It used to be that hearing the word "mortar" made me think ipso facto of that heavy, ceramic bowl painted in yellow and green tones that my mother always had in the kitchen, with her precious traditional wooden pestle. It's curious how that vision of the mortar as a traditional utensil or old-fashioned is completely outdated, since the mortar has fortunately become a staple of the modern kitchen.
Since we opened the Mortars section in the shop we've been getting fantastic reviews and comments about their uses and applications from everyone who gets good use out of them, but questions also come up. So that's why we make this post: to talk about the uses of mortars and how to choose the one that suits you best depending on the use you want to give it.
We all love experimenting and undoubtedly adding flavor to recipes! And here's its main function: the mortar is a gateway to authenticity in the kitchen and lets you do everything from crushing spices to extract all their flavor, to making pastes and sauces to season, marinate, or accompany all kinds of dishes.
What a kitchen mortar is for
A mortar in the kitchen gives you a lot of versatility and brings great benefits to your recipe results! Here I detail some of the main uses in the kitchen:
1. Extracting flavors and aromas from spices and herbs
One of the most common uses of the mortar is to crush spices and herbs, which lets you release their essential oils. This intensifies their flavors and aromas. Also, unlike mechanical grinding (with electric devices), the mortar doesn't heat the spices, so they retain their freshness and potency better. For this use, simply add the pepper, herbs, clove... the spices you want to boost (without adding any liquid) to the mortar and press them with the pestle. You'll see that as the husks open or the herbs release their juices, much more aroma is released into your recipes.
2. Making pestos and sauces (control over texture)
With a mortar, you have total control over the texture of what you're preparing, from a coarse grind to a smooth paste. So, if you add the ingredients to prepare certain pestos, sauces, or curry pastes where a specific consistency is crucial, you'll be able to control exactly the point you want. Also, as before, you won't unnecessarily heat the mixture, you won't oxidize the foods, and you'll make much better use of the ingredients' aroma.
3. Perfect for crushing or pounding
Not only herbs and spices: in a mortar you can crush or grind garlic and use all its flavor in your sauces or throw it directly into the pan or tray you are cooking on, or you can crush nuts, from walnuts to hazelnuts, either for your sauces or to add to your mixes or recipes. You'll see that the pestles and the shape of mortars make the action much easier.
Other benefits of mortars
- Use them for more things! You won't use the mortar every day, but most modern mortars have a deep design and shape, perfect for using as a salt cellar in the kitchen, as a sugar bowl to bring some jars at tea time, or as a bowl to present a sauce for dipping or serving at the table. In general, they are very easy to clean and attractive, so we should make regular use of them.
- With a mortar you can prepare home remedies or natural cosmetics.
- It motivates you to maintain a healthy cooking style: By using a mortar, you're more likely to prepare meals from scratch, using whole and natural ingredients. This encourages a healthier cooking approach, free from preservatives and chemical additives found in many processed foods.
- Many mortars have an attractive design and can serve as a decorative piece when not in use.
- What I'm about to say may not resonate with you, but I think the process of crushing and grinding in a mortar can be, and understand what I mean, therapeutic. The repetition and physical effort involved help focus on the present moment, which can be a form of active meditation and reduce stress. When you try it, tell me if it happens to you too!
Types of kitchen mortars: what each is ideal for
There is no best kitchen mortar, but there are some more suitable than others depending on what you are going to prepare: depending on the material and shape it will help you more effectively for one use or another. Below I talk about the main types of mortars you can find and that both home cooks and professionals can use, to help you discover which is ideal for your culinary needs.
1. Ceramic Mortars: Ceramic mortars, with their smooth, non-porous surface, are perfect for preparing soft herbs and spices. They allow you to do a delicate grind, and their smooth surface prevents absorption of flavors and odors, keeping your ingredients and preparations fresh and with their pure taste (without contamination from other or old aromas). They are ideal for making pesto, guacamole, or sauces where a finer, smoother texture is desired.
The most representative in this category would be:
- The traditional Emile Henry mortar, with notable capacity and its rough ceramic interior, helps you extract spice juices and efficiently prepare all kinds of sauces.
- The Berghoff mortar is little known here, but of notable renown in other countries: not only is it practical and ergonomic, but its design, winner of the 2017 IF Design Award, is designed to preserve all the aroma of your preparations - it includes an additional lid to keep the aroma longer.
- Wide-mouth Berghoff mortar: if you plan to grind a large amount of nuts or prepare a large quantity of sauce, it's definitely ideal thanks to the breadth of its pestle.
- The Le Creuset mortar, beautiful and high quality, though smaller in capacity with a small pestle, is ideal if you only want to grind spices or prepare small-quantity sauces. It's so pretty you can also regularly use it as a sugar or salt bowl.
2. Granite Mortars: robust and versatile, they may be among the fastest-growing in popularity. If you seek durability and efficiency and want to move away from traditional ceramic, granite is your best option. Granite mortars are ideal for crushing hard spices like black pepper or cumin, releasing their essential oils and aromas effortlessly. They are also excellent for making curry pastes and other mixtures that require a more vigorous grinding. Thanks to their surface, they also tend to be very suitable for small seeds like chia, since they don't slip and can be ground well. One of the leading examples in this area is the Zwilling granite mortar, modern and effective, combining granite with a stable, elegant stainless steel base that elevates it for comfortable work.
3. Cast Iron Mortars: For the boldest flavors. These mortars are exceptional for grinding roasted seeds and grains. They are especially good for cuisines that emphasize bold and deep flavors, like Indian or Mexican cuisine, or that may require making dense spice pastes. Thanks to the roughness of iron, it's also ideal to help crush small spices like chia seeds.
Although heavy, these mortars can last a lifetime if properly cared for (remember to dry them after contact with water). The prime example we currently have of these cast iron mortars is the one from Affari of Sweden, available in two sizes and with an exceptionally authentic look.
Affari of Sweden cast iron mortar
4. Marble Mortars: Elegant and efficient. Marble is not only aesthetic but also functional for mortar use. With its smooth yet durable surface, the marble mortar is ideal for grinding pepper, herbs, and making sauces like aioli. The weight and size of marble mortars, usually rather large, may have influenced their decreasing presence in today's kitchens (small and space-limited!), but marble offered the advantage that its greater weight provides more efficient grinding compared to other mortars.
5. Wooden Mortars: Softness and naturalness. Wooden mortars are less common but ideal for tasks that require less force, like pounding fresh herb leaves or making guacamole. Their smooth surface prevents herbs from breaking too much, allowing essential oils to remain intact.
NOTE ABOUT PESTLES:
Many traditional pestles are wooden, but nowadays they tend to be made of the same material as the mortar. The weight of the pestle will largely determine the tool's effectiveness: while you might think heavy mortars are more tiring to use, the heavier the pestle the more you'll appreciate it, because that weight helps with chopping or the force of crushing, and you'll save a lot of time if the pestle is heavy, especially when grinding nuts or spices.
NOTE ABOUT SMALL SEEDS, LIKE CHIA
Many of you ask us which mortar works for chia, since being so small it slips in many mortars. The answer is that you want a mortar with a rough surface, and for that a granite one, or one like the Emile Henry ceramic but with a rough interior, will help you grind it without it escaping.
I encourage you to check out the mortars in the shop, and choose thinking about the use you'll give it most often - without ruling out that you might fall in love with one because you'll find them beautiful. They are an investment worth making: if you care for them, they'll last you a lifetime (while adding flavor!).
