[Stacey, of 17th Street Thrift Shops and Roasted Tomato with Shrimp and Feta fame brings us these thoughts on a mortar and pestle. Thank you, Stacey!]
Is there room in a small New York City apartment for a mortar and pestle? I never thought so, even though I could hear the scolding of minions of chefs and “real” cooks every time I reached for my pre-ground dried herbs and spices. Roasting and grinding my own just seemed to far to go for culinary perfection. Besides, the M & Ps I came across were too large and heavy for my space-challenged kitchen.
Then, during a recent trip to Florida, I wandered into a small Hispanic grocery store and spotted a shelf of mortar and pestles in several sizes. The smallest was of a hard wood and measured roughly 4” tall with a 2” wide opening and a neat pestle that just fit the grooved bowl. It would easily slip into my carry-on so I decided to give it a try.
While I still don’t mix up elaborate Garam Masalas, I do use it to grind together small amounts of sea salt with herbs, or toasted Szechuan peppercorns. Its small “footprint” makes it a valued addition to my “batterie de cuisine.”
Fantes.com has a wide selection of mortar and pestles, including ones fashioned from wood, marble, brass... you name it.
A simple electric coffee grinder takes up little space and does an excellent job for grinding spices. I rarely see anyone talking about using a mortar and pestle for it anymore. Personally after using one in organic chemistry labs in college more times than I'd have liked there's little chance I'd be willing to manually grind them when a motor can do the same job just as well.
The problem with the coffee grinders is cleaning and well, the electricty. A mortar and pestle is easier to clean, there's no danger of cross contamination. And it uses the sustainable energy of your body.
The one in the picture is the one I've wanted for years!