Product Review

The mortar and pestle is one of the oldest kitchen implements around - and was one of the few tools used in ancient times in cooking food. It continues to do what no other item in the kitchen does: smashing fibers and cells apart to fundamentally transform their texture and release their full aroma and flavor. For all the convenience of modern food processors, these newfangled jars and bowls outfitted with whirling blades don't do quite the same thing that a mortar and pestle can do. They mince and chop effortlessly, but the mortar and pestle crushes, fundamentally enhancing the flavor of your favorite seasoning. We thoughtfully designed our mortar and pestle with all the features you'll need for easy crushing, pounding and grinding. We made ours of solid stone - unlike wood or ceramic, the strong, dense and unyielding stone will stand up to the wear and tear of pounding and grinding. You need a harder material than the spices you'll be grinding, and dense, tough stone fits the bill. We've grooved the interior of our bowl to grip the ingredients you'll be processing for more efficient crushing. Our bowl shape is evenly round and deep so you can swirl, grind and pound all your ingredients without any getting stuck in any crevaces. Our pestle also fits perfectly into our bowl so all the ingredients are processed evenly. Our pestle is wide and long, the wide head making contact with more ingredients at the same time and the length keeping your knuckles from smashing against the mortar while you work. The heavy weight of the pestle means you can use less force and let the pestle do the heavy lifting. Our heavy bottom and footed bowl gives your mortar stability and help keep everything in place while in use. And we've included a free non-skid protective pad to keep your counter top safe from scratches. TO SEASON YOUR NEW MORTAR AND PESTLE: grind 1/4 cup white rice into a powder. Check for stone debris. Repeat this process 1-3x or until rice powder is free of stone debris