Mortar and pestle why

Or you see a recipe call for a tablespoon of ginger-garlic paste and you just cannot, for the life of you, imagine that your cobbled-together version with finely minced ginger and garlic could be as good. You do. Because this kitchen tool, one of the simplest in any culinary arsenal, is just better at what it does than anything else.

Better than the sharpest knife, fastest blender, or most vicious food processor. The sciencey reason is simple: A mortar and pestle crushes plants while a blade cuts them.

And if you want to expel all the essential oils, full-bodied flavors, and unique body of a hunk of garlic or leaf of basil, crushing is the way to go. Plants are made of rigid, boxy structures that trap vital flavor inside. You need to rupture them to release that flavor, and crushing does so far more effectively than the thin blade of a knife.

And the difference was dramatic: brighter colors, bigger flavors. Need to crush a tablespoon of black pepper, or mix up garlic, lemon, and herbs for a gremolata? And if you like spicy, smoky chai, make your own using in the mortar and pestle using cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and black pepper. Garlic's lovely stench is clingy; it never seems to leave my fingers or the cutting board. A mortar and pestle lets me comfortably and efficiently peel and mash it without pungent residue.

Bludgeoning a head of garlic with a pestle immediately breaks it into individual cloves, each with their skin slightly cracked. These bruised cloves cleanly separate from their skin with a light squeeze. Afterwards, the mortar quickly and cleanly mashes them into a paste perfect for all types of cooking.

Doing so with a bit of salt further intensifies the garlicky flavor. Salty garlic paste and freshly ground spices or herbs are the building blocks to almost all of the sauces, marinades, dressings, and dips that I regularly serve.

Olive oil and citrus juice suffice for bright dressings and marinades. But adding avocado, soft roasted peppers, broiled cherry tomatoes, or thick yogurt will result in a complex no-recipe sauce or dip. Mash everything up to the texture of your liking, season it with salt and acid to taste, and triumphantly bring the mortar to a table of salivating guests.

Dine with Jonah at his supper club Pith and follow along his culinary adventures on Instagram. Jonah Reider. She contributes to regional and national magazines and newsletters, writing on a wide variety of topics including food, farming, health, renewable energy, and running a small business.

I have recently discovered crushing my mothers medicine with mine was easier than using the store bought pill crusher. Yes, have a wooden mortar and pestle. Been using for years to crush whole dried hot peppers, and recently to mull mint leaves for my Moscow Mule. Like the other suggestions. I have a huge granite bowl, two glass and a beautiful locally-made ceramic set.

I tend to use the ceramic for dry it has a rough interior that works well, as Mule commented above on her post , the large granite for pesto and the glass for the ones that need a water cleanup. Howdy Judy: I reproduce the old Indian grinding bowls and grindstones out of sandstone.

Clean-up, let common sense be your guide.! On another note; We would like to see info on a gluten free diet,, products and availability,, do's and don'ts. Moon Phase Calendar. Email Facebook 4 Pinterest Twitter. Remove cardamom seeds from their pods and then crush to use in Indian cooking. Grind sea salt to the fine texture of popcorn salt and season your movie night treat. Crush whole dry chilies into flakes.

Crush capers to use in homemade tartar sauce recipes. Smash fresh peeled ginger to use in Asian recipes. Crush some flax seeds to release their benefits and add to yogurt for a nutritious breakfast or snack.