Lily's Tips and Tricks for Proper Molcajete (Mortar and Pestle) Seasoning and Care

in #food6 years ago

Molcajete

Pronounced Mol-cah-het-te

I've wanted a mortar and pestle for years and that feeling was amplified when moving to Mexico with molcajetes, which is the term they use for these giant basalt mammoths they use to make salsas, mole and all sorts of other tasty things. These are actually pretty versatile and it seems like most cultures have some variation of this that they employ, sometimes made of marble and other materials where volcanic rock just isn't as abundant.

I've been putting off buying one even though I've had the money for a few months for one reason and that's the fact that it weighs a ton. This is literally a carved hunk of stone with a little hunk of stone and it was not fun to carry around the market. When picking mine out I considered one that was 1000 pesos but was huge and pig shaped. One day, maybe I'll go back for it.

I paid 150 pesos for mine and the pestle was 35 pesos and I literally got to choose it from a bucket of options. This one felt best in my hand.

Now these are most commonly used for salsa here but honestly the uses are endless. Anything that needs minced can be smashed in a molcajete and many Indian recipes require the smashing of seeds in one just before adding to food.

I was under the impression that other than a rinsing before use, these were ready to use but research told me I was wrong and honestly so did personal experience. I tried grinding a few things and....they were hard at best to get out.

If you see there in the center there's a....tan smudge of sorts. That's what happens when you grind up a raw cashew in an unseasoned molcajete. That stuff gets stuck.

Seasoning the Molcajete

Its similar in concept to seasoning a pan but honestly it's a totally different process involving different things. As you can see by the photo it starts with white rice, just a little bit depending on the size of your molcajete. This process takes time and honestly is a lot of work but it's worth it for a few reasons.

You learn how to use the molcajete as well as clean it at the same time. By the end of the seasoning process, you will know everything you need to to care for your molcajete for a lifetime.

Add a little water....and start grinding. And grinding....and grinding....

Literally the idea is to grind the rice and break it down until it's a paste and when it becomes a paste, you'll start to understand why it's a good idea to do this.

That Gray Paste

Naturally these things pick up dust in those little cracks as they sit at the store or wherever they are before they end up in your possession. You're not likely to be given one that's already been recently seasoned and even previously seasoned molcajetes will need some work after sitting for awhile.

I personally had the authentic experience of buying mine from the central market, pricing them out. I determined I was going to buy one pig shaped until I realized that made it a lot pricer. The central market is in fact one of the dustiest places in the city so this process gave me a nice gray paste.

So what now?

Rinse and repeat and I'm not just reading a shampoo bottle here. The idea is to keep going until the paste is white signaling that you finally cleaned all the particulates out of the cracks. That gray paste just has dust and other particles suspended in it. When you rinse it fill it with water and use your hand to swirl the rice paste on the bottom. It'll start to swirl out naturally and over time less and less of the rice will stay.

Elbow grease and Determination Needed

Like the feeling of having successfully seasoned a reclaimed cast iron pan, seasoning a molcajete is very rewarding but honestly in a different way. You really start to get ideas for how to use it as you grind down the rice, everything from chocolate to pizza sauce. You respect the process and every time...just as you're ready to give up you notice something that makes you want to keep seasoning.

After the Season

Once it's seasoned it's ready to use, even if it's still wet. When you do use it, to clean it just fill with water and use your hand to help food swirl out of the divits in the surface. Changing the water and doing this will get most things out of the molcajete.

NEVER USE SOAP

Like a cast iron pan part of the allure of these things is in the fact that they do hold former flavors. This can be an advantage but sometimes isn't desired when going for a specific flavor profile. Soap is honestly the worst thing you could do because the stone will absorb that and it's not a flavor easy to season out like ginger or garlic.

What to do with a smelly molcajete....

If you notice your molcajete has any odor you don't desire coming from it that means it's time to re-season. With regular maintenance doing a re-season is way easier than the initial one as you generally only do one wash with the rice. It does wonders to get strong flavors out of the stone for when you want to make chocolate or something.

Always rinse with clean water and allow to air dry. If you store it in a cabinet, allow it to dry completely before storing it. I personally keep mine on the counter like a chef's trophy.

