I realize not many people may have tried more than one!
I’ve had a few. Marble, too slick inside, didn’t have enough bite on the subject to be ground.
Ceramic, works great but mine’s on the small size so only used for very small amounts.
Cast iron with enameled outside, works fine but heavy.
I plan to buy a bigger ceramic unit one of these days.
I don’t have a name for it, but I bought something like this at a Thai grocery for about $20-$25, and I’ve loved it ever since. It’s heavy (granite, I believe) and heavy-duty, will easily handle anything you throw into it. I had a Mexican lava stone molcajete, and it was a pain to deal with it. No matter how much rice I tried grinding into it to get it smooth and “season” it, I would have little bits of lava rock breaking off into whatever I was grinding and making it taste like I put sand in it. The Thai mortar and pestle I got worked great without any sort of fuss and mess from when I bought it.
We have a very large one that my wife brought into the marriage and it’s never been used. I recently bought a small marble one to crush spices in and it works fine. The pestle has a rough textured tip which allows it to ‘grip’ the spices.
Actually, Chefguy makes a good point. If all you want to do is grind some spices or small amounts of wet ingredients, then a smaller marble mortar and pestle set is much more convenient. The one I linked to above is big and heavy. Gotta be about 15-20 pounds or so with a 2-3 cup capacity. (I can’t remember exactly how much.) But if you’re going to be pounding a bunch of pastes, you will want something bigger.
I have the small marble one with the textured interior. Works just fine.
My parents have a wooden mortar and pestle of similar size that works surprisingly well, and it’s less jarring on your arm than the marble one, if that’s an issue for you. I’m pretty sure my parents bought it in 1968 and its going strong. A little stained, if that bothers you.
Yeah, I got the exact same one from the market at Sanamluang here in Thai Town (actually called “Bangkok Market”), and I’ve had it for over a decade. It doesn’t have a name. It’s just something they import.
Yes, it’s really heavy, but you can use it for anything. I can’t see using one of those wooden ones.
I have one of these, and am pretty satisfied. It has enough grip to actually grind things, and can be flipped for large or small amounts.
Plus, it’s dishwasher safe, and inexpensive!
The one at BB&B looks like what I’m looking for. My marble one was smooth inside and had no grip. Based on chefguys post I must have had a decorative unitvrather than one made to work. 