If you are tired of buying powdered spices and are ready to go further by grinding fresh cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, cumin and more at home, then you will definitely need a mortar and pestle. Fresh spices, garlic, nuts or oil seeds are placed in the mortar and crushed with a pestle, thus allowing the oils and smells to be released. There is no comparison with ready-made products! Read on to learn how to use mortar and pestle and take your cooking to the next level.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Choosing the Tools
Step 1. Choose the material that's right for you
Usually, mortar and pestle are not sold separately. The mortar is a bowl and the pestle is an elongated tool with a curved and smooth end, which adheres perfectly to the inside wall of the mortar. They can be made of wood, stone or ceramic and you can choose according to your personal needs and preferences.
- Ceramic grinds very finely, but it is also a very fragile material.
- Wood is tough, but porous, and after use it may be difficult to get rid of the stains and odors of what has been ground.
- Stone mortars and pestles are also very effective, but if you are not careful they could release mineral particles.
Step 2. Choose the size
Do you need to grind large or small amounts of spices, nuts and oil seeds? Sizes vary enormously and you may find it useful to have two mortars (and related pestles) of different sizes at home. Choose according to your needs and your budget.
If you need to grind very large amounts of spices, you should choose a food processor. Mortar and pestle are useful tools especially for quickly shredding the ingredients you need immediately
Method 2 of 4: The basic technique
Step 1. Read the recipe
With the mortar and pestle you can reduce many ingredients to powder or paste, including peppercorns, seeds and leaves of spices and herbs, rice, nuts, hard candies, coarse salt … Everything what is edible and can be crushed can end up in your mortar!
If you need to puree, chop, or mix your ingredients instead, use a food processor or mixer. You'll likely find directions on the recipe itself
Step 2. Put the ingredients in the mortar
Take the right amount of the ingredient you want to grind and put it in the mortar, but don't fill it past the third part, otherwise it will be difficult to mash. If you have a large amount of spices or something else to grind, divide it into small "blocks" and work them one at a time.
Step 3. Work with the pestle until desired consistency
Hold the mortar steady with one hand and grasp the pestle with the other. Crush the ingredients against the bottom and sides of the mortar in circular motions. Crush and crush all the ingredients until they have homogeneously reached the desired consistency.
Read on to learn special techniques for grinding, crushing and crushing your ingredients. Each technique will give you a specific texture and will give different outcomes to your dishes
Step 4. Use the ground coffee for cooking now or save it for the future
You may decide to keep the result of your work for future recipes, but remember to use glass jars that can close perfectly.
Method 3 of 4: The techniques
Step 1. Use mortar and pestle to grind
This is the ideal technique for spices that you will use in baking dishes, sauces and other recipes. Grind until you reach the desired consistency.
- Put the ingredients in the mortar and hold it steady with one hand.
- Hold the pestle in such a way that you have a comfortable but firm grip.
- Crush the ingredients with the rounded end of the pestle, rotating and applying some pressure at the same time.
- Continue until the mince has reached the desired consistency.
Step 2. To pulverize coarser spices and more resistant oil seeds, proceed with firm but not too strong strokes of the pestle
Once you have managed to cut your ingredients into smaller pieces, you can change techniques to achieve a finer consistency.
- First of all, grind. This action will make the next steps easier.
- Crush or beat the ingredients with quick, short strokes, without overdoing the force. Use the wider end of the pestle.
- Use your other hand or a clean tea towel to cover the mortar so the ingredients can't pop out.
- Grind again if necessary, stirring occasionally to facilitate the operation.
Step 3. Crush the spices and do not pulverize them if the recipe requires them to remain intact
It is the same technique that is usually used for garlic.
- Put the ingredients in the mortar.
- Press the mortar on the ingredients so that they break and crush them.
- Keep mashing all the ingredients, but don't get to fully grind them.
Method 4 of 4: Cleaning the tools
Step 1. Clean the mortar and pestle after using them
How they need to be cleaned depends on the material they are made of. Look for the method corresponding to the material you have chosen, but first take a look at these general guidelines:
- If you have a dishwasher safe mortar and pestle, proceed with the basic cycle.
- Conversely, if your tools can't be put in the dishwasher (wooden ones, for example), use lukewarm water. Remember to dry them well before storing them.
- If you have only chopped “dry” ingredients, simply wipe off the residue with a clean tea towel or kitchen paper.
Step 2. Don't use soap if you can avoid it
Since most mortars have a porous surface and may absorb some residue, leaving an aftertaste in the ingredients you will grind next time. By rubbing with warm water and carefully drying the tools you can avoid this unpleasant effect.
Step 3. Try using raw rice grains to counteract persistent stains and odors
Some spices have a very strong color or smell. To eliminate these traces, a good idea is to pour raw white rice into the mortar and use the pestle to reduce it to a powder. The rice will likely be able to absorb both the color and the smell of the spice you previously ground. Repeat the operation until the rice is white after pulverizing it.
Advice
- You can also use a mortar and pestle to grind other things, such as medicines to be dissolved in water, or natural pigments, or even the food pellets of your four-legged friends, to reduce it to smaller pieces.
- Experiment! Chop the herbs until they are reduced to a paste (excellent for making herb butter, for example), grind the peppercorns, crush the garlic to flavor the bread, or the cooked chickpeas for the hummus, or the almonds for make almond paste; even, with a little elbow grease, you can get the flour from grains "the old way".
- Try to avoid too violent techniques, which could damage your instruments.
Warnings
- Ask your pharmacist for advice before pulverizing medicines - some may be absorbed too quickly in this formula.
- Do not use the same mortar / pestle to treat toxic or harmful substances and foods. Indeed, do not keep the tools you use for these particular substances in the kitchen and label them to recognize them.
- If you choose to build your own mortar / pestle, remember that the interior should not be painted or enameled.