As an example, I processed some garlic for a recipe. Smashing it to get the skins off is way easier and safer than using the knife of a blade.

It smashes up quite nicely.

Add some mustard seeds or any flavorful seed and grind that too. This thing is made for that!

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Loved this post! I spent lots of time seasoning my cast iron pan. Never knew that I should be doing the same thing with my mortar and pestle. Your mortar and pestle are beautiful by the way. Thanks for sharing. I've upvoted and re-steemed your post. I will follow you and would appreciate if you would check out my blog. If you like what you see, a follow would be appreciated. Take care and have a great day!

Hey thanks, glad you learned something new out of this one!

Thanks for the info. I grew up with one of these displayed in our living room along with a split leaf philodendron and a beautiful olla. It was really pretty but no one ever used it in the kitchen. Next time I am home I am going to search for it. It deserves a nice salsa or some guac.

It definately does.

I inherited my mothers and I can tell you the first few times of using it reminded me of just how hot her spices were!

Yeah, I bet :O

LOL It was so hot we all had tears running down our faces and that was just a drop!

This is the pestle used by the ancients, to grow all the recipes. You use it to cover beauty recipes. This tool has evolved digitally. hehe

For years I’ve wanted this item, more for looking like a ‘pro’ than the use.

This video has lifted the yen…for now…I have a small cast iron skillet that I rarely use. It makes excellent corn bread; and, over all is ‘fun’ to use…nostalgia of sorts.

I expect the molcajete will be the same.

Recently, I wanted to crack some steel cut oats into a powder. I don’t own a Vitamix; so, got the yen to put them into a gallon baggie and use my elbow-grease rolling pin to crack them. Of course, a coffee grinder would have worked; but, I used the rolling pin.

Let me be honest…the results were not mortar/pestle quality. So, someday, I’ll buy one. We’ll see.

Thanks for sharing!

Peace.

Hey there so I feel you on the "pro" aspect of the mortar and pestle. It kind of makes me feel more legitimate even though its made out of such rough natural materials. I display it in my counter both for inspiration and reminder of the little things, that grinding up some garlic in it can be so satisfying compared to mincing it with a knife. Smashing garlic to remove the skins instead of risking my hands doing it with the side of a knife (I've got scars from that going wrong)

I was guilty of not really using my cast iron frying pan despite the fact that I brought it with me all this way while on the run. I was determined to carry the thing in a backpack it was so important to me yet it sat unused for months due to me just not wanting to put in the work to care of it once I messed up the seasoning.

But a little avocado oil changed that and now I use it every day and it's my favorite pan once again.

Get a mortar and pestle, if you're anything like me you'll regret not having done it sooner. And season that pan really nice and it'll be one you'll be addicted to using :)

not wanting to put in the work to care of it once I messed up the seasoning.

I'm so glad you found an easy way to season your cast iron. I defy all of the rules associated with care. After using mine, I literally wash it in hot soap and water. I put it on the stove, very low heat til dry (about 10 minutes). I then add a cap of oil to the skillet and carefully polish the whole thing, top and bottom with a paper towel.

Before using it, I give it a good rinse with hot water, and onto the stove. I've had it for years, and no damage.

regret not having done it sooner

Lol...Don't tell anyone, but currently, I'm not an avid cook. Perhaps the yen will hit me someday and I will buy one. ;+)

Again, many thanks for sharing this very informative post!

Peace.

I am inspired of how you carefully prepared these all. well done @ lily-da-vine

you are correct. in India still the most needed for cooking is this. it is a stone curved. it is available in different sizes and shapes. people had no other correct tool than this to past species. the older generation claims that the taste of crushing in this is Unmatchable. while preparing itself the aroma increases your appetite. NRI'S settled in other countries, when they come to India purchase theses small ones to crush species in their kichins. you reminded us that. good post.

They come in a few styles here and I never realized it until the day I purchased mine. I could have had a much lighter pottery version months ago!

wohhh nice and awesome post bro... i read whole article and i tried to guess properly and finally i understood after read 2nd time whole topics,,, thanks man for your nice post

This post has received a 18.84 % upvote from @aksdwi thanks to: @lily-da-vine.

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