# Do you own/use a kitchen mortar & pestle? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 1, 2019, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-use-a-kitchen-mortar-pestle/837979 "2019-08-01T03:37:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-use-a-kitchen-mortar-pestle/837979/1 "2019-08-01T03:37:32Z")
I watch some cooking channels on YouTube and today I watched one that featured the chef grinding some coriander seeds in a mortar & pestle. It was only notable to me because hers was huge, easily more than twice as large and the one I use, and mine has always seemed a perfectly adequate size for my purposes. So that got me thinking about shopping for a new one, which got me thinking that of all my friends, I only know of a few that have a mortar and pestle, and of those, only one or two that I know use it with some regularity. Then I asked a friend if they had one, and they didn’t even know the phrase “mortar & pestle”. When I explained, they said that they did know what they were, just not what they were called and no, they didn’t own one. So out of nothing more than idle curiosity, I thought I’d see if this ancient implement is widely known and used or if it has finally fallen out of favor in this modern world (or at least here on the Dope). Do you own and use a mortar & pestle? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-use-a-kitchen-mortar-pestle/837979/2 "2019-08-01T03:44:26Z")
Own one and use it, mostly to grind spices/seeds. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-use-a-kitchen-mortar-pestle/837979/3 "2019-08-01T03:52:31Z")
I use mine for ginger tea. I take a decent size hunk (at least a good 5 cc or more) and mush it to a pulp along with a couple teaspoons of sugar. I pack it all into a tea infuser and steep it in a teacup of hot water. yum. A wrestling coach once tried to tell me the t in pestle was pronounced. A wresTling coach. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-use-a-kitchen-mortar-pestle/837979/4 "2019-08-01T03:53:54Z")
Haven’t used one since college chemistry labs. If you buy a new one, [might as well get a sturdy one](https://megadepot.com/product/across-international-zmp6-6-yttrium-stabilized-zirconium-oxide-mortar-pestle?format=v&p=ms&source=ads&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5sK0uuLg4wIVqh6tBh2ebAZYEAkYBiABEgLoFvD_BwE). ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-use-a-kitchen-mortar-pestle/837979/5 "2019-08-01T03:59:07Z")
I have one, two if you count a stupidly large molcajete I inherited. But what do they do that a propeller grinder doesn’t do, faster and easier? Small ones are an immense PITA to use: the bowl tilts all of the time, spilling ground product everywhere. Or I’m a klutz, I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-use-a-kitchen-mortar-pestle/837979/6 "2019-08-01T04:06:00Z")
Have one, use it regularly. Using a mortar and pestle is a very tactile experience, which I enjoy. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-use-a-kitchen-mortar-pestle/837979/7 "2019-08-01T04:28:29Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I watch some cooking channels on YouTube and today I watched one that featured the chef grinding some coriander seeds in a mortar & pestle. It was only notable to me because hers was huge, easily more than twice as large and the one I use, and mine has always seemed a perfectly adequate size for my purposes. > > So that got me thinking about shopping for a new one, which got me thinking that of all my friends, I only know of a few that have a mortar and pestle, and of those, only one or two that I know use it with some regularity. > > Then I asked a friend if they had one, and they didn’t even know the phrase “mortar & pestle”. When I explained, they said that they did know what they were, just not what they were called and no, they didn’t own one. > > So out of nothing more than idle curiosity, I thought I’d see if this ancient implement is widely known and used or if it has finally fallen out of favor in this modern world (or at least here on the Dope). > > Do you own and use a mortar & pestle? Yep, I have a pretty big Thai one that I bought 15 years ago for about $15-$20 at the Southeast Asian grocery. [This appears to be it](https://www.templeofthai.com/mortar-pestle/large-granite), or something very similar to it. Size is right, look is right. (I actually broke the pestle part of it a year ago, so I need to replace it. Like the top half of the pestle broke off when I dropped it awkwardly. I still use it fine, but it’s a little goofy looking.) I typically use it for crushing things into pastes, but also for stuff like cracked pepper and when I don’t feel like getting my spice grinder dirty. Like if I’m only crushing a small amount of spices, it’s faster for me to just do it in the mortar & pestle. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-use-a-kitchen-mortar-pestle/837979/8 "2019-08-01T04:47:03Z")
I own one that is fairly small (I think, haven’t really compared) and use it for grinding and blending spices when cooking. I don’t use it often, because I don’t cook as often as I should, but it gets the job done with minimal fuss. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-use-a-kitchen-mortar-pestle/837979/9 "2019-08-01T11:53:44Z")
I have a molcajete, so I’m unsure how to answer. Yeah, yeah, there’s always that one guy that just has to be difficult. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-use-a-kitchen-mortar-pestle/837979/10 "2019-08-01T11:55:04Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Do you own and use a mortar & pestle? I own two. One for cooking. The other is for making incense and ritual powders. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-use-a-kitchen-mortar-pestle/837979/11 "2019-08-01T11:59:35Z")
Own one. I think I use it on average about once a year, but it’s handy to have it when I need it. ---
**Author:** ![Bayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bayaker/32/3454_2.png) [@Bayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-use-a-kitchen-mortar-pestle/837979/12 "2019-08-01T12:03:44Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > I have a _ **molcajete** _, so I’m unsure how to answer. Yeah, yeah, there’s always that one guy that just has to be difficult. Emphasis mine. Until I read this thread I didn’t know the word _molcajete_, and I answered the poll in the affirmative because I regularly use my big-ass mortar and pestle. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-use-a-kitchen-mortar-pestle/837979/13 "2019-08-01T12:27:03Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Own one and use it, mostly to grind spices/seeds. This. Also have a molcajete I use for guacamole. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-use-a-kitchen-mortar-pestle/837979/14 "2019-08-01T12:28:06Z")
I used it to grind up bouillon cubes for a chicken dish that I make, but now I buy granular bouillon so not so much any more. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-use-a-kitchen-mortar-pestle/837979/15 "2019-08-01T12:34:07Z")
I got **Mrs. FtG** a wooden set many years ago. She uses it once in a while. So sort-of own, myself don’t use. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-use-a-kitchen-mortar-pestle/837979/16 "2019-08-01T12:35:27Z")
We have one. It’s been used. Not often, but I’ve definitely used it. Like when the pepper mill broke. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-use-a-kitchen-mortar-pestle/837979/17 "2019-08-01T12:48:20Z")
I answered yes, we have and use one. Then I searched for “molcajete” and discovered that my m&p is really a molcajete. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-use-a-kitchen-mortar-pestle/837979/18 "2019-08-01T12:51:47Z")
Closest thing I have is a pill crusher for the cats. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-use-a-kitchen-mortar-pestle/837979/19 "2019-08-01T13:04:24Z")
No, I already have a spice grinder which is all I would ever need one for. I do often wonder if M&P would make for a better texture when making salsas though. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-use-a-kitchen-mortar-pestle/837979/20 "2019-08-01T13:26:24Z")
I voted “Yes, I own one & yes, I use it.” but the real answer is that I have several, and use them all frequently. One is for spice mixes that contain chili, one for other spice mixes and for nuts and grains and one larger one for pesto, rose petals and mochi. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-use-a-kitchen-mortar-pestle/837979.md?page=2)