Mortars and pestles

[Tengu]

I need one but they are not cheap

anyone know the best to go for?

Theres a choice between ceramic, wood glass, brass and stone (either marble or granite)

stone is pretty (and pricey) but I have my reservations

granite has small fissures in it -not good for hygene!

marble is porous (which is why no kitchen fitter will supply you with marble worktops these days)

what is the best size anyway???

 

[led]

Ceramic ones are available cheaply from Ikea.

 

[Toddy]

They're very good tools and I have, and use, five of them.
If I could only have one, then my choice would be my big granite one, but the ceramic one from Ikea is very good and very cheap.
I grind everything from seeds and roots and nuts to grains in mine.

I did find a good leaf grinder on ebay for under £2, turns out it's meant for recreational hemp but if you want to grind up leaves ets., out in the woods it's excellent, lightweight and dirt cheap

cheers,
Toddy

 

[gregorach]

Yeah, those little grinders are great...

As for a mortal and pestle, it all depends what you want it for I guess. I have a little marble one that's just the job for kitchen use - peppercorns, coriander seed, sea salt, etc... Can't be more than 3" across, but it's pretty heavy.

 

[woodstock]

I need one but they are not cheap

anyone know the best to go for?

I use the Jamie Oliver one I've had it for about 4 years about £30 but well worth the money

 

[Tadpole]

I need one but they are not cheap

anyone know the best to go for?

Theres a choice between ceramic, wood glass, brass and stone (either marble or granite)

stone is pretty (and pricey) but I have my reservations

granite has small fissures in it -not good for hygene!

marble is porous (which is why no kitchen fitter will supply you with marble worktops these days)

what is the best size anyway???

I've got a ceramic one from Ikea, when I used it, it is very good, but I hardly use it now. it seemed like a good idea at the time, I use a flat knife or a coffee grinder.

 

[falling rain]

I need one but they are not cheap

anyone know the best to go for?

Theres a choice between ceramic, wood glass, brass and stone (either marble or granite)

stone is pretty (and pricey) but I have my reservations

granite has small fissures in it -not good for hygene!

marble is porous (which is why no kitchen fitter will supply you with marble worktops these days)

what is the best size anyway???

I made my own set Tengu. A birch mortar and hazel pestle. I made a handle attached to the mortar for better control (keeping it still) and it's light enough to take with you into the woods. I'll post a picture up in the gallery if you like ? Very easy to make especially the pestle, just find a straight piece of hazel, debark and shape with your knife. The mortar involved a bit more work as abviously you've got to carve out the bowl or burn it out, but as with all stuff folks make themselves it's a pleasure to use.

 

[Tantalus]

Depends on what you want to grind

A deep one will not let so many sparks and splinters escape.

Wouldnt spend tooooooooooo much on it unless you want it for kitchen decoration.

Lets face it , a large rock in the garden and a hammer will do the same job, and if you havent got a hammer then a large flat rock and a smaller one in your hand.

Wash carefully before use and off you go

Tant

 

[match]

Best bet is to buy at least 2 - you'll sooner or later want to be grinding up stuff in one for cooking, and stuff in another for dying, glueing etc - and you'll not want to get the two mixed up! Took ages to get th charcoal and pine resin out of one of mine when I used it for making pitch

 

[Joeri]

I guess the cheapest of getting them is in a chinese shop. if you have a chinese neighborhood in you city that would be the place to go! over here in Amsterdam they will cost i think between 10 and 20 euro's...

I personnally have a small ceramic one for grounding seeds, garlic and stuff like that. But i find that when making curry or indonesian stews (and thus need to mix in a lot of union) i rather use my second en bigger granite one. Granite is has a rougher surface and grinds better in my opinion.

in general I find that puting in little compared to the size of the mortar makes grinding easier. So my advice is to buy one that's not to small, unless you only put in a few cloves of garlic and some seeds...

 

[xylaria]

I have managed to break two marble ones, grinding daft stuff like natural chalk. The ikea ceramic is about the best for practicality and price. But saying that a large plastic mixing bowl and the end of a rolling pin is really effective for do large amounts of seeds etc. I tend to hold the bowl between my feet and pound away with a radio on. I find it more energy efficient than pestle and mortar,

 

[Tantalus]

Tried a brass one for grinding hard stuff up ?

Shouldnt break on you

Tant