This is a part of Sprig & Vine Favourites, a column of recommendations from our team on their favourite things to eat, drink, read, watch, and shop.
The humble mortar and pestle has had a place on countertops of intentional kitchens through the years, but as fancier gadgets like food processors and blenders make their way into daily use, the versatility of this old-fashioned device is often ignored.
Mortars and pestles have always been a part of a variety of cooking traditions. Mexicans use the larger stone molcajete to make guacamole or salsa (often spotted in restaurants these days that prepare your guac table-side for extra flair); in Italy, traditionalists will still make their pesto using a smooth marble pestle and mortar set; Spaniards use it to pound together chunky gazpacho all summer long; and in Thailand as in India, aromatics and spice mixes for curries often start with a good old pounding in a mortar and pestle.
When I’m making curries, I use a mortar + pestle to smash aromatics like chilli, lemongrass and toasted spices together to release all their flavours. If I’m feeling a little sick, I pound a little ginger in it to add to my tea. If a recipe calls for crushed nuts to use as a topping, I almost always crush them using my mortar and pestle. They are handy and convenient to use — a little bit of elbow grease never hurt anyone; and should have a place in every modern kitchen. It is much faster to use than plugging in a food processor, and you get complete control over consistency — whether you want to roughly chop or smash something, or turn it into a fine powder or paste.
If you’re looking to buy your first mortar and pestle set, the material is important. You can get it in stone, granite, marble, wood, or even stainless steel and they all serve different purposes; but the most versatile is the one made from stone. Marble is very smooth, wood is very porous which means it needs to be cleaned immediately after use, whereas stone/granite is the easiest to use and wash. Look for something that has a smooth interior so the ingredients don’t get stuck inside.
Though it might seem like an unnecessary buy at first (because you can use other appliances for the same tasks); a mortar + pestle set will honestly change the way you cook. As a bonus, it also looks gorgeous when displayed on your countertop!
Check out these sets from Amazon.
Photo via Savuer Mag.
