Part of the enjoyment I receive from preparing meals is the tools I use. Some are a bit elaborate like my Vitamix blender or my Green Star juicer. I’m guessing some might think my recent purchase of my Presto Pressure Cooker, is an elaborate kitchen appliance also.
But… I do enjoy simple appliances too! One of my favorite kitchen appliances is my manual stainless steel garlic press. It’s sturdy and has been in my possession for over fifteen years. That gets used daily! I love garlic and consume it (nightly) raw since it’s so good for your body. Another simple appliance is my stainless steel hand hammered wok. I’ve had that since I was in college. That was over twenty years ago.
For quite some time, I’ve been wanting to invest in a really nice mortar and pestle, but I kept holding off since I couldn’t find one that I really liked. When choosing a kitchen appliance here are a few things that I find appealing.
- Durability
- Ease of use
- Appearance
Simple enough, but at times it can be challenging to find what I want. However with the mortar and pestle my search is finally over… yesterday I found the perfect one for me.
Regarding the mortar and pestle…
I chose granite, since it’s extremely sturdy and is fairly resistant to stain. I also picked a large three cup mortar and pestle. The one I’ll be receiving weighs fifteen pounds. That’s a sturdy bowl! I really won’t have to worry about that breaking from any aggressive grinding I might do, but I will make sure that I don’t drop it on my feet!
Since the mortar is much larger than many of the tabletop varieties that I’ve seen, it broadens my options since it means I can grind a small or much larger amount of ingredients.
I have a variety of herbs, spices, sea salt, peppercorn, etc., that are simply waiting to be tested in the mortar and pestle. Even though the simple mortar and pestle will take much longer than my electric grinder, I must say there’s something therapeutic about grinding my food items manually. Even with all my electrical gadgets, I much prefer doing certain kitchen activities at a slower pace. Grinding, would definitely fall under that category.
I’ll be sure to post a few of the things I create…
First on the list is my spice rubs, herbal tea blends, freshly made salad dressings, guacamole and perhaps my homemade mayonnaise. Of course, I’ll review the actual product (eventually) but judging by the countless positive reviews, I highly doubt I’ll be disappointed.
I use that ALL the time… My missus would just use the electric blender but I feel it is simply not the same – not at nice and it takes away the joy and enjoyment in cooking. Yes, it’s therapeutic indeed! I couldn’t agree more!
suituapui recently posted..Happy days are here again…
@suituapui, I thought about you when I wrote this post. Out of all my blog pals, I thought you’d be the most likely one to use a mortar and pestle. You seem to have as much fun in the kitchen as myself. Of course, now I’m going to see if you posted a picture of your mortar and pestle on your site. I bet you did! 😉
Aynaria recently posted..Cooking Adventures: Pressure cooking times
I’ve only been really using my Mortar/Pestle for blending and compressing things. I think I will get another one and start using it in cooking, too!
Jennifer recently posted..Homemade Sauces and Such
@Jennifer, I’ve always loved them. It’s great using a tool that has been around for thousands of years.
Aynaria recently posted..Cooking Adventures; Preparing my new granite mortar and pestle
I’m trying to send this via iPhone hope it works ok. One thing I do a lot of is a clay w bentonite clay n make it into a paste for a skin compress
Jennifer recently posted..Easton Corbin Concert
@Jennifer, Those make great facial masques.
Aynaria recently posted..Adventures in Beekeeping: Piling on the honey
Indeed, they do! I will sometimes use a bit of it if I have a pimple or like-blemish on occasion! BUT…I first started doing them because once or twice a year I would get tiny water bumps on the back of my hands and they seem to help a great deal!
Jennifer recently posted..Mediterranean Inspired Sauce with Green Beans – 2 Ways!