Today, my three cup mortar and pestle arrived by postal mail. And while I really liked the picture I saw on Amazon, I must say it’s more lovely in person. It weighs at least fifteen pounds.
I was eager to try it out, but before I tossed garlic, herbs or any spices into the mortar I thought it would be a smart idea to season my mortar and pestle before using it for the first time.
I added uncooked rice to the mortar and ground it into a fine powder. From my readings this helps remove the extra stone dust that might be lurking on your mortar and pestle.
After grinding the rice, I added another step to the cleaning process by tossing one cut lemon into the mortar. Lemon is a disinfectant, and I noticed after using it seemed to add a bit of shine to my new tools.
Perfect! With the initial prepwork complete I was ready to start using my new mortar and pestle. But what should I add to it?
Well, I added a lot of spices and herbs to my newest kitchen gadget, so yes the mortar and pestle got a great workout today. Tea leaves were the last thing I ground in it today.
I figured that grinding gunpowder green tea leaves to make my own matcha was the proper way to wrap up my manual grinding adventure for the day. I promptly made a cup and drank it. The tea was fragrant and since the tea leaves were finely ground… I was receiving added benefits by consuming the tea leaves!
LOVE the close-ups with the Mortar and Pestle! Mine is only between 1 and 2 pounds.
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@Jennifer, I really love the size of mine since it means that I can grind small or large quantities of food items. 🙂
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@Opal,
I could see how that would come in handy to have a bigger one, indeed!
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@Jennifer, 🙂
Aynaria recently posted..Cooking Adventures: Mortar and Pestle
You do it on the kitchen table or on the work counter? My table’s glass and when I do it on the counter, the bottles of sauces and everything will make noise…so my missus would do it on the floor or use the blender when a lot. I can’t get down on the floor, too fat (and can;t get up) so I would do it seated in one chair and placing the mortar & pestle on another – and have to wear an apron when pounding “wet” items like chili and onions… But I enjoy it!
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@suituapui, Oh no it’s much too noisy for that. I sit on the floor. I enjoy grinding and pounding the dry and wet items too. 🙂
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I’m thinking it’s time for me to bust out my M&P again and/or upgrade 🙂 Going back thru some of your M&P Posts and I blogged about some of the powders and extracts I have been pondering as of late 🙂 I LOVE your archives!!!
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@Jennifer, When it comes to herbs, I purchase them whole and then grind them after receiving. I find it to be much fresher and you receive more nutrients that way. The flavor of freshly ground herbs and spices is far superior to pre-ground.
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