am a devotee of mexican hot chocolate, and i recently purchased a molinillo. unfortunately my 1-cup-at-a-time preparation is too shallow to make effective use of it. sad!
That looks awesome. Decorative, yet somewhat weapon like, which can come in handy. :P
We have a similar wooden tool here in the Philippines for mixing the hot chocolate, albeit without the paint. We call it a "Batidor."
It´s beautiful and delicious !!
I bought several in Oaxaca after seeing them in action. They are pretty great but they're a good workout and your hands and arms get a littlle tired. Works best in a tall narrow mouthed pot.
My friends in Mexico call them a "shooka-shooka" - a childhood name based on the sound they make!
My husband loves Mexican hot chocolate, although I find it a bit too sweet, and so would love to try the Kekua, as well as the Molinillo. They should also sell it with an appropriate pot or vessel for making the hot chocolate.
Now for those of us not near a Dean and DeLuca, where do we find it? The Hernan website didn't reveal that info...
I have a similar thing from India, which I use to pulverize dal. It's simple and not as pretty (basically a wooden gear-shaped thing at the bottom of a stick), but works very well.
i found my molinillo at strack and van til, a large grocery in chicago that carries a large selection of cookware from mexico. i'm sure they can be found at any mexican market.
I have a molinillo (I bought one in Guadalajara after enjoying a LOT of chocolate there) -- as commenters have noted, they're not great for making small batches, but they are beautiful and really do the trick on larger batches.
They must be carved all in one piece -- from a single piece of wood, that is, rings and all. Fascinating to look at, and each one I found at the markets in Mexico was slightly different, since they're all handmade.
My sister brought me one of these and I love to look at it - but how do you clean them? Just a rinse?
actually you can use molinillos for a single cup...do it all the time...just froth inside the pot (and ps - they can be used w most pots)....and the best part of this molinillo all the dark details is burnt wood NOT paint so its safe to use. Enjoy!! www.cookingenthusiast.com, www.uncommongoods.com, or www.deandeluca.com
The founder of Hernán, Isela, wrote a guest post for the Dean & DeLuca blog about her molinillo and Mexican chocolate, Kekua.
She shares a great recipe for Iced Mexican Hot Chocolate! You can find the post here: http://thegourmetfoodblog.deandeluca.com/iced-mexican-hot-chocolate/
That's pretty cool! I have never seen one of these and they look very useful AND beautiful!